Storage of drums without A/C or climate control

AirborneSFC · **Posted:** Thu Jun 21, 2012 4:30 am

For those of us in Germany and in Europe where do you keep your drums and does the lack of climate control have a negative effect? My practice room stays at a generally ok temperature most of the year. Even in my house I don't have air conditioning. I imagine its been this way for a long time over here and just wondered what everyone's thoughts were on this. I am thinking if anything of getting a dehumidifier for my drum room.

hemelsoet · **Posted:** Thu Jun 21, 2012 5:56 am

I have a dehumidifier in my drum basement. I build this 4 years ago of 30 cm. thick concrete. It's appr, 7 x 4 mtrs. and dry in a normal way. No moisture on the walls, floor or ceiling. Still the dehumidifier takes out +/- 5 ltrs. of water every 4 weeks. It is set on 45 degrees humidity.
I can't see a crack or other bad things happening to all my old drums. I also don't see rust or mushrooms, :lol:

so in my opinion it works just fine and it's needed to keep things in good shape.
Henk

bill · **Joined:** Tue Jun 12, 2012 1:15 pm **Posts:** 140

Henk has it about right.

The music shop I frequent has an acoustic guitar room where they store and display Taylor, Martin, and other fine instruments and they keep that room at 50%. The paperwork that came with my Taylor recommends 40% - 50%. I would imagine that drums would be a bit more forgiving than that.

I would also say that humidity is the primary thing to monitor. I am sure the drums can handle temperatures that are quite warm as well as quite cold so long as the temperatures stay rather stable. I have a vintage Slingerland Radio King that was apparently stored in an attic for more than 40 years. It was exposed to extreme Chicago cold as well as heat. There are not any problems with the wood.

AirborneSFC · **Posted:** Fri Jun 22, 2012 10:16 am

Thanks everyone I ended up getting a dehumidifier. Spent a little more than I wanted; $212 USD but I think its a cheap investment.
Interestingly enough it is reporting the current level of humidity in the room at about the high 30 or near 40% range. I guess this makes sense since my last kit didnt have any issues. Still like I said its good insurance on my investment overall.

hemelsoet · **Posted:** Fri Jun 22, 2012 10:40 am

As you know, humidity fluctuates, so you made the right decision.
Henk

bigtone · **Posted:** Mon Jun 25, 2012 2:58 am

+1 on the 45% humidity.
Temperature: you really only have to worry about cold when it's been stored in really cold weather and quickly exposed to a warm room. Give it time to acclimate. Most houses don't get cold enough to cause a problem.
Direct sunlight is also to be avoided for long periods, but that is also rare in most house/practice room situations.

AirborneSFC · **Posted:** Wed Jun 27, 2012 3:16 am

So I went to practice again after a few days off. The water bin was almost full! I had it running on continious mode but now I switched it to only come on when humidity is above 45%.

Storage of drums without A/C or climate control

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