Humidity Level for Storing Comics?

[Jeffreykli]

Does anyone know what the humidity is like in San Francisco? I figured it's hot like in Los Angeles

 

San Francisco is almost always cool and with relatively high humidity. I have been here since '99 and there have only been a handful of days that actually hit 90 degrees. Almost all the time the temperature is in the 50's - 70's with a very ocassional 80's day. A lot has to do with the microclimate enjoyed by the Bay. All that fog rolling in keeps things fresh and cool. And there are microclimates within the bay otself, with some places being even foggier and cooler than other places, even inside the city proper.

 

Pov is quite correct, and the relative humidity varies around the city, but where I live, the humidity is usually around 50%. I've been here for 12+ years, it usually hits 90 degrees once or twice a year. With the fog, it usually gets into the 50s at night.

[fantastic_four]

Pov is quite correct, and the relative humidity varies around the city, but where I live, the humidity is usually around 50%.

 

Is that the highest it gets during the summer, or is that an average? 50% isn't all that high. Here in Virginia, it's as high as 75% in the summer and as low as 25% in the winter. If the humidity in SF doesn't range beyond 50% much, then that could lend to explaining the high percentage of white-paged books in the Tom Reilly collection. Simply avoiding high humidity is important, but avoiding frequent humidity changes is even more important from everything I've heard from conservationists.

[fantastic_four]

As for the dehumidifiers in HK and Asia, they are absolutely not sold here in the US. I spent close to a year living in Guangzhou (Canton) and HK and was amazed by these dehumidifiers--they're whisper quiet and don't generate that much heat. The first thing I did when I returned to the US was look for them, but no luck.

 

Interesting. I'll have to do a search online...seems like us Americans should be able to scrounge one up SOMEWHERE on the net!

[PovertyRow]

Simply avoiding high humidity is important, but avoiding frequent humidity changes is even more important from everything I've heard from conservationists.

 

That is quite true. And the same for temperature changes. Fluctuations in temperature/humidity cause the paper to expand/contract, weakening the cellulose fiblres that actually bond the paper.

 

Right now in my part of San Francisco it is 73 degrees and 57% humidity. It actually is warmer now than it was a few days ago.

[underthebigw]

As for the dehumidifiers in HK and Asia, they are absolutely not sold here in the US. I spent close to a year living in Guangzhou (Canton) and HK and was amazed by these dehumidifiers--they're whisper quiet and don't generate that much heat. The first thing I did when I returned to the US was look for them, but no luck.

 

Interesting. I'll have to do a search online...seems like us Americans should be able to scrounge one up SOMEWHERE on the net!

 

If you do, the voltage the machine uses will not be the same. I thought about bringing them home with me, but this was a stumbling block.

[tth2]

As for the dehumidifiers in HK and Asia, they are absolutely not sold here in the US. I spent close to a year living in Guangzhou (Canton) and HK and was amazed by these dehumidifiers--they're whisper quiet and don't generate that much heat. The first thing I did when I returned to the US was look for them, but no luck.

 

Interesting. I'll have to do a search online...seems like us Americans should be able to scrounge one up SOMEWHERE on the net!

 

If you do, the voltage the machine uses will not be the same. I thought about bringing them home with me, but this was a stumbling block.

 

Hmm, sounds like an interesting business niche that I should explore (import/export of high end dehumidifiers (and voltage transformers))!

[FFB]

As for the dehumidifiers in HK and Asia, they are absolutely not sold here in the US. I spent close to a year living in Guangzhou (Canton) and HK and was amazed by these dehumidifiers--they're whisper quiet and don't generate that much heat. The first thing I did when I returned to the US was look for them, but no luck.

 

Interesting. I'll have to do a search online...seems like us Americans should be able to scrounge one up SOMEWHERE on the net!

 

If you do, the voltage the machine uses will not be the same. I thought about bringing them home with me, but this was a stumbling block.

 

Hmm, sounds like an interesting business niche that I should explore (import/export of high end dehumidifiers (and voltage transformers))!

 

Let me know if you need to sue anyone in the course of this new venture.

[tth2]

Pov is quite correct, and the relative humidity varies around the city, but where I live, the humidity is usually around 50%.

 

Is that the highest it gets during the summer, or is that an average? 50% isn't all that high. Here in Virginia, it's as high as 75% in the summer and as low as 25% in the winter. If the humidity in SF doesn't range beyond 50% much, then that could lend to explaining the high percentage of white-paged books in the Tom Reilly collection. Simply avoiding high humidity is important, but avoiding frequent humidity changes is even more important from everything I've heard from conservationists.

 

As Mark Twain once said, the coldest he ever was, was summer in San Francisco. I have to wonder if the humidity shoots up higher than 50% when the fog rolls in, though. I mean, what is fog other than water vapor? I've always figured that Tom Reilly's parents must have lived above the fog line, because in pre-airconditioning days that fog would have rolled in every evening in the summer, causing major humidity fluctuations inside their house.

