Humidity Level for Workshop

problems

On or around Wed, 7 Mar 2007 11:56:55 -0600, colinheath enlightened us thusly:

I could do with one of them, might stop everything going rusty.

I have mine at just under the "normal" setting, though what that represents in terms of % humidty I have no idea, but it keeps the rust at bay without any heating. If yours is a cheap B&Q special like mine, turn it off below about 5º as it will be unable to defrost, and the ice will grow to Titanic proportions around the evaporator.

Cliff Coggin Kent UK

We have just purchased one also for the new place which is suffering a bit from cold wet winters and no heating.

It is a 25litres a day model, quite large, and was on offer on the internet.

Should be with us tomorrow, so I'll have a look and see what the recommendations are that it comes with.

Peter

-- Peter & Rita Forbes Email: snipped-for-privacy@easynet.co.uk Web:

Don't have the OP, so I answer here. Have one since years and it is set to 60%. It's running in my engineering room er ... cellar. Has a lot of work during summer (idle during winter), because of air from the outside coming in, cooling down and getting more relative humidity. So I never ventilate during summer when it is warmer outside than in my shop. Got a el-cheapo temperature / humidity meter to check. Kept all (well, most of) rust away.

Nick

Colin

Another one here set at 60% with no problems over the last three years. We live just a mile from the coast so it works hard at times and I'm still thinking of plumbing it in properly rather than having to constantly empty it. I try to help it out by keeping a little heat on in cold spells from radiators to try and maintain a fairly cool but even temperature. The only problem I've had is that if I haven't been in there for a few days and it has been running I quickly end up with a dry throat - still can't have everything and a couple of beers soon sorts that out.

Regards

Keith

Andrew, thanks I think I will do the same as I have a rainwater drain just outside. At the moment I rely on seeing the silly red light or "missing" the sound of it cutting in, not at all reliable when I'm absorbed and the machines are running!

Best regards

Keith

I don't use one at all in my single-car garage workshop, and to date have not yet had a problem with rusting except from floods:). However, the up and over door has the normal gaps around it, and combined with some ventilation slots in one of the brick walls and a door that opens into the porch, provides quite a good airflow through here. A bit too good at times in the winter months... The garage is integral with the house so a bit of heat is sure to filter through, and the combination of all the above (together with the normal machine oils) seem to work well to keep any condensation or rust at bay.

Peter

Outside drain ... *OUTSIDE* drain! *That's* the trick! :-))

Nick

PS: Ever happen to have a look at your bearings in the spindle what type they are?

Well I guess that cuts out the middle man, but I generally prefer to drink my beers first. Been drinking too much Bud?

Regards, Tony

Tony

I can't see anything wrong with Andrews plumbing arrangement if it is "Bud" we are talking about! Now for real beer I agree with you the middle man is essential .

Regards

Keith

Thanks for all the replys. I will stay at 60% then.

Cheers Coli

-- colinheat

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I had to research this subject some years ago with regard to the long term care of UK military equipment. I remember finding that the relevant MoD Def Stan set 50% as an acceptable figure. (This was for metals such as cadmium commonly used for plating (some oxidation products can be a serious cancer risk) and obviously, iron. But other metals such as magnesium also preferred low humidities.) What I don't know is whether the official advice included any safety factor.

"Austin Shackles" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com...

I bought one and didn't find it particularly useful in my workshop - they don't work well at low temperatures which is when the condensation is at its worst. This year I didn't put any heating in and I haven't had any problems, which means I have an electric heater and a de-humidier I didn't need....

Steve

It's a mistake to believe that low temperatures always equate to high humidity. Clear frosty weather usually means low relative humidity which, combined with low temperature, greatly slows down rusting. On the other hand warm cloudy weather usually means high relative humidity, and is when rusting is at its fastest.

The important thing is not the absolute humidity measured in grammes per litre (or whatever your units of choice are,) but the relative humidity measured in %, which is the ratio of the actual amount of water in the air versus the maximum possible amount that air can hold. Dehumidifiers work best at high RH.

Cliff Coggin Kent UK

The one we got last week has been running continuously at the highest setting, adjacent to a damp wall, and so far has probably removed about a gallon of water upo to lunchtime today.

Humidity is around 68 - 72 %

Peter

-- Peter & Rita Forbes Email: snipped-for-privacy@easynet.co.uk Web: