Pool table in the basement

[Bob]

Recently finished the basement. Bought a great table from AE Schmidt that I
am happy with. Was wondering if I need to keep an eye on the humidity or
moisture level since it is a basement? I do have a dehumidifier that I allow
to run occasionally and it does pull a fair amount of water out. Is their an
ideal humidity level or should I just quit worrying.

Bob

[Bob Johnson]

Depends on where you are. Here in Colorado, it's dry enough we don't need
to worry about it.

--
Bob Johnson, Denver, Co.
Home of the 1997/1998 World Champion Broncos!
Home of the 1996/2001 Stanley Cup Champion Avalanche!
bo...@cris.com
"Bob" <haen...@htc.net> wrote in message news:9g33kv$ntu$1...@ns2.htc.net...

[Patrick Johnson]

Bob wrote:

> ... Is their an

> ideal humidity level or should I just quit worrying.

I doubt that your basement is humid enough to be bad for your table, but drier
is definitely better for playing conditions, and I'd worry about it for that
reason. Hook your dehumidifier up to a cheap humidistat. Denver's humidity is
15% today; Chicago's is 65%. I'd say under 50% (maybe less) is desirable. You
might also consider protecting the legs from flooding.

Pat Johnson
Chicago

[Bruce Boyd]

Bob was wondering:

>if I need to keep an eye on the humidity (re: new pool table)

Two things come to mind Bob.

Firstly, the drier the cloth, the faster it plays.

If that consideration doesn't float yer boat, the only other thing is
keeping the humidity constant to reduce or eliminate the swelling/shrinking
thing. I have a friend with a table in a damp basement that dries out in the
summer and the seams have 'popped' out of flush several times in 3 years.

>Is their an ideal humidity level

That's a good question. Too much humidity is probably worse for the table
than too little humidity. Besides the cloth rolling slower, particleboard
and other cheaper cuts of wood in lesser tables can swell and create
problems.
--
Protection Island Bruce

[Bob Johnson]

I can almost hear the glue drying out on all our furniture as we speak! But
damn, that Simonis is faster than hell though!

--
Bob Johnson, Denver, Co.
Home of the 1997/1998 World Champion Broncos!
Home of the 1996/2001 Stanley Cup Champion Avalanche!
bo...@cris.com

"Patrick Johnson" <REMO...@21stCentury.net> wrote in message
news:3B2557B7...@21stCentury.net...

[rhncue]

If you don't keep the humidity down then the table isn't worth playing
on. Anytime the cloth is damp from high humidity when a ball contacts a rail
it will jump, the table will roll slowly and when you bank a ball your
angles will come up short.
Dick

--
Building fine custom cues at affordable prices for real pool players.
Over thirty years experience working on custom cues
Dick Neighbors
cinti. oh.
(513) 528-3500
rhn...@fuse.net
"Bruce Boyd" <2bo...@telus.net> wrote in message
news:LgdV6.18262$94.30...@news0.telusplanet.net...

[Paul Mon]

Bob,
IMO in can not be too dry. My basement has a dehumidifier
sitting on top of a 45" cabinet, plumbed behind the wall to drain into
the washtub on the other side of the house. In Upstate Ny we get
humidity in the 70-90 range quite frequently. In addition to making
the table play faster the room is quite comfortable when the mercury
rises.

Paul Mon

"Bob" <haen...@htc.net> wrote in message news:<9g33kv$ntu$1...@ns2.htc.net>...

[Otto]

"Bob" <haen...@htc.net> wrote in message news:9g33kv$ntu$1...@ns2.htc.net...

I would think 30-50% humidity would be a good target. If you are happy with
the temperature then a dehumidifier should work fine. I think they use about
as much electricity as an air conditioner of similar size. I'm not sure on
that.

My table is in a semi-basement walk out type structure. The table is
actually in a framed section with several windows. Nonetheless, it still
gets damp. I run the main floor heat through there in the winter and that
dries it out some and in the summer I run a window air conditioner. Bring
your coat if you don't like it cool because I set it cool enough to hang
meat.

The table plays noticeably different damp than when the heater--a/c dries it
out.

Otto

[Deadstrok9]

>Subject: Pool table in the basement
>From: "Bob" haen...@htc.net

Unless the water level gets to the point of where you need an oar instead of a
pool cue, I wouldn't worry about it.

[Socrates]

I have a similar setup. I run a dehumidifier in the Spring/Summer months
and it pulls out a lot of moisture based on how often I have to empty the
bucket (once a week or so). Before I installed the dehumidifier, I had
trouble with the wood swelling and contracting, causing the slate seams to
pop. The conditions seem to be more stable now, including play
characteristics, so I have to conclude that it is helping. FWIW, I think it
makes sense to be concerned about humidity levels...

Ken Bour

"Bob" <haen...@htc.net> wrote in message news:9g33kv$ntu$1...@ns2.htc.net...