Right humidity % for PCB storage?

[spadgy]

I've just moved out of the big city to a lovely home by the sea. But being right by the sea, and living in an old cottage set in the foot of a cliff (we even have our own cave, though pretty tiny! One person capacity maybe) I'm getting paranoid about damp with regard to my collection of PCBs, kits, precious bits of cardboard etc. Places with caves, you see, aren't places I'd associated with arid conditions! I'm sure my worry is unwarranted, but those PCBs demand over protective love!

I'm lucky, though; I've now got a room to devote to my gaming stuff. So I've bought a electric (as opposed to granule-based) dehumidifier.

It lets me choose the humidity percentage for the room, which brings me to my main question...

What is the best humidity level for a room used for storing a game collection?

• 50%, I've read, is perfect for a normal room in a home, inhabited and regularly used by people.
• There's a 10% float either side of that, so 40 - 60% is reasonable.
• Down at 40%, power consumption sharply rises.
• Down at 30%, it gets unpleasant for humans (dry eyes etc), and static discharge levels increase!

So, I was thinking 40% humidity for my game collection room. But is that in the static discharge territory? PCBs don't like staid, after all! But they, (and the precious cardboard) doesn't like humidity either!

So - anybody else out there set the humidity level in their collection/games room? If so, what percentage do you go with?

[beatsgo]

From what I understand you want the humidity never to dip below 35%, so somewhere in the range of 40% and 50% is the optimal

[shmuppyLove]

I want to make a joke about liking it dry, but I'm trying to cut down on my shitposting.

Oh well.

[spadgy]

Thanks beatsgo. That parallels what I've been told elsewhere. I've also been advised to research server room moisture control; will get around to it soon!

And shmuppyLove; you know we take posts about white wine preferences on this forum very seriously.

[Ed Oscuro]

RIP, Lea 'n' Perronz White Wine Worchestshire.

Kind of surprised, well, a bit, about the 35% humidity thing. I personally just say let's find a good plastic bin which closes tightly, and that'll solve most of your problems with contaminants. Of course you want the surrounding environment to be not totally gross, either.

I don't know if the humidity thing is about drying out certain components (any paper - there is some on some devices - certainly becomes easily damaged when you're at 0% humidity) but having a reasonable humidity level certainly helps prevent dangerous static discharges from you to the device. That's important.

[system11]

There's not terribly much you can do about it - just don't store them in high humidity because they will corrode.

[brentsg]

There's not terribly much you can do about it - just don't store them in high humidity because they will corrode.

I think he's trying to pin down what is high, exactly. I try to keep things below 50% in my basement storage. It usually hovers in the 45% range with some active dehumidification! but mine stays below 55% even if I let it go.

[SuperPang]

Does the dehumidifier tell you what the humidity is like with it off? I can't imagine anyone in this country having a problem, unless you're keeping them in the cave.

Anti static bubble bags in sealed boxes on shelves should be adequate.

[Crafty+Mech]

I guess we have it good out in Colorado when it comes to humidity, the annual average is right around 50%. Not so good for dry eyes and skin though.

[Muchi Muchi Spork]

Throw them in the 1 man cave. I'm trying to build up my shitpost count. How am I doing.