Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with humidity

Cheap "Dry Box" For Camera Gear?

justcorbly — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 05:57:25 -0800

Are there cheap alternatives for the large and elaborate "dry boxes" I see listed for use as dehumidified storage cabinets for lenses and other camera gear? I've built up a little collection, live where the summer humidity is often high, and do not run my AC 24/7. My first thought is that this is basically an airtight box with a bunch of dessicant inside. Can't really be that simple, though.

Where to buy unlined linen or other lightweight jacket online?

planetkyoto — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 00:53:25 -0800

Where can I buy an unlined or lightweight men's linen jacket or similar like this for very hot, humid Kyoto summer? Must be worn with white dress shirt, tie and black pants. Degree of difficulty: 46L/XL and shipping to Japan. It only has to be worn twice a week, only until I get into the building, then I can take it off. I've been wearing three light-colored sportcoats, but they are 48L and I'm tired of looking baggy, and I'm already too big for Japan without extra fabric snapping in the breeze.

I would get two of those GAP ones at that crazy price and dye one dark if they shipped to Japan, or if our GAP carried them. I don't know where to look on ebay/Amazon, everything looks fishy. Could I just wear a breezy linen vest over my white shirt? That would seem dressy enough to me, but where would I get it? Something else? Budget is up to USD$150 or 200.

Pants are always black, shirt is always white, usually red tie. Is normal linen beige color OK or do I need a dark jacket/vest? Talk down to me, because I'm fashion sense-impaired.

Attics, Televisions and Missouri Summers

luftmensch — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 14:46:39 -0800

New place has a lovely attic, finished but no AC up there. We're planning on having the windows open with fans in them to keep the air moving and bearable. Would it be a bad idea to have a TV (plasma) up there in the humid southeastern Missouri summer? I know most plasmas have operating humidity of up to 80 or 90%, and it can easily reach that on the worst of summer days here. Would the inside humidity be equal to that of outside with the windows open? Could some dehumidifying solution near the TV (in the middle of the room, far from the windows) prevent an untimely death of a big shiny toy?

I checked out some suggestions from this question, but I somehow doubt a few packs of silica gel would be enough to convince my partner his TV is safe.

And in that sleep of death what dreams may come

NekulturnY — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 07:09:42 -0800

Help me choose a bed. Currently my SO and I sleep in a bed with a wooded-slatted frame with a latex mattress on it. Some vendors warned us, back in the day, that latex is bad for perspiration during sleep (it's basically rubber, so it doesn't breathe). Turns out they were right. On top of this, I suspect that, due to the sometimes high humidity in the bedroom, the wooden frame of the bed is mildewed. I occasionally smell it at night and I don't like it much.

So I want to buy a bed that
a) will not develop mildew in a relatively high humidity bedroom (can't do anything about this - caused by the house and the climate)
b) will not cause the sometimes considerable perspiration that latex beds do.

Should we look for a boxspring? A wooded-slatted bed with a so called pocket spring mattress? Should we shell out 12k for a Hastens bed with horse hair? Tell me your bedtime stories, AskMefi.

Pray for my Pralines

cinemafiend — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 20:12:49 -0800

Help me salvage these pralines... I just made a huge batch of pralines by following this Paula Deen recipe. And when I say a really huge batch, I mean a really huge batch (over eight cups of pecans mixed into a doubling of the recipe). After searching the web and Metafilter, I've now found out why they are not setting up (previously) - the humidity is hovering around 88% here in Alabama tonight.

Help! I've got around thirty saucer sized pralines resting on parchment paper as I type this...Will these things ever set-up? Is there anything that I can do to salvage them?

Straight as an arrow, flat as a pancake

Viola — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 11:06:59 -0800

How do I keep my fine hair from going flat and losing its curl during the slightest wave of humidity? I have fine-but-lots-of-it hair, and it's stick straight. I've grown it out past my shoulders and usually curl it with a curling iron to make it wavy and give it body. I like the final look, except that on muggy days (let alone rainy ones) it loses all curl almost immediately upon walking outside. It cavalierly ignores most hairsprays, even my current Garnier anti-humidity brand. Any product tips on keeping my waves in the face of Mother Nature? Cutting it doesn't help, and I don't want to assault myself with Aquanet to the point where my hair won't move and feels like I got slimed.

