Help here! high humidity afects drums and cymbals?

Hi there, i live in an area that gets 75-80% humidity all year!...well..almost..just resting a bit between december and january, i have my sets for almost 2 years and only noticed a little oxidation on cymbal stands, but nothing else.....should i do something, or my drums have no issues like guitars.
hope you can help!
excuse my poor english!

cokemon

I would think as long as they aren't going from cold to hot and causing condensation they should be ok. I would keep a coat of car wax on them and all your hardware. You could also consider sealing the inside shells with Tung oil or other products. I stained and waxed mine a few years ago. I don't have humidity issues you have but sealing is a good option to help preserve the shells.

There really isn't much that you can do except keep the cymbals and the hardware clean and polished.
Air conditioning or a dehumidifier are the best ways to help control the humidity.
Aside from the tarnish on the metal parts the humidity really won't do that much dammage to the drum shells.
The outside of the shells are protected with wrap or lacquer.
You could also use tung oil on the inside of the shells for added protection.

I usually just run a dehumidifier in my home studio most months of the year. It keeps the humidity around 45 to 50%. It also helps some of the audio equipment and recording tape to remain in their optimum humidity levels, not too dry and not too wet.

Dennis

As long as the wood can breathe it will be fine. Your main enemy will be mold growing on surfaces. It eats into the finish making it look bad. The metal fittings might suffer because corrosion and rust may set in. So regular cleaning will fix that and a bit of oil on threads and moving parts will stop rust.
What is really annoying about life in a damp climate is that when you get a dry spell the whole kit goes out of tune.

As far as drums go, a lot of what is called 'flood/water damage' to the interior of drums is actually from condensation. If both heads are non-ported, you get a build-up of relatively humid air in the drum (via the grommet hole). You always see bassdrums with the water stains/damage in the bottom of the interior. The condensation in a standing bassdrum will collect at the bottom. You see that a lot on older bassdrums as bass drums were almost never ported until the late 60s.. You leave a warm humid environment (e.g. packed stuffy club chock full of respirating humans, your basement) and put the drums into a cold environment (your car in winter, the garage). The moist air inside the drum reaches the dewpoint, and the water condenses on the interior of the drum (stains, cracks, crusty, rusty internal screws etc..).

Conversely, you take your drums from a chilled/cold environment or from outside in winter (a cold car, garage, air conditioned environment) into a warm humid environment (a packed club, a studio or an outside summer gig), water condenses on the relatively colder object. In this instance, the exterior of the drum will mostly be affected, but here too the warm moister air finds its way in through the grommet hole and moisture condenses on the relatively colder, poorly ventilated interior. In this case as you it the drum during the gig, the vacuum created by hitting the drum pushes the cooler air out and pulls the moist warmer air in. At the end of the show any moisture has a hard time exiting as your not playing anymore/forcing the air in and out via the grommet hole.

When I leave a hot humid club gig in winter I'll get the drums home & press the heads for a minute or so to breathe air (less humid) back into the drums. Also in the summer if you play a gig in the hot humid weather do the same if you bring them right back to your air-conditioned house..
Cymbals & hardware too; When you get home leave your bag unzipped to let air flow through.

*It also applies to electric gear too! If you have an amp head/PA in your car in winter for a few hours (or any relatively colder environment) and take it into a warm humid club, studio, house, water can/will condense on the electronics..

Nodiggie said:

I would think as long as they aren't going from cold to hot and causing condensation they should be ok. I would keep a coat of car wax on them and all your hardware. You could also consider sealing the inside shells with Tung oil or other products. I stained and waxed mine a few years ago. I don't have humidity issues you have but sealing is a good option to help preserve the shells.

Click to expand...

Thanks Nodiggie! i will do that 'cause i don't want my sets to mess up!
cheers!
cokemon

bobdadruma said:

There really isn't much that you can do except keep the cymbals and the hardware clean and polished.
Air conditioning or a dehumidifier are the best ways to help control the humidity.
Aside from the tarnish on the metal parts the humidity really won't do that much dammage to the drum shells.
The outside of the shells are protected with wrap or lacquer.
You could also use tung oil on the inside of the shells for added protection.

Click to expand...

Thanks a lot Bobdadruma! i was in real panic 'cause of the humidity!

What kind of drums do you have? I know Mapex has a lifetime waranty on shells as long as you don't try and oil, wax, or seal the interiors. Just try and keep your house at the right humidity level.

Thanks to all...........i'm going to take care with a dehumidifer, i think would be the best option......i'm no taking unnecesary risks with my gear.......the only issue would be the electricity bill LOL but hey, i do love my drums!!
thanks to all!
cokemon

sticks4drums said:

What kind of drums do you have? I know Mapex has a lifetime waranty on shells as long as you don't try and oil, wax, or seal the interiors. Just try and keep your house at the right humidity level.

Click to expand...

Hi there!....well i have tama starclassic and a dw collectors, and i DO NOT want to wax them, i remember reading in the warranty policy about it to.fo that reason i'll go with the dehumidifier option.thanks again!
cokemon