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Hi, Hoping for advice on two items related to humidity, thanks. Pete

Just moved to a new place much more humid than the last, expect it will be 50% or greater often. I work in my garage, and I'm wondering if a dehumidifier can keep the garage at 50% or so, including when it is in use (a car going in and out a few times/week). If I can get a unit that will get it down to 50%, will opening the garage door bring in an amount of moisture the I could dry it out in 24 hours and resume building, or will it be a major set back and more or less too unstable to use?

In a related question, I am wondering if I can do the wood working in the garage and then maintain a room in the house at 50% which I could use for glue ups. If I build in the garage and when ready for a glue up I bring the parts inside and let them stabilize for say 48 hours, then do the glue up, then return to the garage. This would be like creating each joint individually at a good humidity, even though the assembly would be subject to fluctuations. Will this be beneficial, or does the entire build need to done in an environment that is stable throughout the entire build period?

depends if you can insulate the garage that would make it more controllable

If you close the door immediately after opening it, it might work some of the time ...but what happens when It's raining, and you drive in a car covered with water? So you don't do that. I When do you put the car in the garage then? Opening the door when It's raining isn't much better. How about you forego the car-in-the-garage idea and just dedicate the garage to being a shop?

I think OP's got a problem without a solution. Garages are very well ventilated quite well, intentional or not.

And ventilation means dehumidification to any measurable extent ain't likely,

PSmill wrote: ↑Tue Oct 05, 2021 11:30 pm In a related question, I am wondering if I can do the wood working in the garage and then maintain a room in the house at 50% which I could use for glue ups. If I build in the garage and when ready for a glue up I bring the parts inside and let them stabilize for say 48 hours, then do the glue up, then return to the garage. This would be like creating each joint individually at a good humidity, even though the assembly would be subject to fluctuations. Will this be beneficial, or does the entire build need to done in an environment that is stable throughout the entire build period?

I think you are close to your answer, with a slight modification: Keep the wood and work-in-process in the inside 50% room, and only go out to the garage when you need to cut/sand etc.

I see you live in BC, as I do, on the "wet coast". I also have my shop in the garage (no room for the car . . . ) I watch the humidity on a little cheapie gauge. Oddly, RH is higher in the dry summer months (60-80%) than in the wetter winter months (40 - 60%), I think maybe because even though the garage is separated by a door, the drier conditions in the house from winter heating (we use a wood stove a lot) seem to find their way to the garage. I also use a small oil-filled heater to keep the damp down for the sake of the tools etc. So I am more comfortable doing critical gluing in the winter, and avoid it in the summer. I do almost no work in the house, except maybe to allow glue to cure in a warmer place if we are in a cold spell. After seven instruments I have not had a problem. It's also possible I overbuild my instruments. My 30 year old L'arrivée has survived the fluctuations okay too. But this is NOT an expert opinion; just my own anecdotal observations. Bruce W., Ladysmith, BC.

Ok thanks everyone! I'll have to ponder this one, not seeing an ideal solution amongst those options. Perhaps with a savvy negotiation I can secure the garage as an exclusive wood working zone this winter ;)

I will monitor the levels for a while and see how it looks. Is there a certain upper limit that should be avoided? If I can keep the garage warm enough, and the RH doesn't get above 60 or 65%, would be that within tolerances? If it works in Ladysmith.... I could build a more forgiving instrument as well, electric guitar or ukulele? Thanks!

Skarsaune wrote: ↑Wed Oct 06, 2021 11:37 am

PSmill wrote: ↑Tue Oct 05, 2021 11:30 pm In a related question, I am wondering if I can do the wood working in the garage and then maintain a room in the house at 50% which I could use for glue ups. If I build in the garage and when ready for a glue up I bring the parts inside and let them stabilize for say 48 hours, then do the glue up, then return to the garage. This would be like creating each joint individually at a good humidity, even though the assembly would be subject to fluctuations. Will this be beneficial, or does the entire build need to done in an environment that is stable throughout the entire build period?

I think you are close to your answer, with a slight modification: Keep the wood and work-in-process in the inside 50% room, and only go out to the garage when you need to cut/sand etc.

This is what I do. I live in the Washington DC area where it is hot and humid in the summer and cold and dry in the winter. I have a five foot wide workbench where I do most of my building in the small, enclosed unfinished portion of my basement which I keep climate controlled to as close to between 40 and 50% RH as I can. I have a folding table I set up outside when it's time to make some serious sawdust cutting binding channels or preparing for finish. It's a bit of a hassle but not too bad. I've learned to use a scraper for a lot of operations that could be done with sandpaper to cut down on trips outside.

If the garage has a bare concrete floor, a big improvement in humidity control comes from putting down vinyl floor covering or painting the concrete with epoxy floor paint. Car folks discovered that storing cars in a garage with an unpainted/uncovered floor allowed for lots of vehicle moisture damage from moisture coming up through the concrete.

If I understand you're question, you're basically wanting to do the mess-making, loud work, in the garage, and the rest in a more humidity controlled environment,.

This will work, but understand that wood makes a perfect hygrometer; it responds to humidity changes immediately. You'll need to acclimate all of you're parts before gluing. I would store and acclimate all of your wood and in the humidity controlled room, in your house. When you're ready to do a certain task that needs to be done in the garage, take it out, do it as quickly as possible, then return it to your room. Wait a couple of days before gluing.

I think you'll be fine.