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Heat/Humidity on receivers and other electronics (1 Viewer)

KyleGS

Second Unit
Joined
Feb 12, 2002
Messages
342
We just bought a new "estate" that has a guest house. I will run the 5.1 system in the main house and have the guest house for my stereo purposes. The problem is- the guest house will only have the AC on when I am listening to the stereo. I live in South Louisiana where the humidity it 80%+ for most of the time and it will get to 80-95 degrees in the house at some points. What effect will this have on my receiver, S38's, and subwoofer? Will it do anything to the speakers since they only have passive x-overs to be damaged by the heat and humidity? Thanks guys

Kyle
 

Chuck Kent

Supporting Actor
Joined
May 29, 1999
Messages
983
Well, I'm no authority on any of this but...

I don't think that sustained near 90 degree heat, along with high humidity for months at a time can lead to good things.

Higher humditiy can lead to corrosion in your electronics. And, I've read about speakers growing mildew on them and the veneer coming loose when the humidity is too high.

Temperature-wise, I'm not quite as concerned for the receiver (as long as it has good ventilation when it is playing) as I would be for the speakers. I doubt that most speakers made for the home environment are meant for long term high temperature exposure.

If the equipment's long term health is an issue (it would be for me) then I'd try to run the AC at least minimally. (Or run a dehumidifier. But this brings it's own problems because they generate heat. From what I understand, ideal humidity should be around 50% or so.)

You also might look to see what kind of speakers are available that are rated for the "outdoor" type environment your setup is in most of the time. This would help to eliminate log term worries...
 

Todd Hochard

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jan 24, 1999
Messages
2,312
The problem is- the guest house will only have the AC on when I am listening to the stereo.
Heat and humidity are the bane of EVERYTHING, not just electronics.

If you have wood furniture in there, without some sort of humidity control, you can expect it to warp over time. Fabrics will begin to smell like mildew, etc.

My suggestion would be to run the AC all the time. BUT, try this:

1. Go to some place like Radio Shack, and get one of those thermometers that also reads humidity.
2. Set the thermostat as high as you can to keep the humidity below 60% (probably 80-82, if I had to guess). This won't keep it that low all the time (like at night), but it will go a long way. I run my home AC under this general principle, and it stays comfortable.

I don't know the details of your guest house, but if it's reasonably small (
 

KyleGS

Second Unit
Joined
Feb 12, 2002
Messages
342
Thanks guys- The house is around 2100 sq ft so it would be costly to run the AC....but if that is what I need to do I guess I will run it around 80 degrees or so and see what the humidity will do. Maybe I should just figure out a way to run the 2.1 inside the main house.
 

Alan_MD

Grip
Joined
Jul 6, 2002
Messages
22
Other options would be a window unit for that room only. I have also seen floorstanding air conditioners that could be used in that room only. Probably more expensive up front but would save money in the long run.
 

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