? Can high humidity f up your welder ?

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Hi, I'm an amateur.  Just a question for you experienced old (and young) salts:  Does high humidity ever f*** up your welder?   I'm in western NC now and the humidity has been at 100% for a week or more.  Absolutely everything of metal in my garage is sweating like a mob accountant in a tax audit.I have a SyncroWave 250 DX and I was trying to TIG some 1/16 aluminum sheet: 1/16 lanthanated, 80 amps AC, 100% argon, continuous HF selected.  It seemed the HF start was not working. I had to basically scratch start.  Then if I did get the arc going I had to try to maintain a 1mm arc gap or I would lose the arc.  Weird.  Also the welder would start and stop all by itself (as if someone depressed the foot pedal).   I switched foot pedals with my spare, but the weirdness continued.  (Of course I was getting HLP -10 a lot because the arc was broken, but that would be expected.)I gave up.  All I can think of is it's the humidity, which is supposed to continue until Thursday.  Once it gets down to normal and things dry out I'm going to check my spark gaps.  Also the troubleshooting guide says when working with AC make  sure the cables are away from any grounded metal.  (I never paid much attention to that before.)  Failing those things I'll have to call Miller.  I probably don't have more than 100 hrs on this machine and I treat it with kid gloves.Can anyone else speak to this?
Reply:Short answer is yes you can. Most things that involve electronics and use electricity have a environmental rating. Running equipment outside manufacturers operating range ( environmentally) can wipe out equipment. Im not aware of many pieces of equipment that can function in 100 percent humidity for very long. More in depth involves ipx ratings etc.  best to contact manufacturers that don't provide info.
Reply:YepI have seen it happenTorchmate 2x2 CNC with Flashcut CNC controlsHypertherm Powermax45 Esab ET220i Razorweld 195 MigRazorweld 200ac/dc TigTormach 770, Tormach xstechRazorweld, Vipercut/Vipermig, SSC Foot Pedal Dealer
Reply:if you want some real answers, you might have to rephrase your concerns , in a more civil manner,  as  here at the welding web, we don't really engage in that kind of slang terminology
Reply:Can the high humidity ever metaphorically have sexual intercourse with your welder (such that, OMG, it's pregnant now and the father is a total jerk, and it's going to be in a world of pain and malfunction until this issue resolves)?Last edited by kajonga; 12-28-2015 at 11:11 AM.
Reply:You can get away with moisture / humidity on an old transformer welder like a Dialarc or Idealarc; but a Syncro absolutely will not tolerate moisture on the innards.  I would yank the covers off of it immediately and get a fan blowing through it.
Reply:Well, I left the machine to dry out in the garage these last dozen or so days and I'm relieved, it's back to normal.   The HF start is back.  (I can tell because it, without fail, triggers the GFCI in my garage.)   And it's welding aluminum OK, although I'm getting contamination problems (which is also fairly normal, I know, clean, clean, clean).   Thanks to all for the replies.