Guitars and amps in the cellar?

[lengle1981]

Anyone keep their guitars and amps in the cellar?

 

I ask as I am running out of space upstairs. We had an issue a year ago with a bust pipe which flooded it but this has since been replaced and the cellar is very dry apart from some slight damp where the floor and the wall meet. I'd have everything stood on crates and a stone table that I have down there.

 

Just some extra info, cardboard boxes that are down there and stored off the floor are dry and not damp at all and the cellar is about 35ft by 8ft, its long and narrow. All guitars will of course be stored in hard cases a couple of feet off the floor, amps don't have covers though but will also be 2ft off the floor. There is natural air down there via vents at the end of the cellar also.

 

Any help would be really appreciated, thanks.

[amx05462]

when i lived in a heated basment. i had no problems. another time i lived in an un heated one. i noticed that i was getting a bit of white mold on the amp covering. but it didnt effect the electronics. there didnt seem to be any damp there but apparently there was. also i had a few vinyl lps that were on a shelf an inch off the floor get spots here and there . not on the covers but on the vinyl itself.. and that floor in both cases the walls were both insulated . and one covered with panneling the other place with wallboard. on the floor was raised and rugged . the other it was linolium. no problems with pedals amps or guitars in or out of cases. but i gave my brother a pedal board to use . it ended up in his basement that isnt wet but cold.. every pedal had problems when i go them back and there was blue mold in the pedal case and anything like a chromed nut or washer had this white stuff onit. i fixed them all by cleaning them with contact cleaner . but the chromed parts were ruined . so if anything i would at the least get your self a dehumidifier for your basement if its just cement walls and arent sealed . even though you may not think theres moisture . there is..

[lengle1981]

when i lived in a heated basment. i had no problems. another time i lived in an un heated one. i noticed that i was getting a bit of white mold on the amp covering. but it didnt effect the electronics. there didnt seem to be any damp there but apparently there was. also i had a few vinyl lps that were on a shelf an inch off the floor get spots here and there . not on the covers but on the vinyl itself.. and that floor in both cases the walls were both insulated . and one covered with panneling the other place with wallboard. on the floor was raised and rugged . the other it was linolium. no problems with pedals amps or guitars in or out of cases. but i gave my brother a pedal board to use . it ended up in his basement that isnt wet but cold.. every pedal had problems when i go them back and there was blue mold in the pedal case and anything like a chromed nut or washer had this white stuff onit. i fixed them all by cleaning them with contact cleaner . but the chromed parts were ruined . so if anything i would at the least get your self a dehumidifier for your basement if its just cement walls and arent sealed . even though you may not think theres moisture . there is..

 

Do you think with a dehumidifier my gear will be ok? I think i will get vinyl covers for my amps as extra protection to be honest. Also will just a standard dehumidifier be ok? Apologies for all the questions I just want to make sure my gear will be ok

[Svet]

What are the humidity readings? Fifty percent is your ideal so in the summer months you may need a dehumidifier and in the winter months a humidifier. I try to keep my guitar area at a constant 70 degree 50 percent moisture content year round. This helps keep the guitars stable and requiring less adjustments through seasonal changes.

[lengle1981]

What are the humidity readings? Fifty percent is your ideal so in the summer months you may need a dehumidifier and in the winter months a humidifier. I try to keep my guitar area at a constant 70 degree 50 percent moisture content year round. This helps keep the guitars stable and requiring less adjustments through seasonal changes.

 

I think I need a humidity reader to be honest. Ill get one this week. Only problem is that in the winter it's quite cold down there, not freezing but certainly cool and in the summer it's still cool down there, its quite a steady temperature all year round it seems.

[tweed2]

One simple rule. Never put a guitar (or amp) where you wouldn't hang out for long periods of time. Excessive heat or cold. big temp fluctuations or humidity. If you wouldn't be comfortable. neither would your guitar.

[Greybeard]

All of my studio stuff is in the basement of the house I'm currently in. However, I added the ductwork to the basement to cool and heat that area the same as the upstairs gets. It stays warm/cool and dry down there and I would highly recommend the little effort needed to add a few ducts to the area to control that environment. My equipment has been down there for almost six years and I don't see any ill effects.

 

GB

[amx05462]

well its defenitly gona help. as to the comment about the guitars. well thats true about too much and not enough humidity with amps and pedals this doesnt apply at all . with amps and pedals the less humidity the better. again id get a dehumidifyer.. i never had any guitar problems but i already told you about the pedal board and as stated above if your not comfortable the amps and guitars wont be either.. btw my pedal board was in a sealed case so the amp covers wont do you any good. and they could cause even more harm. those covers are for dirt and dust. but if its humid enough you could end up with a condensation problem.. the inside padding will mold up first around the bottom then it will transfer over the amp. i had this happen with a leather jacket i sent out for a new zipper the guy had a humid place . when i got the jacket back from the place he sent it a month later it smelled of mold. so the cover would be the same. you want air moving and a dehimidifyer. like i said one of the basments i built the room myself. so i know it was insulated and done right. we ran a dehumidifyer. it wasnt damp feeling at all and comfortabl and no leaks in the wall but. every other day i was dumping near a gallon of waater from the collection tank. id suggest that you leave your equipment upstairs.. based just on how you say it feels down there.

[lengle1981]

Thanks for your help everyone. I think I'd trust my amps down there but not my guitars. I do already have an old solid state amp down there which has been down there a couple of years or so and I've seen no issue with the amp or mould, so this is a good sign I think. It's actually been on the floor but my valve amps will be say on the stone shelf so I think amps will be fine.

 

As for the duct's, there are 2 vents at the end of the cellar which let air in but I'm going to borrow my sisters dehumidifier to see how humid it is down there.

[Old Rocker 59]

We have a separate room in our house where I keep all of my equipment . It's more or less my " Man Cave ", where I do my practicng and listening to music. I would never put any guitar or amp in the basement for any period of time as far as storage is concerned.

[CheapShoes]

No problem if it is heated. Never had an issue - in fact I get much more drastic set up changes in my walk-in closet up stairs than the basement which always maintains some moisture. Of course everything got better after we installed a central HVAC humidifier. But still prefer the basement to upstairs in a 2-story dwelling.

[deeman]

i had my old peavy combo amp in my parents basement and it flooded. We had one of those 'one in a hundred years' storms and my amp was killed. It was on the ground and the water level was just under a foot so if i ever store stuff in the basement again i'll definitely have it on risers.