QU24 And humidity

[thomasnastos]

Hi everyone,

I have a very different event coming, i was asked to do an acoustic trio live into a cave, you know the ones with stalactites and stalagmites and stuff, temperature is about 16-17 degree celsius but humidity is like 95% . I was asked to do a multitrack recording also,so i was thinking of using my QU24 instead of my GLD80.

Can someone tell me if the mixers can operate ok in such percentage of humidity?Is it possible to do damage to the mixers? I Couldnt find any info on manuals!

Thanx in advance for your responses! 🙂

[Anonymous]

That’s odd – normally it would be in the manual.

Have to wait for A&H I suspect…

[DoctorG]

I don’t have a direct answer for you; perhaps an A&H engineer will address the problem. However, let me make some comments for your consideration.

Inside a cave, you may encounter drops of water falling from the area above the mixer. You probably should work under a plastic tent or lean-to, so that water droplets don’t fall on the mixer.

The most serious problem occurs when water condenses on the electrical connections within the mixer, leading to short circuits. This happens when the mixer components are significantly cooler than the surrounding environment, such as when you move from a very cold area into a warmer one. So the problem may arise when you leave the colder, high-humidity area. To avoid condensation issues, be sure to give the mixer a lot of time to return to ambient temperature and for condensate to evaporate.

Inside the cave, the mixer will generate some heat, and that may prevent condensation from forming, but when you leave that cooler area, that is when you may have a problem.

Just some thoughts.

[Nicola A&H]

Qu series mixers are tested to work with up to 95% relative humidity (non-condensing).
I can only second DoctorG’s advice above.

[thomasnastos]

thank you all for your replies,

I will discuss it a bit with the people who organize the event, at the end i will cover up QU with a tent or something and after the event i will close it and leave it outside a bit so it can return to ambient temperature! 🙂

[MarkPAman]

Are you amplifying stuff or just recording. I imagine the venue acoustics may be …er … interesting!

[Dick Rees]

I will discuss it a bit with the people who organize the event, at the end i will cover up QU with a tent or something and after the event i will close it and leave it outside a bit so it can return to ambient temperature!

Don’t close it up!!! That’ll just keep any excess humidity inside, assuming by “close it” you mean the case.

Leave the board out with good ventilation and let it air out. Everything…temperature and humidity…will equalize just fine. You might also leave it powered up to use interior warming to drive any moisture out.

[airickess]

Using some silica gel packs to help remove any excess moisture would also be a good idea.

[thomasnastos]

The idea is to not amplify anything or just use 1-2 wedges, there will be a crowd of around 60 people and I think they will make a multi cam video also. I will do my best not breaking down the equipment and maybe post a video at the end 🙂
For those interested the cave is this
https://www.about-ioannina.gr/Ioannina_en/cave.htm

Thanx again for all the useful information!

[Author]

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