Hi everyone,

I am wrapping up a house move, and part of the process means the trains now have (comparably) endless space! This comes via a basement. However the bad news is this comes with some humidity

I'm assuming the humidity is not good for trains. Does anyone know a % threshold past which the humidity becomes a problem? And any recommendations on dehumidifiers or similar devices to get around the issue? My basement is not fully underground, and not damp either, but humidity is a concern and I'd rather be safe than sorry! Knowing many modelers have basement layouts, I thought I'd ask here.

Thanks!

Hi everyone

In the new dwelling, the train room is in the basement. The basement is partially buried. In the train room, there is a fireplace (the wood stove has been removed). The moisture and heat came from there. We plugged it with glass wool and a cap. This year we have a very hot and humid summer in the Montreal area. I bought 2 dehumidifiers (train room and master bedroom) Both dehumidifiers are set for 45% humidity. They work tirelessly and I have to empty them every 4-5 days

I constantly check the humidity level and I also have 3 humidity meters but they are not very accurate. I'm looking for better items

Have a nice day

Thewolf

Hi all, an update based on a few offline chats:

- I've ordered an overkill (for the basement size) dehumidifier, which should keep things comfortably below 50%.

https://images-na.ssl-im...images/I/81ZVgQVnKHL.pdf

It has a drain line which I can put through the basement drain. In theory this should solve the issue of humidity level.

- In regards to heat that is not a problem. Summer has proven to be a rather pleasant 70-ish degree Fahrenheit temperature down there

- Winter temps we will soon learn about, but it is well-sealed and I suspect it won't get too cold. Worst case I can sort heating.

That solves train storage and safekeeping.

Now layouts are a problem from everyone else I've spoken with. (expansion/contraction etc..) That is chapter two, but I have plans to finish the basement formally for insulation etc before any permanant layouts happen. For now it will likely be my existing 4 x 7 foot test layout without scenery.

If humidity is too low it can promote the generation of static electrical charges. Ever notice how you get zapped putting on a sweater in the winter (for those that have a significant winter). These static charges can destroy electronics, be careful when opening and servicing locos in low humidity environments.

My train is in a totally-underground basement.
I use a 130 Watt compact dehumidifyer, set to 55-60% humidity.
Anything over that will cause rusting to take place at an exponential rate. (There was an article about this in an older Märklin Magazine!)
Although a lower humidity would of course be better for preventing rust, because of the exponential nature of the curve, only very little is gained going to a lower %-age. -On the other hand the build-up of static electricity (damaging to fine electronics too) -and the discomfort of staying in a too dry environment over prolonged time, makes lower humidities undesirable.
My layout has now been in the basement for the last 12 years, and no rust anywhere!

I live in northern Spain, where temperature varies a lot over the year, and we have lots of rain.
In summer I must empty the dryer every day, but during winter only once a week or less.

An update: dehumidifier is installed and now has the basement trending at approximately 45% humidity. The drain line was a big help as it pulls a LOT of water from the air. So far this is all pretty good, and my stress of the trains down there has eased! Once things stabilize for a few more weeks I'll start evaluating a test layout situation for running fun until the days comes when I can "finish" and fully climate control the basement.

my basement is mostly below ground and there was a big humidity problem (floor and tools were wet to the touch) so we installed an AC system that is somewhat underpowered for the whole house. This was done on purpose so that the AC would run for longer than normal and thus do more dehumidification than cooling. It has worked perfectly, no moisture problems at all.

A lot of options in your case. The most obvious thing is to move everything to another place where your trains will be safe.

Another option is to buy a dehumidifier, for example, I set mine in the garage for automatic operation, because I have high humidity there, and I need to store a tree there. Try to look where I was looking for one of these options, this should solve the problem.

Hi- I have experience here as well. A good dehumidifier will solve the problem, although as Phred mentions they all seem to be built cheaply and break after a year or so

My problem was solved by moving a couple of hundred miles south, back down to near sea level and above ground...easy!