The Humigel OH-4 replacement kit is of critical importance to the successful use of our humidifiers. The sole reason for using the crystals is to reduce the risk of damage to your instrument due to potential leaks. Humigel crystals are very hygroscopic and hold up to 400 times their weight in water. We add 0.6 cc of crystals before packaging. This is such a small amount that you can barely see them at the bottom of the humidifier. The best way to tell if they are present is to shake the humidifier and hear them vibrate. 0.6 cc is the amount needed to turn water into jelly. Unlike water, jelly is semi-solid and will contain water if the humidifier is damaged. With crystals present, a damaged humidifier will become wet or have water spots but will not leak into your instrument. When there are too many crystals, the water remains suspended in the crystals, does not evaporate through the humidifier cloth and cannot humidify your instrument. After initially filling your humidifier with distilled water, wait 10 minutes. When you look into the humidifier, it should look like small, clear cottage cheese. If it doesn't and you have standing water, you need to get a Humigel OH-4 replacement kit and replace the crystals. Each kit contains 5-6 refills. As long as you close the small zipper bag inside the kit and leave the desiccant bag in place, the kit will last a long time. Without resealing and without the desiccant bag, the crystals will accumulate with the water absorbed from the air. Most instruments only need seasonal humidification. As a general rule, humidity drops in the fall and increases in the spring. When spring arrives, we recommend that you remove the humidifier, wash out all the crystals and leave the cap loosely on the humidifier. If you do not remove the crystals and loosen the cap, the humidifier will shrink, dry out and the crystals will stick together. In the fall, it's easy to damage the lining of the humidifier when you try to reshape it. The liner is only 1/1000th of an inch thick and can be easily damaged if it sticks to itself and the crystals, as the humidifier shrinks and dries out if the lid is tight.
