humidity level in home studio

[Caste75]

Hi guys, since few years I transformed my attic room into a home studio. I had it thermal and sound insulated by somebody. However the humidity % tends to remain quite high (around 67%). I read on many forums that gear should stay in rooms where the humidity level swings in between 45 and 55%. Do you think that this is a real issue? I mean, could this 10% extra humidity damage my gear?
I already tried placing a couple of non electric dehumidifier in my home studio but those things are not working at all. An electric one will work surely better but we are talking about an electricity usage of €2 x day...you do the math, it's more than €700 per year...
I live in Holland so I guess humidity is a common issue here.
Any idea or solution?

thanks

Filippo

[Dynamic Mike]

You can set most electric de-humidifiers only to come on if the humidity level rises above a certain level. If you chose a model with fairly efficient extraction it will be off most of the time. I leave one on pretty much 24/7 in a conservatory & the running cost is hardly noticable, certainly nowhere near the figure you've estimated. Obviously electricity costs may vary in Holland but I wouldn't dismiss it as an option.

I think the biggest problem might be emptying the reservoir depending on the access to your attic.

[James Perrett]

High humiditiy isn't really a problem with electronic gear until you get condensation. If you have acoustic instruments in there then you may want to be a bit more careful but, if you are only using electronic instruments, I wouldn't worry.

James.

[ConcertinaChap]

If you have older instruments (good concertinas, for instance, can be up to 150 years old) then higher humidity is better than lower. Pre-central heating houses tended to be damper and instrument makers allowed for that. The wood of an older instrument can dry out and split in a modern centrally heated house.

CC

[Caste75]

Thanks guys, I feel better now!

[The Red Bladder]

The be honest, I have always found that humility levels in studios to be inversely proportionate to talent.

[tim_obrien]

I'm sitting here in Florida about 3 miles from the ocean.

I would love for the humidity to get down that low.

If humidity was a problem, my stuff would have all been dead many years ago.....