Managing humidity

[Pete The Cat]

I read that ideal domestic humidity is 30-50%. In this current weather I see folks reporting >50% in their homes.

Does it matter to those of you with record and CD collections and hi-fi?

In the days when British weather was more nondescript I just used to rely on common sense ventilation, heating (winter) and keeping kitchen and bathroom doors shut.

Last year I spent some time checking through records and changing protective sleeves on some of them. In doing so I became more aware - or possibly over-sensitive - about gradual effects of the environment such as covers sticking together. And I'm sure we've all seen what happens to card/paper when it has been slightly damp.

Yesterday as I sat bathed in a lather of sweat I thought I'd dig out our our old dehumidifier for a bit and turn it on in the spare room where my stuff is. When it switched on it reckoned humidity was 67% (and that was after an overnight thunderstorm) and 8 hours later it read as 39%. A few years ago I'd have thought this was taking it all a bit too seriously. But if we have a few weeks of this weather every year then maybe it's the way to go.

So - do you consciously do anything to manage humidity?

[Tim]

This is right now, it's high around me which isn't good, look at that overnight high!!!

Not ideal




50% humidity is low for me, rarely ever goes below 40.

[Macca]

I read that ideal domestic humidity is 30-50%. In this current weather I see folks reporting >50% in their homes.

No that's too low. Fifties and sixties is fine, lower than 50 it starts getting too dry.

I have a big dehumidifier unit but it only gets used in the kitchen in the winter where it can get to 90 percent on cold wet days.

[Tim]

No that's too low. Fifties and sixties is fine, lower than 50 it starts getting too dry.

My skin gets itchy if it's below 50% for long - 80 is a bit excessive though

[Macca]

73% in my living room right now. Too high, but I've not had the window open since I'm listening to music. If I open the window someone in a diesel will almost immediately pull up outside and sit there with the engine idling, which makes me want to do violence.

[Tim]

I'm 200m to the seafront, so it's always higher than average here. I have a lot of trees around me too, so it's a damp micro-climate - factor in all the rain in Wales and it's never really low here.

83 is the highest I can remember though, but a big storm accounted for that.

[Pete The Cat]

No that's too low. Fifties and sixties is fine, lower than 50 it starts getting too dry.

When I was looking for information earlier AI insisted on answering even though I didn't ask, so usual caveats apply :

Indoor relative humidity (RH) should generally be maintained between 30% and 50%. This range is widely endorsed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), HVAC experts, and building science authorities as it provides a comfortable environment while minimizing health risks and protecting home materials. Humidity levels above 60% can encourage mold growth, dust mites, and condensation, while levels below 30% can cause dry skin, irritation, static electricity, and damage to wood furniture or flooring.

Obviously a US perspective, and AI can't spell mould either.

Over on the Discogs forums there are folks in places like Brisbane and Tucson for whom humidity is an issue. Back when I was a student and lived in the house from The Young Ones our album covers would often end up wrinkled. I wonder what is the level at which humidity affects paper or electronics?

[Pigmy Pony]

I'm 200m to the seafront, so it's always higher than average here. I have a lot of trees around me too, so it's a damp micro-climate - factor in all the rain in Wales and it's never really low here.

83 is the highest I can remember though, but a big storm accounted for that.

83%? That's almost underwater!

Since getting an indoor thermometer at Christmas, the humidity has always been 45-50%. Gone up a bit this week, currently 55%. I suppose it makes up for being 29.6C right now.

[Macca]

When I was looking for information earlier AI insisted on answering even though I didn't ask, so usual caveats apply :

Indoor relative humidity (RH) should generally be maintained between 30% and 50%. This range is widely endorsed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), HVAC experts, and building science authorities as it provides a comfortable environment while minimizing health risks and protecting home materials. Humidity levels above 60% can encourage mold growth, dust mites, and condensation, while levels below 30% can cause dry skin, irritation, static electricity, and damage to wood furniture or flooring.

Obviously a US perspective, and AI can't spell mould either.

Over on the Discogs forums there are folks in places like Brisbane and Tucson for whom humidity is an issue. Back when I was a student and lived in the house from The Young Ones our album covers would often end up wrinkled. I wonder what is the level at which humidity affects paper or electronics?

Wikipedia suggests between 30 and 60 percent based on some research paper that's not available on line but sounds about right to me.

I've had humidity meters for years and never seen my living room go below 40 percent.

[Pete The Cat]

I've concluded that this is a short term battle that can't be won - running a dehumidifier for c8 hours a day gets below 40 but by the next morning it's back over 75.

Assuming this will keep coming and going for a couple of months it's not going to have the same ill effect as a long damp winter. Plus the good thing about using protective outer sleeves these days is that LP covers can't stick together. Back when I was in an attic room with no heating or window I remember that used to happen.