Humidity affects volume pedal

Charlie Hansen · Post by **Charlie Hansen** » 22 Dec 2017 10:31 am

The Florida humidity seems to effect my volume pedal. When I play without moving the pedal (which I probably should do anyway) everything is quiet. When I work the pedal it snaps and cracks. It only does this in Florida. At home in Nova Scotia it's fine.
Has anyone ever had this problem and if so what is the cure.
It's an Ernie Ball VP Jr.. Not a great pedal to begin with maybe but it serves me well.
Maybe I should just stay home.

Larry Allen · Post by **Larry Allen** » 22 Dec 2017 11:08 am

Hi Charlie, not a problem here in Hawaii, humidity usually 70-90%. Goodrich and Hilton pedals..

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 22 Dec 2017 11:46 am

It sounds like your pot, nothing to do with humidity.
Either that or you need to get the southern model.

Georg Sørtun · Post by **Georg Sørtun** » 22 Dec 2017 12:26 pm

Know the phenomenon. It is caused by a super-thin film consisting of moisture and air-pollution being deposited on the pot-track. Combined with static electricity and/or self-charging capacitors in connected units, you get crackling noise. If you keep on operating the crackling pot it may develop permenant spot-damage and will have to be replaced.

The solution is to prevent the film to form on the pot-track in the first place. I use silicone spray for electronic component on pots, leave it to spread and settle for a while, and then move the pot back and forth when it is not connected to anything. Not sure which silicone spray you can get hold in the US that is suited for lubricating pots.

Greg Lambert · Post by **Greg Lambert** » 22 Dec 2017 12:45 pm

I have the EB pedal and using it for years with no problem other than changing out the string a pot every other year.

Very high Humidity here in Southern Ill.

Jack Hanson · Post by **Jack Hanson** » 22 Dec 2017 8:02 pm

Mike Wheeler · Post by **Mike Wheeler** » 22 Dec 2017 9:59 pm

Jack has given you the right answer, Charlie. Deoxit D5 is great stuff. I used it for many years in my repair business and was always very happy with the results.

Charlie Hansen · Post by **Charlie Hansen** » 23 Dec 2017 7:28 am

The pedal doesn't give me a minutes problem at home and for the first two or three weeks that I'm in Florida but as soon as the humidity sets in down here the crackling starts. This has happened two winters in a row here so I'm convinced that it's the climate. I'll try a spray or two of a lubricant or Deoxit and see if that helps. Thanks for the suggestions and Merry Christmas.

Jack Hargraves · Post by **Jack Hargraves** » 23 Dec 2017 9:26 am

Don't use a lubricant. Use a good contact cleaner.

Georg Sørtun · Post by **Georg Sørtun** » 23 Dec 2017 10:40 am

Jack Hargraves wrote:Don't use a lubricant. Use a good contact cleaner.

Contact cleaners without lubricant will only clean the surface at the moment and prepare it for forming of new moisture-film.
The problem has always been to find the right lubricant for carbon-tracks, one that lasts. The Deoxit D5 looks good on paper - haven't tried it myself.

What makes moisture deposits problematic in Florida, is that absolute humidity (not only relative humidity) is very high, and so is the dew point. I notice moisture film on surfaces after about a week exposure here in Florida now in December, while it may take years for a similar effect in Southern Norway where we have 95 - 98% relative humidity for most of the year.
Dehumidifiers in a room may reduce the problem conciderable, while the regular air conditioners we all have have minimal effect on humidity.

Henry Matthews · Post by **Henry Matthews** » 24 Dec 2017 1:30 pm

It's not the pedal I would bet, it's your ears. Humidity affects everything when it comes to sound like volume, bass, treble, sustain and overall tone. I experience same thing and I'm using a Hilton pedal which won't be bothered by humidity. If it's a nice warm dry day, then my amp has plenty volume and highs. We just had a lot of rain this week and humidty is high and last night, I had no volume or treble and way to much bass. My amp hadn't been touched.

Georg Sørtun · Post by **Georg Sørtun** » 24 Dec 2017 2:39 pm

Henry Matthews wrote:If it's a nice warm dry day, then my amp has plenty volume and highs. We just had a lot of rain this week and humidty is high and last night, I had no volume or treble and way to much bass. My amp hadn't been touched.

I'm not writing off your ears, but...

As I have experienced the same, I have also measured it to make sure if I could trust my ears, or not. Conclusion was that, yes, my amp and speaker was affected by air-moisture and turned more "bassy" when moisture was high. In my case it could be explained by air-mosture and deposits affecting high-ohm components and the speaker membrane. All returned to normal after being left in a low-humidity room (where I keep my measuring devices) for a night.

Fred Treece · Post by **Fred Treece** » 25 Dec 2017 11:15 am

Humidity may affect tone, but crackle and pop is crackle and pop.

Georg Sørtun · Post by **Georg Sørtun** » 25 Dec 2017 12:59 pm

Fred Treece wrote:Humidity may affect tone, but crackle and pop is crackle and pop.

...usually caused by DC being discharged across a failing connection.

