car storage and moisture

[IH2LOSE]

Well I have been out of town for a couple of days So after work I come home and open the garage to look at my baby's and as soon as the garage door opens the cars just flash over with moisture ever thing is dripping.

This has happened before to me the garage and cars are ICE COLD the air is warm and damp and the moisture condences on the cold cars. I just plugged in a bunch of electric fan heaters to dry thing out I cant wait to do my garage addtion and enjoy having dry cars.

 

[Mac]

I'm not sure why everything would be covered in moisture? Where is the warm air coming from? From the house?? Is it condensation from heating the garage temporarily???

If the garage is cold, you should keep it that way (put on a sweater if you're working on things!) or keep it warm all the time. Going from warm to cold will cause condensation in the closed-in areas of your car and cause rust where you least want it (not that you want rust anywhere).

I've never kept a heated garage, even when I lived in the snow belt, so I'm used to dressing for the weather. I'm spoiled now, here on the left coast.

 

[IH2LOSE]

mac this garage is unheated.It was cold a snowey when I left of thursday.last couple of days its been warm (45 degree's)and rainey.I have no entrance to this garage except the overhead door.I opened the door and have no way of knowing its still ice cold in there as soon as the outdoor warm air enters the garage it flash's to moisture I just wiped down the C5 whitch is parked under the C2 on the lift the C2 is dripping water off of everything thats metal.

 

[Tom Bryant]

I have this problem in the spring . The garage is fairly cool and on days that it warms up outside and the air becomes more humid as soon as you open the garage door the warm moist air comes in and condenses on the cars and everything else in the garage. If I leave the door open the gloss finish on the floor will even get wet. I try not to leave the door open any longer that necessary unless I can have it open all day on a warn day to warm up the garage inside. A fan will help here.

On the shop side I keep the furnace on all the time so things don't get that cool. I also never have that door open unless I need access and I also have a dehumidifier in there.

You can put a space heater out there to disipate the moisture and also a dehumidifier will help a lot. Keeping a little heat in there is the best cure though.

Tom

 

[bluestripe67]

Someone with a construction background may confirm or dispell this thought. I think this has something to do with a moisture barrier under the concrete. This happens on my front porch, cold concrete, with warm moist air passing over it equals major condensation.

Dennis

 

[IH2LOSE]

Thanks tom I plan on heating/dehumidifing the garage as part of a spring renovation/addtion to the garage.(my profestion happens to be heating and a/c ) I have a fan propped up in front of the C2 blowing the bottom of the car dry.If I never seen this there is no way I would belive this is possible to happen its like special effect in the movies it happens right in front of your eyes and moves from the garage door to the back of the garage in secounds

 

[IH2LOSE]

dennis you may be correct because this garage is an addtion to my other garage that is attached to the house and the wifes truck parks in that one and never has this problem its just the garage with the vettes in it.

By the way dennis great to hear from you

 

[67HEAVEN]

When my project is completed, I plan on adding this stuff for winter storage.
--------------------------------------------------
Desiccant goes by a variety of names, including D-Moist and Silica Gel. It comes in small packets, canvas bags and larger containers.
http://www.dehumidify.com/FAQ.html
http://www.milcompass.com/silica.htm

The dessicant is usually available in sporting goods stores. It's used in gun safes to keep the moisture down. You can get it in cans with holes in the top. It changes colour when it has absorbed all the moisture it can hold. Once this happens you put it in the oven (another one of those projects best done while the wife is shopping) and heat it per the directions to boil off the water. There are no harmful fumes or chemicals released. Once dried the silica gel is ready to go back to work.

Depending on the size you choose, toss one on the driver's floor, one on the passenger's floor, a couple behind the seats, a couple up on the dash and several under the hood. If you've got a C1 or C5, throw some in the trunk.

 

[Tom Bryant]

Dennis, IH2LOSE

I agree that if you always seem to have a damp floor that there probably isn't any moisture barrier under the concrete but what is happening here is moist air coming in the door opening and condensing on the cooler objects inside. Since everything is dry until you open the door pretty much tells the story.



