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I keep my 92 stored in a large shop with the windows down and a good breathable cover on it. Recently when I checked on it it had some light looking mildewish stuff on the door panels and dash and a little bit on the seats. It cleaned up very easily.
Where can I find something that will absorb any more moisture that gets trapped in there? Don't they make large desiccant containers or something like that?
4lb. tub of DampRid available at Walmart. Absorbs without turning into liquid. It is in the RV section. That is what people use to control humidity and moisture in RV's that are stored over winter. You close up your RV and let the DampRid remove remaining moisture, as well as the small amounts of moisture that may seep in over the storage period. You will never see an RV stored with the windows open. You are keeping your windows open so, even though you have air flow, you are continually introducing moisture laden air causing your moisture issues. I would close her up so the DampRid can be effective. I can usually get 2-3 storage periods out of 1 tub when I close up vehicle.
All this is happening b/c you didn't park the car on a tarp! ...or carpet squares! or...or...something!
Just kidding.
Well, all kidding aside, Tom, in fact parking the cars on carpet remnants STOPPED the sweating and condensation I used to get after every warm-up following a deep (i.e., sub-zero) cold spell. I would guess a tarp would work as well or maybe better than carpet? (Remanents were available at a local carpet store: think I paid $10 for each of mine, large enough to fit under the entire car(s).)
If it's concrete, he is probably referring to the floor sweating. In unheated storage I keep a heavy gauge semi-clear plastic under the entire vehicle. This keeps moisture away from tires and the underneath of the vehicle. You can look underneath that plastic at anytime and see beads of water and moisture all over the underside of that plastic and the concrete.
From: Clifton Park, NY ............Clearwater, FL ... 85 Original Owner
Originally Posted by Qblue92
I keep my 92 stored in a large shop with the windows down and a good breathable cover on it. Recently when I checked on it it had some light looking mildewish stuff on the door panels and dash and a little bit on the seats. It cleaned up very easily.
Where can I find something that will absorb any more moisture that gets trapped in there? Don't they make large desiccant containers or something like that?
What "sweating"? What was "sweating"? The floor? The car?
The engine and even the body panels! Oh, how nice to live in a semi-desert, high altitude world like U! But, down here in the flat land (~650 AMSL vs. 5-10k) after a sub-zero cold spell, we'll get a front move in along with the temps rising and the humidity too - usually preceding precip (snow/sleet/whatever) and the moisture in the air condenses on the cold surfaces - including the concrete floor - to the point of streaming off like raindrops!
By parking on a carpet barrier, the amount of condensation is cut way down (go figure?) - this phenomenon observed after decades of living in 'the flat lands'.
Are you guys talking about storing your vehicles in un-insulated spaces? I lived in the "flat lands" too. As I said above, I grew up in Mass. I'm a Mass-hole. My entire up bringing, my Dad stored these two cars in an insulated wooden garage that had a concrete floor (no tarps or carpets):
Never parked 'em on carpets, tarps or anything else. These cars are still with us....they've survived the ordeal, unscathed.
In your case, you mentioned the "engine and even the body panels". Where is the water coming from? Is it leeching up through the concrete? Doubtful. It's condensing on colder surfaces as the air temp warms and the surface (engine, for example) lags in warming, water condenses on the cool surfaces. The solution is to dry that air, insulate the facility (to prevent rapid temp changes) or heat it. If you put a tarp behind your bathroom mirror, water is still going to condense on the mirror when you take a shower. Water isn't coming through the wall....but it is condensing out of the warm, humid air that you've made by taking a shower.
IDK what a carpet does other than absorb water, get moldy and nasty and add a step to your winterizing process. Maybe it does something....but I'm going to go ahead and keep not-worrying about it.
.
Last edited by Tom400CFI; Nov 22, 2018 at 09:47 AM.
Are you guys talking about storing your vehicles in un-insulated spaces? I lived in the "flat lands" too. As I said above, I grew up in Mass. I'm a Mass-hole. My entire up bringing, my Dad stored these two cars in an insulated wooden garage that had a concrete floor (no tarps or carpets):
Never parked 'em on carpets, tarps or anything else. These cars are still with us....they've survived the ordeal, unscathed.
In your case, you mentioned the "engine and even the body panels". Where is the water coming from? Is it leeching up through the concrete? Doubtful. It's condensing on colder surfaces as the air temp warms and the surface (engine, for example) lags in warming, water condenses on the cool surfaces. The solution is to dry that air, insulate the facility (to prevent rapid temp changes) or heat it. If you put a tarp behind your bathroom mirror, water is still going to condense on the mirror when you take a shower. Water isn't coming through the wall....but it is condensing out of the warm, humid air that you've made by taking a shower.
IDK what a carpet does other than absorb water, get moldy and nasty and add a step to your winterizing process. Maybe it does something....but I'm going to go ahead and keep not-worrying about it.
.
Where is it coming from? Well, my fine feathered friend, condensation - like fogging up a mirror when taking a shower.
My storage is a typical, an un-insulated garage - un-heated with a vented roof. After a sub-zero spell, the cars and the concrete slab cold-soak. in the middle of the day, even in sub-zero weather, the sun beating down on the roof brings the ambient air temps above freezing and water vapor condenses on the much colder surfaces of the cars - any exposed surface, including the concrete slab. NO the carpet does NOT get wet, and if I lift a corner to inspect the floor, there is a sharp line between the DRY AREA under the carpet and the bare concrete exposed to the air. (In fact, I've entered the garage after a cold snap when the temps outside were above freezing, and everything was dry. But, as soon as I opened the garage door and the "warm" wet air hits the cold cars/floor, in a matter of seconds the cars and the exposed areas of the concrete become wet!!
And, for the record, it was someone's recommendation on THIS FORUM suggesting the carpet idea. Works 4 me!! The FACTS are...it works (in my situation).
My hypothesis is: the surfaces of body panels quickly warm up to ambient temp and water stops condensing. the engine takes longer, but with the hood sealed, the moist air doesn't get to circulate as freely around the engine, UNTIL the hood is opened. When I do that, the motor surfaces become wet in seconds - like breathing on a mirror. , but the concrete acts (I suppose) like a heat sink which keeps the car cold unless the insulating affect of the carpet prevents the concrete from keeping the car from warming to ambient.
Does (carpet) apply in every situation? IDK either, but IT DOES WORK in my circumstances too; just like whomever first suggested using carpet said it would.
So if I'm reading this correctly, the carpet keeps the floor under the car from condensing water...and the carpet itself doesn't get wet. Sounds like the carpet is insulating the concrete?
...or carpet squares! or...or...something!
Humidity vs Storage??
