Basement storage
WearyTraveler
Member Posts: 2,018 ✭✭✭
I moved into a new house. It has a couple of closets in the basement, on an outside wall. They appeared safe and dry, so I moved my toys in, closed the doors, and wandered off. When I went back after a couple of weeks, many of the guns and lots of leather had greenish powder coating. Moisture got me! I took everything out, cleaned and oiled and they’re now sitting on tables outside the closets.
Would a couple of goldenrods be sufficient to put my toys back in the closets? A circulating fan? Dehumidifier? All 3? There’s currently no electric in the closets but I can extend a receptacle from the other side of the wall. Suggestions are appreciated.
The basement is finished (HVAC) and pretty dry. So I’m thinking about 2 fans, one on top and the other on the bottom of the door.
thanks in advance guys!
Comments
A dehumidifier will work. I just had to buy a new one from Lowes. It does a great job for the whole house.
Dry loc paint on the exterior walls. Helps to seal from Moisture. Seal the Floor too id concrete.
I run a samall Eva Dry dehumidifier, draws out the water in the air. Has a small 1 pint container for condensation. I empty once a week ( depending on your location) Shuts off if capacity is full.
Works for me in the Gun room at the Shop.
I have a portable dehumidifier I run in my finished basement. In order for me to keep my closets down there dry, I have to leave the closet doors open during those high humidity months. Not a big deal but something I had to learn the hard way.
Dehumidifier is the only answer along with above preventive measures. Count you blessing you found the issue when you did
Yup ,Dehumidifier is the answer. Like someone else stated, I would dry loc the walls. I would also sheetrock and insulate the interior walls of the closet. All that moister from the walls and floor are really bad for those firearms. Buy a good one that has the built in drain, and place it near your sump pump, so you don't have to worry about it. Oak
I have a $225 dehumidifier from Lowes. And that is what you need.
I have 2 in our basement. Drilled holes thru the slab along the perimeter (drain tile underneath) and attached a short piece of hose and ran them into these holes. Works really well .
If you don't have a way to gravity drain to daylight you can get a small sump pump that will pump the water to a drain somewhere. The dehumidifiers will fill up quicker than you might think.
70 pint during summer times ,during cold the furnace keeps humidity at next to nothing on my gauge,
Be sure to elevate your valuables with racks, shelving, or pallets. It's a basement.
Some day you will have water on the floor; anything stored on the floor will be ruined. Be prepared.
Buy a humidity gauge to hang on the wall; it doesn't have to be fancy. It will give you advance warning that your basement is too moist.
Neal