Hey, Your in the right business. I put a 93% gas forced air furnace in my shop when I built it 2 years ago. I have 5 runs overhead with 2 feet of blown in insulation in the ceiling and 6 inch walls. Also used an insulated door from Overhead Door Co. I have about 950 Sq. Ft with a 10. ft ceiling and it is alwyas comfy out there. The furnace doesn't run very often even on real cold nights. I also have the option of cental air later on if I can convince the wife.

I'm real happy with this system. What are you going to use?

Tom

 

[Mac]

I'd never heard of a vapour barrier under concrete before there was a thread, ummm, someplace else, you-know-where, talking about this problem. If you haven't installed a vapour barrier, you can never paint the concrete with any reasonable expectation of the paint sticking, not even epoxied paints. I'm glad I found this out because when it comes time for construction in the future, I will definitely make sure I install one!!

ps: the quickest way to check if you have a vapour barrier is to tape a piece of plastic to the floor, sealed all the way around. If you don't have a barrier, in a couple of days, you'll have condensation under the plastic.

 

[Tom Bryant]

Visquene is a necessity to keep the moisture out and sheets of rigid foam on top of that will keep the floor a lot warmer too. We were just talking about that in the Corvette Stables forum

Tom

 

[IH2LOSE]

Tom

I plan on using an overhead (installed in my homes attic ) High eff 90 + lennox furnace that use all air for combustion from out side.the furnace I have choze is definatley going to be oversized for the garage to afford a quick reheat if the doors are opened

I am going to drop a sheet metal duct thru the ceiling ( I will install a fire damper where it passes thru the sheet rock )in my wifes garage and then exstend it into my new garage.The furnace I have chosen has a varitable speed controller in it that I will be able to constantly circulate the air in the garages Between the heat and low speed circulation I am hoping I will lose the moisture problem if not I will be installing an a/c unit attached to the system,I am not installing the a/c now NOT because of the cost but because I do not want to have to look at another unit on the side of my home. I am also going to install a remote sencing thermostat.So that I can control the temp and fan from in the house and be able to veiw whats happening in there with out going into the garage.

 

[Pittsaj]

Make sure moisture is not getting into the garage..

Ventilate...
Keep the air moving with a small fan..
That should help some..

Tony

 

[John Mcgraw]

Larry, you are correct. The condensation is caused by the cold- sinking of your garage and then the warmer moist air hits the cold garage and everything is wet! we have this problem on our parking garages at work all the time. A couple of cold days followed by warmer weather will allways have water dripping form the walls and ceilings of 12 stories of parking. Not a problem on my home garage since it is heated in the winter and air-conditioned in the summer. Working in an non air-conditioned garage down here is a real pain in the summer!

 

[Yoda]

Here is a Past Thread that may help too

Several very good topics discussed in this thread and, an article on Winter Storage.

Bud

 

[SLICKMAN]

Here is the answer to all your problems guys!! I put my baby in this on November 10 and I open it up to start her ever six to eight weeks. Not only does it keep it very dry, its as clean as the day I put her in there.

You can check out this thing here;
Car Capsule

 

[67HEAVEN]

Excellent......a Corvette Condom. :gap

 

[SLICKMAN]

That's not the first time I was told that

 

[cdr63corv]

I know it may sound silly but a old timer told me to put charcoal under my vette in the winter and it works great. Being from minesota there is always snow melting under the vehicles you drive when parked without a drain the whole garage floor gets to be a mess. A cheap bag of kingsford cured the problem for me. Kept it bone dry under the vette, course come spring you have to clean it up off the floor

 

[Tom Bryant]

I know it may sound silly but a old timer told me to put charcoal under my vette in the winter and it works great. Being from minesota there is always snow melting under the vehicles you drive when parked without a drain the whole garage floor gets to be a mess. A cheap bag of kingsford cured the problem for me. Kept it bone dry under the vette, course come spring you have to clean it up off the floor

I used to do this way back when. I forgot all about it. Charcoal does a great job of absorbing moisture. Makes it hard to light in the spring though.

Tom