How to fix a warped book?

Merzbau — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 00:52:23 -0800

I've just laid out money on a very expensive book, and to my chagrin it arrived with its pages warped and wavy from humidity (I live in a very humid city in the southeastern US), even though it was shrinkwrapped. How should I go about fixing this?

Looking a gift [warehouse] in the mouth.

Annon E Moose — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 09:40:53 -0800

Long Term Storage Filter: Is climate control a necessity? What items need special prep to be in non-climate controlled storage? Assuming no risk of leaking water, what items need special prep to be in non-climate controlled storage for 4-9 months in San Antonio? Are there any items that just require stable temperature and humidity?

I have available to me free longterm storage, but I'm hesitant because I can conceive of damage occurring to 75% of my stuff. Am I being irrational? I mean, a good quantity of storage options aren't climate controlled at all. I've got all the regular stuff everyone has, just a little more electronics than average (including nice tower speakers) and I've got a relatively new wood bedroom set.

(If this post turns overwhelmingly pro-climate, feel free to add whatever prep I need to do for climate controlled storage.)

store in a DRY place -- storage of pills in rainy season

dbooster — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 15:12:05 -0800

What is the best way to store pills when one is faced with 90-90% humidity everyday because of rainy season? It's the middle of the rainy season right now in Japan, and that means I'm facing 90-90% humidity nearly everyday. That's so bad that when I get home in the evening, the morning newspaper feels damp to the touch. I never really considered my pills, but I was reading a newsletter from the city yesterday about how to avoid food-poisoning in the rainy season (very common due to the increased humidity and thus increased mold) and suddenly it hit me... oh, store in a cool, DRY place. I'm mainly talking about vitamins and headache pills here (advil and aspirin)

How can I stop the extreme condensation in my refrigerator?

Dee Xtrovert — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 21:50:45 -0800

How can I stop the extreme condensation in my refrigerator? For the past month or so, there's been an extreme amount of condensation appearing in my refrigerator - I mean, the shelves nearly have puddles on them. It's been hot and humid here lately - but this seems extreme!

Some other pertinent details:

1) I'm moving, so the refrigerator is emptier than usual.
2) I haven't adjusted the temperature control, which is in the middle of the extremes of its adjustment capabilities.
3) I haven't been opening or closing it any more than usual.
4) No lint buildup anywhere underneath or in the back, as far as I can see.

Thanks!

moldy mouldering mold

Post-it Goat — Mon, 12 May 2008 17:14:29 -0800

Will a dehumidifier work for my mold problem? The size charts say a 25 pint one (~$150) would be fine for my square footage, but would one be able to cover the bathroom, living room and bedroom considering they are separate rooms? Would the air flow be good enough, or should I get some of the much smaller (seems like less well-reviewed too) dehumidifiers that go for $50-$70 on Amazon and put one in each room? I've been in my (~600-700 sq feet) apartment for about a month, and already there are traces of mold growing on the ceilings in the bathroom and living room. I've also noticed a lot of condensation on the windows, especially when I run the heaters. The bathroom has a vent that I cleaned tons of mold out of, but even so it does not seem to work very well.

Complicating factors: I have a fish tank that evaporates quite a bit of water, and the bathroom has no wall outlet so ideally I would just get one dehumidifier and put it in the bedroom or something.

Thanks for any advice or shared experiences!

Acoustic guitars and humidity

eightball — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 12:03:51 -0800

Acoustic Guitar Question: My Martin has a few dead frets, apparently because the guitar has dried out. Is this fixable by just using a humidifier? I have a 1966 Martin 016NY (similar to this one). I usually just leave it out of the case on a stand. I moved to a new place about 5 months ago. When I moved in it played perfectly. Now it has a few frets that make that quacking noise. Most noticeably on the B string third fret. I guess the string is slightly touching the next fret when pushed down so it doesn't vibrate as it should.

