I store my car for winter in an unheated, attached, 2 car garage. I just finished prepping the vehicle for winter storage and was disappointed to find light surface rust scattered throughout the vehicle: On bolts, the cylinder head, etc. I believe it's due to condensation. I also park my beater in the garage during winter. So it brings in the rainwater and snowy sludge. I think the heat of the car as well as the tracked in water exasperates the condensation problem. So I want to try and prevent this for this season. What are my options? I can just leave the beater outside, Or would a dehumidifier do the trick? I am looking for a low cost option. Thanks.
Garage condensation - solutions?
- Thread starter Kurtatron
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ls1mike
$50 Site Donor 2024
Is it insulate? Mine is insulated and has been sheetrocked and painted. No heat but I don't get condensation.
Insulate alone won't do anything for condensation.
You get condensation when you have lots of water vapor and temps below dew pt.
It's a combination of cold temps of the surfaces of your car, and the humidity caused by evaporating water from the DD dropping snow and slush.
Since you can't really control the temp unless you keep the garage heated all winter, you need to control the humidity. Either vent the garage or park the DD outside.
You get condensation when you have lots of water vapor and temps below dew pt.
It's a combination of cold temps of the surfaces of your car, and the humidity caused by evaporating water from the DD dropping snow and slush.
Since you can't really control the temp unless you keep the garage heated all winter, you need to control the humidity. Either vent the garage or park the DD outside.
Poor ventilation will do that.
Not a solution but the condensation likely results from not installing plastic sheeting (vapor barrier)over the gravel base before pouring the cement slab. In bad cases, I've seen the cement floor turning slippery and ppl slipping (me). Township construction regs should have addressed this.
Park the car outside. A dehumidifier will not work below 60 degrees or so.
Park the car outside. A dehumidifier will not work below 60 degrees or so.
My garage did the same. I have three heated walls and uninsulated garage doors. I insulated the crap out of the doors with fiberglass batts, condensation problem was reduced tremendously, garage and house are much warmer as well. Not completely fixed but huge improvement.
Kestas
Staff member
I've always had that problem living around here. The worst is during the winter when you get these warm balmy days where all the cold metal in the garage is covered in dew..... not good for the tools or the cars.
I've recently bought a home in the woods where the problem is worse than ever. The garage floor is constantly wet during the summer. I just bought a dehumidifier that'll be dedicated to the garage.
I've recently bought a home in the woods where the problem is worse than ever. The garage floor is constantly wet during the summer. I just bought a dehumidifier that'll be dedicated to the garage.
I would leave the beater outside. This will eliminate most of the humidity coming in from the slush/snow that melts and then evaporates into the space. Second if it's still an issue I would run a small electric heater on low, just enough to evaporate any remaining moisture in the air but not enough to warm the garage to an indoor type temperature. You can find tune this with a Humidistat which are cheap and available on Amazon. Get a digital one like the one from Honeywell. The dry winter air should be enough by itself though.
You won't be able to run a dehumidifer in an unheated garage as it will most likely ice up.
You won't be able to run a dehumidifer in an unheated garage as it will most likely ice up.
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How about installing one of these wind turines?
Need to vent the space somehow. Typically adding a few roof vents will work wonders. Of course, it usually means the space is colder in the winter, but given the tradeoffs....
How have you determined the rusting is from this?
Rust is also temp. related. Might be the moisture from the rest of the year is causing much more rust than the wintertime "condensation".
Also easiest fix. park wet slushy car outside. Venting wont matter if you have car dropping piles of slush poo all over.
Rust is also temp. related. Might be the moisture from the rest of the year is causing much more rust than the wintertime "condensation".
Also easiest fix. park wet slushy car outside. Venting wont matter if you have car dropping piles of slush poo all over.
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So there's still the option of parking the beater outside. There's also 1) dehumidifier, but that might not work because it gets too cold in the unheated garage, correct? 2) what about opening the one window in the garage and venting it with a fan? No comments on that idea yet.
Temperature swings in an closed unheated space cause condensation and humidity issues. You can't avoid corrosion living in the rustbelt by simply enclosing something in a box while leaving it exposed to the elements. Good for UV though, I'm sure your paint will look great for a long time.
Garages can be a tough situation. IMO, it's either fully climate controlled like the inside of your home, or you need to keep it outside ambient temp/humidity with ventilation.
http://carcapsule.com/carcapsule-20-tall-indoor-w-checkerboard-floor-a/
Do you guys think this will solve the problems completely? Pretty pricey though... I guess with this thing I could still park the beater in the garage. Yay, nay?
Do you guys think this will solve the problems completely? Pretty pricey though... I guess with this thing I could still park the beater in the garage. Yay, nay?
I just bought a Carbag. It's a sealed bag that you put dissacant into to absorb moisture. If it works well, I will prefer this to climate controlling the whole garage every time a wet car goes inside. I think this makes sense since the vehicle is a camping/Road trip car exclusively. I hardly use it. I think the Carbag will serve that purpose well.
Funny thing is, I don't guilty spending the money on this car. I just put the car on storage insurance, $20 for 6 months coverage. But with that I get multi car discount, which for me is $100 savings for the winter season. Who would of thought having a nice weather car could save some cash.
Funny thing is, I don't guilty spending the money on this car. I just put the car on storage insurance, $20 for 6 months coverage. But with that I get multi car discount, which for me is $100 savings for the winter season. Who would of thought having a nice weather car could save some cash.
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