[tth2]

Let me know if you need to sue anyone in the course of this new venture.

 

Okay Mr. Lerach, will keep you in mind!

[PovertyRow]

If you do, the voltage the machine uses will not be the same. I thought about bringing them home with me, but this was a stumbling block.

 

Would a step up or step down voltage converter, carefully chosen, suffice?

[FFB]

Let me know if you need to sue anyone in the course of this new venture.

 

Okay Mr. Lerach, will keep you in mind!

 

Oooooh, that is [!@#%^&^] up.

[jimm94]

As Mark Twain once said, the coldest he ever was, was summer in San Francisco. I have to wonder if the humidity shoots up higher than 50% when the fog rolls in, though. I mean, what is fog other than water vapor? I've always figured that Tom Reilly's parents must have lived above the fog line, because in pre-airconditioning days that fog would have rolled in every evening in the summer, causing major humidity fluctuations inside their house.

 

Good point. My wife and I live at the top of a hill that is contained within one of the Bay Area's micro-climates, so we literally live in the clouds/fog. Unfortunately, I have never measured the humidity within our apartment, but it "feels" relatively stable. I've mentioned this in another thread before, but the closet I keep most of my books in usually remains between 65-68 degrees. No A/C required, nor do we have one anyway.

[Jeffreykli]

Is that the highest it gets during the summer, or is that an average? 50% isn't all that high. Here in Virginia, it's as high as 75% in the summer and as low as 25% in the winter. If the humidity in SF doesn't range beyond 50% much, then that could lend to explaining the high percentage of white-paged books in the Tom Reilly collection. Simply avoiding high humidity is important, but avoiding frequent humidity changes is even more important from everything I've heard from conservationists.

 

I think that the humidity is pretty constant throughout the year. With the fog, it's a little higher. I actually bought a humidifier last year, but never had to use it. It fluctuates between 40-60% humidity. Since avoiding changing humidity is the most important, San Francisco would be pretty good since you don't get drastic humidity swings.

[PovertyRow]

I have to wonder if the humidity shoots up higher than 50%

 

Well, as I said somewhere here - today it was at 57%. I think the 40-60 range is probably about right overall.

[tth2]

Let me know if you need to sue anyone in the course of this new venture.

 

Okay Mr. Lerach, will keep you in mind!

 

Oooooh, that is [!@#%^&^] up.

 

You opened yourself up for that one, baby! Think you're dealing with some snot-nosed first year associate?

[tth2]

I have to wonder if the humidity shoots up higher than 50%

 

Well, as I said somewhere here - today it was at 57%.

 

Even when the fog is swirling right around you?!

[fantastic_four]

I guess the other thing to say about humidity is that even though I'm heavily into science, humidity wasn't something that was "real" to me until I bought a dehumidifier. I knew there was water in the air because that's what science and weathermen told me, but because I couldn't see or touch it--besides morning dew that accumulates in the spring and fall when the temp starts to drop or lower--it's something I didn't believe affects me or my books at a gut level. But every time I empty a gallon or two of water out of my dehumidifier every day in the summer, I think about all that water floating around in the air around my comics.

 

My dehumidifier made the concept and effects of humidity seem MUCH more real than just hearing other people talk about it. I'm SUCH a geek!!!

[PovertyRow]

I have to wonder if the humidity shoots up higher than 50%

 

Well, as I said somewhere here - today it was at 57%.

 

Even when the fog is swirling right around you?!

 

Not surte - depends on the ability of fog to penetrate an apartment building - seriously.

 

And also seriously - I am going to be noting fog levels and pick up a hydrometer/thermometer combo. Will gauge outside to inside emperatures/humidity.

 

One nice thing - my apratment has a large walk-in closet with only interior walls and no windows nd no heat (not that heat is really needed in SF! - I sleep at nigt with a window open).

 

But will be interested in seeing how my comic books fair against NOAA Weather!

[FFB]

Let me know if you need to sue anyone in the course of this new venture.

 

Okay Mr. Lerach, will keep you in mind!

 

Oooooh, that is [!@#%^&^] up.

 

You opened yourself up for that one, baby! Think you're dealing with some snot-nosed first year associate?

 

Just for that I am going to sue you for securities fraud.

 

Signed,

 

-FFB

 

[PovertyRow]

humidity wasn't something that was "real" to me until I bought a dehumidifier

 

I got my education early. If you even lived in Boston, New York or similar places, the summer months have heat and humidity that are almost parallel. I mean 98 degrees and 98% humidity. You do an anti-Woodstock chant of "Rain! Rain! Rain!" and SOMETIMES the ran comes and sometimes all you can do is lay in front of your AC like a wet noodle!

 

I tell you, there ARE places not very far from San Francisco that are not part of "the Bay" that get very high (classic 90-100+ temperatures) - Santa Rosa is a good example. I went to an outdoor party in Santa Rosa my first year here. Temp was close to 100. Humidity was so low I didn't even sweat. The contrast was MOST educational!