Storing Machines & Records in a Climate-Controlled Basement

[HisMastersVoice]

I have a finished basement in my house, I've never noticed any issues with leaking, dampness, or mold. It's heated in the winter, and cooled in the summer. I recently moved the majority of my collection of machines and records down there to set up a sort of "phono man cave" though not as well appointed as what Jerry B. has set up!

My question is this: does anyone else house their collection in a finished basement, and have you ever had any problems with moisture? I'm particularly concerned about brown wax and gold moulded cylinders, since they are so sensitive to such environmental factors. I just ordered a few digital hygrometers to put in the record cabinets. What is considered a desirable humidity level?


So far I haven't noticed any changes or signs of mold on the cylinders but sometimes I sleep with one eye open worrying about these things...

[VintageTechnologies]

If you have any concerns about moisture (which I certainly would), you might store your wax cylinders in air-tight containers along with a dessicant such as silica gel to aborb moisture.

Although I have lived most of my life where there are no basements, I did live in Lansing, Michigan for a few years and kept part of my collection in a basement for a while. Big mistake! Before I leased a house built in the 1950's, I asked the owner if the house had any history of flooding. He said it did not. For a while, it seemed all that I needed was a dehumidifier. Then one day we had the mother of all thunderstorms that caused sewers to back up and flood basements throughout the area. People said it was the worst they could ever recall. A drain in our basement allowed two feet of nasty black sewer water to gush up into our basement within an hour. We were unable to rescue everything before the water rose and submersed a few phonographs and crates of records. I threw away about a third of my worldly goods due to that flood!

[Brad]

I keep my collection in a finished basement. I have never had any evidence of moisture, however, I did notice the first year some mildew forming on the surface of some machines (not all) and some record albums (again, not all). On the east coast it is humid and we generally do not run the AC unless it is oppressively hot and humid which means only a few days to a week or so over the season. I determined that the surface mold was likely present on the machines and albums from before I aquired them since it formed on one machine and not on the machine next to it (same with the albms). I purchased a digital tempurature/hydrometer and watched the conditions over a few weeks. I noticed when it got hot/humid outside, the basement, while cool, would rise in humidity. I ended up purchasing a larger room de-humidifier and that resolved the problem. Though it looks out of place in the room I have been on the lookout for a old machine cabinet that was not worth restoring, but had an acceptable appearance to house the de-humidifier. (before you go all "don't do that" on me it hasn't happened as I haven't found such a cabinet that met the "too far gone to restore, but looks good enough to display" criteria)

I have not had any issue with mold on my cylinders, both brown wax and black, though, I don't believe that what is called mold on black wax is actual mold but is a chemical reaction, but I digress.

It has been several years and I don't recall the optimum humidity range. Perhaps it was discussed on the board in the past, or is specified on one of the archive sites, or someone else on the board knows. I would recommend getting a digital meter, the ones that are accurate to within a few percent are not expensive and will provide a close enough measurement to tell you whether you should condition the air.

[phonogfp]

The Library of Congress has storage recommendations here:

http://www.loc.gov/preservation/care/record.html

Scroll down to "Environment."

I keep my collection in what used to be an attic. Before we converted it, I measured temperatures there of 120 degrees during the summer. Now it's vented and insulated, with floor ducts for heat and central air. I also have one 12,000 BTU window air conditioner which keeps the temperature up there no higher than 69 degrees during the summer without the central air vents open, and it doesn't even need to run all the time.

Whether a basement or attic, the important thing is to take steps to create and maintain an optimal environment. You can't do that without the simple and cheap expedient of a digital thermometer/hygrometer. I bought mine at Radio Shack for about $12 years ago. They're probably cheaper now!

As other posters have advised, go get one and take the guesswork out of protecting your collection.

George P.

[Yamaphone]

A potentially disastrous problem,that might not be recognized,is the problem of water pipe breakage in basements. Just two weeks ago, my Niece had a water heater rupture in her basement and this was not noticed for hours. A Kalamazoo Duplex unfortunately was near the floor and was partially flooded. I haven't seen the machine yet and hopefully the case can be refinished.Audible alarms are available that will go off when the slightest amount of water is on the the floor. Anyone who has machines with this potential should think about such an alarm.

Dan Z.

[Valecnik]

Here's a thread on the topic http://forum.talkingmachine.info/viewto ... dity#p3904

And extract from the thread:

.....................
http://www.keene.edu/library/OrangAsli/sound.pdf

According to the article, cylinders, even wax cylinders are more tolerant than I expected. Ideal conditions are temperature between ~52F and 68F and humidity of, no lower than 35%. 45% is ideal. If humidity goes above 65% you may start having trouble according to the article. Big, quick fluctuation of either temp or humidity can be the most problematic.


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I store a large part of my collection in a climate controlled basement. Because I'm not able to check it often, I've gone to extremes. I sealed the walls with a rubberized paint and then insulated & sheetrocked them. I also sealed the floor and place home made palates of plywood raised over two 2x2's along the walls to raise the machines up off the cement. AC and a dehumidifier in case the AC is not enough to keep the humidity between 35 and 45 percent. Heated in winter of course. I also keep the machines a good distance from walls, 10 inches or so to allow plenty of air circulation behind. The digital thermometer/hygrometer is a must. I check mine frequently, remotely by a phone call to my dad. Also, beware of water pipes as others mention. In addition to the leakage risk, they can sweat in summer and drip. They should also be insulated and nothing stored directly underneath. Hope that helps.

[Tinkerbell]

A potentially disastrous problem,that might not be recognized,is the problem of water pipe breakage in basements. Just two weeks ago, my Niece had a water heater rupture in her basement and this was not noticed for hours. A Kalamazoo Duplex unfortunately was near the floor and was partially flooded. I haven't seen the machine yet and hopefully the case can be refinished.Audible alarms are available that will go off when the slightest amount of water is on the the floor. Anyone who has machines with this potential should think about such an alarm.

Dan Z.

I completely concur with the idea of a water leak alarm in the basement. One weekend my husband and I were away and returned to a basement full of water because of the water heater tank failing. It was quite the mess to clean up, though fortunately, as our basement is unfinished, we keep mostly storage type items down there.

I purchased a few of these Leak Frogs (as silly as they may look) online and they work at the slightest indication of any moisture... and make a shriek you will not likely miss.

I have also purchased them as gifts for friends, and two of them have saved those friend's basements or laundry rooms from flooding damage.

They are available elsewhere, but I found it's easiest to link the one on Amazon here.

http://www.amazon.com/Leak-Frog-LF001-W ... B000WMSTUO

[FloridaClay]

I second the recommendation of Leak Frogs. I bought them for water heater closet, laundry room, and bathrooms after a water heater mess a year or so ago. I test them once a month just to make sure the batteries are good. (There is a test button right on top.)

A simple mechanism. Any water on the floor closes the circuit between two contacts on the bottom and sets off the alarm.

Clay