How Can We Protect Electronic Devices from Moisture?

Do you want to know how to protect electronics from humidity? You have come to the right place.

Most people ask: Can humidity ruin electronics? High humidity, say about 70 percent, can ruin just about everything inside your house.

If you live in a place that is as humid as India, Florida, Louisiana, or Malaysia to give just a few examples, you need to protect your electronics.

You have to maintain just the right humidity level for your electronics. If the air in your house is too dry, your electronics can catch fire easily from static.

If the indoor humidity is too high, the circuit boards, data storage, and other components of your electronics will be very susceptible to damage.

Electronics can also collect a lot of humidifier white dust if you use an ultrasonic cool mist humidifier. So, you might want to keep them covered when you are not using them.

With this information, you can see why we cannot overemphasize the importance of keeping your expensive electronics at the right humidity levels.

5 Actionable Tips for Protecting Electronics from Humidity

High humidity and electronics do not go well together. Condensation happens and damages the internal parts.

Condensation takes place when vapor comes into contact with a cold surface. Once it cools down, the moisture starts dripping onto the parts of your electronic appliance, and it can sustain damage.

To prolong the life of your appliances and consumer electrical items, use the following tips to protect them from moisture:

1. The most obvious solution: Buy a dehumidifier

People ask what you need between a humidifier and a dehumidifier and the solution is to buy the two appliances.

You must use a silica gel-based dehumidifier rather than a calcium chloride-based one. The latter is highly corrosive, and it might cause corrosion to the metal parts of your electronics.

If you live and work in Seattle, which is a humid place, you can switch the dehumidifier on to maintain the indoor humidity level at between 30 and 55 percent.

Whether you have a small or large office, there is a good dehumidifier to meet all of your needs. For instance, you can order the Pro Breeze Mini Electric Dehumidifier from amazon.com.

This is going to lower the humidity in a small office considerably and protect your electronics.

Dehumidifier units have a space rating. Thus, measure your room in square footage before you order a unit. It would be better to make it slightly bigger too.

There is no particular dehumidifier to buy for your electronics, but any unit that has enough space will do just fine.

At the same time, did you know that you should not waste the water that your unit draws from the air? You can use dehumidifier water to water your plants.

Also, consider getting a dehumidifier with automatic on and off. That way, when the humidity increases too much when you are traveling, the dehumidifier just switches itself on and does its job.

Again, when the set humidity level of 55 percent is attained, the dehumidifier switches itself off.

2. Seal doors and windows to keep humidity outside

Check the windows and doors of the room with your electronics. The seals should be intact so that no humidity will leak inside.

Even if you are running a dehumidifier, if there is humid air blowing in from the outside, it will reverse the gains. This will push your dehumidifier to work extra hard and consume more electricity.

If you are running your humidifier for your office only or for your home office to protect your computers, close the doors and windows. That way, humid air from outside will not come inside.

3. Control the temperature

You are likely to experience higher humidity when the temperature is high. Therefore, you need to install ventilation in the room so that there can be proper airflow.

In addition to protecting electronics from moisture, you also need to keep the room with your electronics cool.

They generate heat, so they can overheat if the indoor temperature is a bit high. If you need to buy an air conditioner, get it.

An exhaust fan can also help to remove extra moisture from the room. If you experience high humidity in the summer only, there is no need to make permanent changes in the room. You can use an exhaust fan or a dehumidifier to control the humidity level.

If you have an on-site server, you know how sensitive servers are to humidity and temperature changes.

4. Keep your electronics away from high-moisture areas

In your home, some rooms generate more moisture. For instance, the bathroom, kitchen, and basement are the high-humidity areas of your home.

If you need a home office, you need to keep it some distance from the bathroom so that the humidity from there does not get to your computer.

Also, set up the office away from the kitchen because it is a high-humidity area. If you set up the office in the basement, keep it some distance from the walls.

You should also have a dehumidifier on standby all the time.

5. Protecting electronics from humidity: Inspect your items regularly

Stay on top of the condition of your appliances all the time. Check the tablets, phones, and laptops regularly. Check your TV set too.

Watch the condition of the air around the house all the time. If you see condensation on the glass windows, just know your electronics are exposed to moisture.

If you notice that there is too much moisture on your tablet and phone, bury them in rice so that it can absorb all the moisture.

Image of humidity and electronics

Humidity and electronics do not go well together. Therefore, do not leave your items unattended for too long. If you won’t be using them for some time, keep them in a well-controlled room.

How to Protect Electronics from Humidity FAQ

Most people do not know the relationship between humidity and electronics. To shed more light on how high water moisture in the air affects electronics, here are the most frequently asked questions:

Can a humidifier damage electronics?

A humidifier increases the moisture content of your indoor air. Thus, it cannot cause any damage to your electronics. However, if you increase the level of moisture content in your air too much, it will damage your electronics.

Can a humidifier damage a computer?

Computers are very sensitive to humidity and temperature. If you enter a high humidity setting in your humidifier, it can cause damage to your computer.

Be sure to keep your indoor humidity between 30 and 50 percent. Check for mold symptoms as this shows that the humidity is too high.

What humidity is too high for computers?

The best indoor humidity range for computers and other items that use power is 30 to 50 percent.

This is also the most comfortable humidity range for human beings. Any higher than that, and the metal parts in your computers, TV, or other items might start corroding.

Is 70% humidity bad for electronics?

If indoors, 70 percent humidity is bad for just about anything, including you. At this level, you can see condensation on the windows and other surfaces.

If the humidity exceeds 55 percent, it is bad for your computer and other electronics.

What humidity will damage electronics?

A humidity level that is higher than 55 percent is going to damage your electronic items, such as computers, tablets, and TVs.

You should buy a dehumidifier to lower humidity in the summer. Also, invest in a hygrometer and check it daily.

Does humidity hurt a TV?

TVs are not as vulnerable to humidity as computers. It is all the same good practice to keep the humidity level in your TV room between 30 and 50 percent. Condensation can damage some parts of the TV.

How do I protect my TV from humidity?

Measure the size of the room where the TV is, and then order a dehumidifier that is rated for such a space on Amazon.com. If the humidity is not too high above the recommended level, you can use natural ways to lower humidity.

Conclusion for humidity control for electronics

Protecting electronics from humidity is as simple as buying a dehumidifier and running it when the need arises.

Always keep the humidity level between 30 and 50%. Also, choose a good spot for your electronics—a place without too much moisture coming in from outside.