I brought it to my repair guy. He looked at it for 5 seconds and said "It's dried out, put a humidifier in it and it'll be back to playing as it should in 2-3 weeks". Apparently the top is dried out so the guitar is out of whack and effecting the neck.

So, I've had it in the case with a humidifier for 5 weeks. Refilling the humidifier every few days. There has been no change. Its just as bad as it was 5 weeks ago.

Will the guitar ever go back to normal just by humidifying it? Or do I need something more drastic done?

What material is appropriate for a hermit crab fountain?

cowbellemoo — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 18:29:27 -0800

What material should I built my small fountain out of? Should be easy to work with, durable, waterproof, and hermit crab safe! As a reward for hanging on despite my half-assed attempt at a decent environment, I'm going to build a dream crabitat for my hermit crabs. I'm purchasing a 20 gal. long aquarium off craigslist to replace their 6 gal. slum, it'll have a huge volume of sand for burrowing -- and to satisfy their humidity/moisture requirements, I'm going to build them an aquatic amusement park at one end of the tank.

Here are the plans I've drafted. (don't laugh)

I already have the mini-pump with tubing. I can assemble parts with aquarium-safe silicone cement and silicone. But I have no idea what material I should use to build the walls out of! Glass seems like a huge bother to work with. Wood would maybe leech bad stuff into the water and likely rot. Tarp material (+wood) seems like it would be too easy for the crabs to poke holes in/eat/disassemble/burrow under. Some thick plastic or pvc would seem to fit the bill. But is it non-toxic? Where do I get it? How do I shape it?

*Bonus points if you can also think of a good way to make the water fall in fine, separated droplets from the 'terrace' instead of a boring one-sided dribble. The pump isn't very powerful...imagine a lazy drinking fountain. How do I get Trevi out of it?

Thanks!

I need more humidity in my house!

actionpact — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 16:38:25 -0800

How can I increase humidity in my house? It's my first question! Yay (be gentle)!

I live in AZ, where the current average humidity is 10-15%. I am used to living where it's more like 50% humidity; and in order to screenprint (which I need to do!) I need a better humidity ratio to keep ink from drying out when I'm printing, especially in the summer when it's at least a hundred degrees outside and I need to put on a/c to cool down, which adds to the whole dryness thing.

Mostly I just need one room to be more humid-- I think my solution has to be a humidifier but I need to find out the best one for a decent budget (~$50-75?). Any of you MeFites have a good one you swear by? I bought a Vicks one at Target several months ago but I never feel much of a humidity change-- I'm waiting for a hygrometer to show up in my mailbox to actually see if it makes a difference. Or is there something else I can do to up the humidity levels to say 30-40%? Doesn't need to be constant per se-- but if there's other things I can do I'm all ears.

Nooooooo!

Eringatang — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 14:31:30 -0800

Did Charleston, SC kill my digital camera with its southern hospitality? Took my digital camera down to Charleston, SC. It was humid, but my camera has been to plenty of other humid places. Today, two weeks after my trip back, I turned it on. The screen turned on - went white (briefly) - and then the whole thing turned off. I've tried recharging the battery and attaching it directly to DC current, but the darn thing won't turn back on. Am I SOL? Have you ever heard of humidity frying a camera before? It's a Panasonic DMC-FZ10 if that helps. No, I didn't drop it.

What can we make lots of little Stevenson Screens out of?

Jimbob — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 18:55:06 -0800

Handy people: What's a good way to make lots of small, Stevenson Screen type things on the cheap and easy? For an experiment we're conducting outdoors, we have a whole bunch of little iButton temperature and humidity sensors (about the size of a computer-clock battery). We don't want to just stick them on our experimental plots, because they would be affected by direct sunlight and wind. In weather recording, Stevenson screens are used to shade sensors from direct sunlight and strong wind, while still allowing a flow of ambient air around the sensors. Alas, "proper" Stevenson screens are expensive, or quite complicated to construct (as per my link above), particularly when you need 65 of them.