Mark Hershey · Post by **Mark Hershey** » 25 Dec 2017 1:19 pm

Jack Hanson wrote:

This is a dumb question, but what part of the pot do you spray it on? Can you cause a short or ruin the pit in any way by applying it wrong?

Georg Sørtun · Post by **Georg Sørtun** » 25 Dec 2017 2:17 pm

Mark Hershey wrote:This is a dumb question, but what part of the pot do you spray it on? Can you cause a short or ruin the pit in any way by applying it wrong?

Not dumb at all. Best question I've seen all day...

The spray must reach and cover the resistor track inside the potmeter. Some pots have openings on the back-side or along the edges that can be sprayed through, while some do not and are therefore not easy to clean. Do not spray down along the pot-shaft, as the shaft is often lubricated with a grease-like substance and you do not want to remove or blow that stuff into the pot itself. Do not spray all over the place around the pot either, as not everything electronic or mechanical will behave its best after being oversprayed with contact cleaners.

Also always a good idea to spray cleaning and lubricating oil on a cold and disconnected unit, and let it settle a few minutes before actuating the - still unconnected - pot through its normal cycles. Waiting at least 15 minutes before connecting up and putting signal through a sprayed VP, is a good idea.

The spray won't short or ruin the pot, but it may not be able to save a badly damaged pot-track. You can try spraying more than once though, as whatever causes the failure may not have been loosened or fixed the first time. For most contact cleaners waiting at least half an hour between sprayings is a good idea.

Jim Sliff · Post by **Jim Sliff** » 25 Dec 2017 6:52 pm

As mentioned just spray it in the gap above the solder points. But if it's sealed there you may need to replace the pot - it's very hard to properly clean/lube fully sealed pots.

not sure this was made clear - DO NOT use "lubricants" (like WD40 - ugh, filthy stuff!) or a plain "electronics cleaner". a cleaner, if used without *immediate* application of potentiometer/fader-specific lubricant (i.e. before moving it even a fraction of an inch) may result in permanent damage to the pot elements.

WD40 and other general lubricants are fine for garage door springs and emergency water-displacement in *old* car distributors, but should not come anywhere near a guitar, amp or pedal! they contain all kinds of contaminants that are terrible for precision electronics; they also gum up changers and other steel parts. Avoid.

Caig D5 or F5 (fader cleaner/lube) are great. Not cheap but they go a VERY long way. Usually end up less expansive than cheaper products in the long run.

Mark Hershey · Post by **Mark Hershey** » 26 Dec 2017 3:50 am

Georg SÃ¸rtun wrote:
Mark Hershey wrote:This is a dumb question, but what part of the pot do you spray it on? Can you cause a short or ruin the pit in any way by applying it wrong?
Not dumb at all. Best question I've seen all day...

The spray must reach and cover the resistor track inside the potmeter. Some pots have openings on the back-side or along the edges that can be sprayed through, while some do not and are therefore not easy to clean. Do not spray down along the pot-shaft, as the shaft is often lubricated with a grease-like substance and you do not want to remove or blow that stuff into the pot itself. Do not spray all over the place around the pot either, as not everything electronic or mechanical will behave its best after being oversprayed with contact cleaners.

Also always a good idea to spray cleaning and lubricating oil on a cold and disconnected unit, and let it settle a few minutes before actuating the - still unconnected - pot through its normal cycles. Waiting at least 15 minutes before connecting up and putting signal through a sprayed VP, is a good idea.

The spray won't short or ruin the pot, but it may not be able to save a badly damaged pot-track. You can try spraying more than once though, as whatever causes the failure may not have been loosened or fixed the first time. For most contact cleaners waiting at least half an hour between sprayings is a good idea.

Thank you, going to give it a try!

Charlie Hansen · Post by **Charlie Hansen** » 26 Dec 2017 5:08 am

Thanks, guys, for all the suggestions and discussion.
DeoxIT D5 it is.

Willie Sims · Post by **Willie Sims** » 26 Dec 2017 10:38 am

if your pot is sealed ,try bending the four little tabs up , and remove the back, then spray the track.

Mike Scaggs · Post by **Mike Scaggs** » 26 Dec 2017 11:04 am

Mark Hershey wrote:
Jack Hanson wrote:
This is a dumb question, but what part of the pot do you spray it on? Can you cause a short or ruin the pit in any way by applying it wrong?

Please note: Never ever spray DeOxit D5 on tube sockets! They will short out. Deoxit makes other products for that purpose

My 2 Cents

Mike Wheeler · Post by **Mike Wheeler** » 26 Dec 2017 4:09 pm

Correct, Mike. You spray it on the tube pins, and wipe off any excess...but never do any kind of maintenance with the power on, of course...but I know you know that. Maybe others don't.

Clyde Mattocks · Post by **Clyde Mattocks** » 26 Dec 2017 9:57 pm

In the "what have I got to lose" dept., I have salvaged many a pot that had started crackling by drilling a small hole in the shell of a sealed pot.(usually in the bottom) Have to be careful not to let the bit go deep. Then spray cleaner/lube into the access hole.

Rich Upright · Post by **Rich Upright** » 28 Dec 2017 8:25 pm

I live near you; in fact I'm playing in Zephyrhills New Years Eve, and have never had a problem with scratchy pots.