My temperature-controlled cabinets are in my new basement. The temperature is a really nice and consistent 14 Celcius (57 F), which I have been monitoring for a few weeks now. The variation is very small: +/- 1 degree, even though the outside temperature has been fluctuating with at least 20 degrees C. However, what has me worried is the realtive humidity: I am measuring it quite consistantly at around 50%. Do you think this is an issue / worry to address? And if so: how do I go about changing this?
FYI: my cabinets are Climadiff’s, and they mainly hold Bordeaux that are supposed to last another 10-20 years.
Thanks for any suggestions!
RH at 50% does not sound like anything to worry about to me.
Thanks for putting my mind at ease!
I have seasonal fluctuation in humidity in my cellar. Temperatures close to yours, but humidity can go from high 80-90% range to 10% range. I do not correct for this. I expect there may be some long-term cork issues at the air-side, but nothing I can detect has appeared in 10 years of these conditions. Ultimately, it is an issue if it increases the incidence of outright cork failure or significantly increases ullage rates. Were I you, I would not be concerned.
Cheers,
fred
It is winter now. You may be in for very high humidity in the summer, but maybe not. You will want to monitor that, as too high and your labels mold and/or fall off.
Good idea: I will keep doing regular checks throughout the summer / fall. However, all my wine is for drinking / sharing, so as long as I know that what is in the bottle is not affected, I don’t really care if the label has some mold.
for the label, just cling wrap the bottle 
… As for the humidity, I think 50% is quite acceptable. If you want to raise the humidity,
perhaps lava rocks can help…
Cheers
a bucket of water with a towel half-in and half-out will raise the humidity quite nicely.
alan