Do any people with a better knowledge of gadgets and hardware than I have any ideas of how we could make lots of little shelters to protect our sensors in a similar way? Items that could be modified to shade and reduce wind effects around our little sensors? Something that could be re-purposed?

Air plz?

melissam — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 13:36:38 -0800

Facist housing says we can't open our windows because it will set the fire alarms off...really? I live in graduate housing. The fire alarm is by the window and ominously enough, the sprinkler is above my computer. It's a perfectly good day outside and I hate having all the windows closed, but there are signs all over the building saying "OMG if you open them the alarms will go off and all your stuff will be water damaged."

I realize the alarms are sensitive to humidity and we had a spate of very humid days, but now it's pretty low (42%) and I don't think there is a lot of danger. I tired to look up "danger levels" online and couldn't find anything...should I just suffer with stale air?

Running when it's hot and (especially) humid

I_Love_Bananas — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 07:15:16 -0800

It's not the heat, it's the... you know. Tips on running in high humidity? Here in Ohio we've been having killer heat. But I still need to keep training for the marathon in October. During the week I suffer the treadmill but once a week I have to run long, and that means outside. We've been in the upper 90's with ungodly humidity for weeks now.

This morning I went out at 8:30 am thinking I would be ahead of the heat. It was already 75 degrees but oh. my. God, the humidity! I planned to run for 90 minutes but I was whipped at 50. I had water and drank plenty before and during. But I felt like such a loser for not being able to make it further.

What about the high humidity saps your energy and strength so much? Should I be breathing differently? My legs felt heavy and it was one of the worst runs I've ever had.

What else can be sensed passively?

viewofdelft — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 16:13:28 -0800

What else can be sensed passively? Help me construct a list of things that can be sensed passively by machines. I came up with a list of the more obvious subjects of passive sensing, including:

smell
touch
taste
sound
location
motion
pressure (e.g. of the air and blood)
temperature
levels of certain gases (e.g. CO2 levels)
humidity
seismic activity
electromagnetic radiation (e.g. just about everything else I could imagine)

Help me fill in the obvious while also providing the more obscure, such as wireless networks (which, admittedly, may be categorized as electromagnetic radiation). What other things can be sensed passively by machines?

Healthy Dry, Sick Humid

divabat — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 07:11:15 -0800

Feeling better in dry conditions and sick in humid places: common? I'm going through a bad case of the flu, and was looking through past threads on flu management, and noticed that a lot of the responses suggest a humidifier. I have heard from many people that humidity helps; however, for me, humidity makes things worse.

I'm from Malaysia (and am there now as I write this) and growing up, I would have colds and flus every six months or so. I've been hospitalized quite a few times for flus that went out of control. I actually was on drip this morning for a high fever that didn't go away during the night. However, I travel a lot, and I am always SO MUCH BETTER when I am in a drier climate. I don't get sick quite as often, or quite as worse. I moved to Australia last year, and while I'd have the occasional fever, they never lasted very long and didn't warrant anything beyond rest. I'm back in Malaysia for holidays; I've barely been here a week and I'm already sick.

The humidity/dryness contrast was shown very clearly to me on a world tour I went on two years ago, that crossed the US, Japan, and Europe. I spent about 6 or 7 weeks in each continent. I was perfectly healthy in the US and my worst problem in Europe was a sprained ankle (I fell down the stairs); however, in Japan I had week-long flus twice.

Am I weird? Is this common for anyone else? How can I recreate dryer conditions in humid places? We used to have a dehumidifier (which helped a lot) but now can't seem to find one. Any other suggestions?

How do I keep my room cool despite south-facing, vertical, out-ward opening windows?

