Garage/Storage Questions

[Jgordon]

Hey, I had a quick question about storage I was hoping you guys could help me with.

As much as I wish this post was about the new porsche playground/palace I'm building, my situation is that I'm going back to school and can't keep my car in the city any more. I have a drafty, uninsulated garage available, and I'm wondering how to make it more hospitable.

The things I've thought of so far are:

That clear bubble that you sometimes see advertised in high end magazines

A heating system with a remote temp. guage that would turn it on and off

A regular car cover

Insulating and sealing the garage (a possibility, but likely not happening soon).

If there's anything I can do to make the car a little safer, dryer, and warmer, please let me know.

Thank you.

[350HP930]

A good breathable cover inside a shelter that will keep the elements off of the vehicle will make a reasonable form of storage.

Temp changes will not be a big deal as long as condensation does not occur and your washer fluid contains enough solvent to keep it from freezing.

[Wayne 962]

The "clear bubble" car capsule is great - you can drop a sledge hammer on it, and it just bounces off - I've tried it:

http://www.drivewerks.com/catalog/garage/CarCapsule_main.htm

-Wayne

[dotorg]

Wayne, what about mold? I've heard those can keep humidity too high around the cars, and can lead to mold/mildew/rot.

[RoninLB]

Originally posted by dotorg
what about mold? I've heard those can keep humidity too high around the cars, and can lead to mold/mildew/rot.

I keep a fan in the garage window constantly 24/7/365

and I have 2 pages that need 2 "posts"

[RoninLB]

[RickM]

A good car cover should be good enough. The bubble is even better...isn't there a constant running fan in there to keep it hospitable?

Rather than being concerned if the car is "warm" I'd be much more concerned over rodents.

[ChrisBennet]

Cars don't need to be warm. Cold actually slows down chemical reactions - like rust. Like Rick said, mice will be your hardest challenge. Mint leaves or mothballs to drive them away and lots of mice traps for the ones who don't take the hint.
The worst storage situation is to store it in a heated garage that is also used by the winter daily driver. The daily driver brings in the snow and salt and the heat melts it coating everything in the garage with a moist salty air.
-Chris

[RickM]

If you look up "Mice" in the Search you'll find plenty of discussion on the subject. Seems they like to nest behind the dashboard, in the the tail pipe/muffler and in the airbox...after they chew through the filter.

You'll see many repellent methods offered from Moth balls and Bounce Dryer sheets to the all-time favorite (and most likely the best)....the cat.

Unfortunately I'm very allergic to cats and my Golden Reliever isn't too fond of them.

[Jdub]

Drive the car onto an oversize blue tarp and pull the tarp up over the bottom half of the car using a cross-line to hold it in place. Cover car.

If this is going to be in storage than all storage advice applies (car off tires, etc.).

Be sure to put three or four Driz-D-Aire dehumidifying towers in the car. Cheap - see a Marine store.

John

[Scout]

I installed a gas space heater in my garage- within a couple of weeks, I noticed surface rust forming on my table saw due to the high humidity.

Keep it dry, covered and cold

[Randy Webb]

Be SURE that clear bubble is NOT made of vinyl (or if so, is strongly ventilated). Vinyl outgasses acids that will eat away at the finish on your car -- and not just the paint either...

I would heat the garage -- just 10oF over ambient will help with humidity. As one posted noted, make sure any combustion heaters are not in the garage itself.

[Randy Webb]

Just saw a post above re heat -- the reason to heat the garage is to reduce the relative humidity and produce a non-condensing environment. Avoid introducing water vapor sources (as in the winter daily driver noted above).

You can put window scree over any holes (exhaust, heat dumps by wheels, vents, etc.)

[ChrisBennet]

I'm not a fan of lifting a car off it's tires. Doing so lets the suspension sag exposing the shock shafts and such. Just pump the tires up to 40-45 psi and park it.
-Chris

[Dantilla]

The Air Force parks its planes out in the Arizona dessert.

Hmmm.... Probably not the best way to combat dash cracks.

[mjshira]

do you have a parking spot in the city? send me a PM if you need a line on one.

[RoninLB]

Originally posted by ChrisBennet

I'm not a fan of lifting a car off it's tires. Doing so lets the suspension sag exposing the shock shafts and such. Just pump the tires up to 40-45 psi and park it.
-Chris

I can't find the hard info, but I believe the tub will deform also.

[Wayne 962]

The counter to the tires thing is that you can lift the car up off the ground using the suspension points on the jack stands. I.e. put the stands under the a-arms and the trailing arms. The car should be safe in this manner, although it will feel like you can rock it up and down. I think this might be what the museums do.

As for the humidity, that will be a problem anywhere. Get a good dessicant, or lots of newspaper and stack the car with it (crumpled). That will help with humidity absorption...

-Wayne

[reed930]

Or for the really anal types like me buy a low-temp dehumidifier. I bought a unit that operates down to 40 deg. I also have a hygromoter and set the dehumidifier to maintain relative humidity around 45 to 50%.

I'm sort of ashamed to be putting this down in writing.

[NY65912]

Try to go with the dehumidifier, it will shut down by itself when the right level is achieved and turn back on when the humidity level increases. Just make sure you pipe out the water from the canister to the outside of the building. Buy a really good cover.

I installed a dehumidifier in my garage and you can't believe the water this thing pulls from the air.

Cheers