Bringing chemicals in for the winter?

[Red Guts]

Does everyone else box up chemicals and bring them in the house for the winter? I have an attached garage. It can get pretty cold out there. A couple of times it dips below freezing for the night. It's kind of a pain, but I've been taking in my paint, car wax, cleaners, etc. each fall. Is this necessary?

 

[rickairmedic]

Red I run a small electric radiant heater in my garage in the winter never drops below 40 even when its zero outside . Thats with a standard uninsulated 16X7 garage door . I do keep most of that stuff in cabinets on the wall thats shared with the house as well. My garage is around 500SF.


Rick

 

[e-tek]

I used to have to do that too - it's a good idea so as to avoid things from either exploding, 'boiling' over, or just going bad. As I also had new babies, I would make sure to put it all in sealed boxes (RubberMaid, etc.) so as to avoid the off-gassing.
Now I have my shop and keep the programmable at a 7C/40F minimum.

 

[BillK]

Red,
I am in Maryland and the temps are about the same. I have never brought anything inside during the winter and have never had a problem.

 

[IDASHO]

Im still working on finishing up my attached garage.

But I do have plans for a decent sized cabinet with a couple of heat lamps in it running on 40 degree t-stats for paints/chemicals.

 

[nissan_crawler]

Back home, our garage wasn't heated or insulated. I just ran 2" duct from the house to the cabinet.

 

[oldgoat]

My attached garage I put a shelf up about 7ft off the floor, it has about a 9 or 10 ft ceiling in it. I put the paint on it and the rest of the spray chemicals on top of the upright freezer I have out there. Never had a problem with any of them. With the new detached garage I have a shelf about 6 ft high that I keep some chemicals on and another that is at floor level that I keep the spray cleaning type chemicals and haven't had a problem yet, but it is well insulated so it hasn't gotten down to freezing out there that I know of.

 

[Torque1st]

Cold can ruin some chemicals and others freeze. It will cause others to separate but they can be mixed back together again if you know how. Chemicals make a hell of a mess on shelves when the containers split. When some chemicals spill and mix there can be chemical reactions or toxic products or residue. Many say keep from freezing. Some say keep within specified temperature limits. Read the labels and store them in appropriate areas.

 

[nissan_crawler]

Our wichita winter is pretty darn tame, though. I think ohio is colder, and could easily freeze. back home, -35* wasn't uncommon.

 

[bobs409]

I've been doing this for as long as I can remember here in PA. I pack all the stuff up in the fall and and put it in the cellar until spring. I make up a small box with a few items I use most and keep it in the house where it's easier to get to.

I have ALOT of money in paints, cleaners, fillers, etc. I sure wouldn't want to have to replace it all.

Until I get heat for my garage, this is just a way of life here. (and with the current state of fuel & rising electrical costs, I may not bother with heat. I'd rather put that money into my cars than some fat cats wallet)

 

[nissan_crawler]

I've been doing this for as long as I can remember here in PA. I pack all the stuff up in the fall and and put it in the cellar until spring. I make up a small box with a few items I use most and keep it in the house where it's easier to get to.

I have ALOT of money in paints, cleaners, fillers, etc. I sure wouldn't want to have to replace it all.

Until I get heat for my garage, this is just a way of life here. (and with the current state of fuel & rising electrical costs, I may not bother with heat. I'd rather put that money into my cars than some fat cats wallet)

If you can run a heat duct out to a cabinet, it works great.

 

[PAToyota]

There was a thread about this awhile back: Hot Room

I keep meaning to put together a cabinet with one (or more) of the reptile heat rocks to solve this problem, but another fall is here and it hasn't been done so I'll be out there boxing things up this weekend...

 

[dcjredline]

I do what bobs409 does too. No sense in risking it if you ask me.