Becko — Thu, 10 May 2007 20:19:48 -0800

This summer I, unfortunately, will be living in my old bedroom at my parent's house. To make matters worse, it gets ridiculously humid/hot in my room (the A/C doesn't make any difference at all.) A window-mounted A/C unit won't fit in my vertical, outward opening "french" windows and while I've considered a "personal air conditioner" the hose poses a similar problem with my windows, a problem I'm hoping to solve. I look to you, AskMeFi reader, to make my summer stay a little more bearable. I'm really dreading living back at home, I was there a couple of days ago and it was already pretty humid and gross in my room. Additionally, my parents have acquired a dog and a cat since I've been at school and not only am I allergic to them, I just hate them. So bonus points if your solution allows me to keep my door shut. The cat's a jumper, so no barricade I've been able to produce has been capable of keeping him out.

But back to the problem at hand:

If I buy one of those expensive "personal air conditioners" I'm concerned about the hose you're supposed to stick outside. My window, which only opens on the right side, has a full-size screen on it and opens outward. Its south-facing, so it pretty much gets constant sunlight. If I take the screen off, I'm inviting all sorts of bugs into my bedroom. Plus the height of the window itself would probably negate the hose's exhaust or the effects of the air conditioner. So short of cutting a hole in a big slab of plywood and covering my window, I'm at a loss.

Is there any way to do this? Are you aware of another solution that doesn't involve a personal A/C unit? I'm desperate here.

Summertime in the City. [in a few months]

fionab — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 06:58:47 -0800

Am I crazy for thinking of living in Durham, NC without air conditioning? Considerations: I get really really hot, have a somewhat crazy internal thermometer, I have lots of books, and I don't want to be miserable. Problem: we found a super cute house and it doesn't have AC. What to do? I'm from way up north living in (for me) a hot and humid climate in the Triangle area. I've had central AC down here for 4 years, and I definitely keep my entire place air conditioned in the summer and fall - it's hot here all through September. I can likely escape out of here during July and August this summer.

Questions: Do window units actually work? I could put one in my bedroom, so that I could at least sleep in relative coolness.

What about my books? I have lots and lots of books, most of which won't fit in my bedroom. Will they suffer for being in the kind of humidity that settles in here, or am I being paranoid? What about photographs or art?

If I don't live with AC, will I actually become better adapted to the humidity? What are tips on dealing with it? This seems weird to be asking when it's gorgeous outside, but this house is a good opportunity and I need to weigh options here. I know that I'm being a bit of a baby about this but my heat issues are just one of those things that I've never been very good at adapting to down here. Help me, hive mind!

ibook+humid climate= bad?

typewriter — Tue, 23 May 2006 08:14:15 -0800

Should I leave my ibook in an unairconditioned apartment in muggy Hong Kong while I go to China for a week? Not worried about security; paranoid about humidity damage. It's hot and humid here. Walking around is a bit like taking a sticky bath. Leaving the a/c on is expensive and wasteful. Not interested in taking the laptop with me on vacation. What should I do?

How to pinpoint the source of household mold.

zorro astor — Fri, 27 Jan 2006 13:57:34 -0800

My father has a problem with mold and humidity in his house. It grows copiously on the exterior walls of exactly one bedroom. Condensation appears on the windows, to the extent that there is a puddle of water on the window sill every morning; and this is a year long phenomenon. (Interestingly, the area around the windows does not get moldy. )The humidity in this room is literally palpable. We pulled up the carpet today, but it was always moist to the touch, towels don't dry, etc. The walls have to be cleaned with bleach every month or two. There is an adjoining bathroom, and we've tried leaving the windows open but it seems to have no effect. In any case, there is another bathroom in the house which in never ventilated and there is practically no mold. At this point we need to pinpoint the source of the humidity, and why it is only found in this room. Any ideas? If you need more info just ask.

Why are we so thirsty...?

xoe26 — Mon, 19 Dec 2005 23:29:28 -0800

My girlfriend and I have just moved to Davis, California from London, England, and we have both noticed that we drink lots more water than ever before....Why? It's winter here so it's not the heat. We are both drinking about 2-3 litres of water a day.
My only guess is that the humidity in London must be higher due to the famous English weather - but it's been raining heavily in California for the past week or so, and we are still thirsty!