Climate control?

[Phono-Phan]

My collection is primarily on display in two showroom in my finished area of the basement. I have noticed that there are some small mold spots on some surfaces. What is the recommended humidity level for an area like this? I bought a dehumidifier and if the container was full overnight.
Any advice would be appreciated.

[52089]

I have significant humidity issues in my basement apartment, particularly in a closet in the back. I did nothing about this the first year I lived here and as a result lost quite a bit in that closet due to mold accumulation.

I now use a combination of a dehumidifier and 2 or 3 fans to better circulate the air. I have hygrometers (humidity meters) in 3 different rooms. I try not to let the humidity get above 70% for any length of time and prefer to keep it around 60%. I keep the windows closed on hot, humid days and open them wide only when the air is dry outside.

I would guess that the dehumidifier runs 6-8 hours a day. It is moved from the closet area to the kitchen and back as needed. I typically start using this setup occasionally around mid-May and it is needed until mid-September or so. I do not have air conditioning; my apartment stays naturally cool on all but the very hottest days of the year.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

[Jerry B.]

Being a generous person, I would accept a few of your machines into my house. I was thinking specifically about the gold plated Victor, the Ideal or Idealia, and I'd hate to break up that collection of front mount Victors with extended support arms and extra long horns. I'm about 2000 miles away but could be there by Saturday.

Your #1 friend,

Jerry Blais (living in damp but mold free Oregon)

[Phono-Phan]

The gold plated Johnson C will probably be one of the last ones to go. It is just too cool. I can't believe I have taken out so much water with the dehumidifier. I never thought I had so much moisture in the air.
Ken Brekke

[phonogfp]

As I recall, the Library of Congress (or it might have been the Smithsonian) recommends humidity levels between 40%-50% and temperature variations of no more than 10 degrees within a 24-hour period.

Mold is certainly a bad sign. I have 2 dehumidifiers running all summer in our basement, and it's nothing but parts/resale machines. (I have hoses running from the dehumidifiers to drains so I don't need to empty the containers.) Relative humidity down there last week was 45%.

George P.

[Phono-Phan]

Thanks for the replies. I will have to run the hose also as the container fills almost daily. Now the next job is to inspect everything for mold and do a thorough cleaning.

[AZ*]

During the 17 years I lived in the desert southwest, I had the opposite problem. I had to use humidifiers during much of the year in an attempt to keep the moisture level inside the house at 35% or so.

I invested in the humidifiers and humidity meters after I noticed the finish on one of my machines had dried out and started to flake off.

[52089]

Thanks for the replies. I will have to run the hose also as the container fills almost daily. Now the next job is to inspect everything for mold and do a thorough cleaning.

I would also suggest using several Damp Rid-type cups in the areas that are prone to mold. These hold calcium carbonate, which absorbs humidity, and the liquid winds up in the bottom of the cup away from the chemicals. I have 4 in my closet and 2 in my kitchen. They are typically emptied of water and refilled with chemicals once or twice a summer.

[BillH_NJ]

Yes, hoses to a drain are almost a necessity.. I have a few things stored in my 1895 unfinished basement, but keep everything off the concrete floor to avoid dampness coming up through that and have two dehumidifiers set to 40% after the heating season. I would have to empty them several times a day if they did not run to a drain.