Metal Snare Drums vs. Humidity

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pxavier

Senior Member
Is it safe to keep my brass snare drum in the basement where it does have a slight humidity problem? Also, does the same go for cymbals?
 
pxavier said:
Is it safe to keep my brass snare drum in the basement where it does have a slight humidity problem? Also, does the same go for cymbals?
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Humidity will eventually corrode all metals, some faster than others. there are simple ways to reduce humidity - change the air in the basement regularly (open windows, doors etc.) put a couple tubs of Damp RID around, put a fan in front of a basement window that blows basement air out to the outside, etc. There are plenty of examples of rusty old drum kits for sale out there - dont let it happen to you.
 
720hours World Record said:
Humidity will eventually corrode all metals, some faster than others. there are simple ways to reduce humidity - change the air in the basement regularly (open windows, doors etc.) put a couple tubs of Damp RID around, put a fan in front of a basement window that blows basement air out to the outside, etc. There are plenty of examples of rusty old drum kits for sale out there - dont let it happen to you.
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True.... I'll keep the windows open, that kills the humidity big time. I'll move my wood drums upstairs and keep the cymbals and stuff down there while it's cold.
 
pxavier said:
True.... I'll keep the windows open, that kills the humidity big time. I'll move my wood drums upstairs and keep the cymbals and stuff down there while it's cold.
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Good move on the move to move the drums upstairs. Yeah man, that humidity does damage to anything that is suppposed to remain dry, especially gear and wood.

It will also wreak havoc over time to your hardware and cymbals. Maybe you can pick up a device that measures humidity and keep that monitored. I have a clock I bought from Walmart that measures humidity, temperature and of course time. Maybe you can google other ways to keep the humidity down. Probably some good solutions online, along with the good ones on this post.

Humidity isn't much of an issue here in San Diego, but then again, we unfortunately don't have many basements here either.
 
Humidity and extreme heat are bad. I've heard Of kits cracking that were stored next to furnaces an stuff. I know my old westburies and chad smith snare have some pitting on the chrome from 2 years in the basement.
 
BigDinSD said:
Good move on the move to move the drums upstairs. Yeah man, that humidity does damage to anything that is suppposed to remain dry, especially gear and wood.

It will also wreak havoc over time to your hardware and cymbals. Maybe you can pick up a device that measures humidity and keep that monitored. I have a clock I bought from Walmart that measures humidity, temperature and of course time. Maybe you can google other ways to keep the humidity down. Probably some good solutions online, along with the good ones on this post.

Humidity isn't much of an issue here in San Diego, but then again, we unfortunately don't have many basements here either.
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That's an awesome idea... I've been meaning to get a new clock (w/ second hand) for my practice room anyway...

I like the Damp RID idea too. Too cold this time of year to open windows...

So what's the minimum safe humidity level?
 
Fuo said:
That's an awesome idea... I've been meaning to get a new clock (w/ second hand) for my practice room anyway...

I like the Damp RID idea too. Too cold this time of year to open windows...

So what's the minimum safe humidity level?
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I'd like to know the minimum safe level for humidity for both wood and metal drums.

I remember reading that in most homes during the winter, that the humidity can be lower than in deserts from the heat running and pulling all of the moisture out of the air (which, of course, is why there is so much static during the winter).

So I'd assume that most don't have this problem in cold winter areas. I live in a temperate climate so I only worry about high humidity during the summer. During the winter, I'd assume the humidity gets very low in my house.
 
Fuo said:
That's an awesome idea... ..

I like the Damp RID idea too. Too cold this time of year to open windows...

So what's the minimum safe humidity level?
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Well there are two things here - Wood likes 50% to 60% humidity, Metal likes 0% humidity.

Wood cracks if it gets too dry, metal corrodes if it stays damp.


So whats safe for drums - stay away from a heat source and 30-50% humidity.
 
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