Mold help in attached garage

[burninghXcsoul]

This summer in SC PA has been very wet and humid. So much so that I started getting mold on some items in my attached garage. I have found green and white mold on some wooden gunstocks in my garage and oddly enough all of the 4 baby strollers in the garage. Thats really the only places I have found any mold. Nothing on the walls or wooden shelving or anywhere. None on my hunting/fishing clothing or gear either which I think is a bit weird. This is the first time I have found any mold anywhere in the garage.

Any tips on how to prevent this? My wife tends to get pretty wrapped around the axles about this kind of stuff so shes saying we need to sell the house.... yeah not happening. The garage has 1 man door, 2 garage doors and 2 windows. It is insulated and drywalled but not taped/mudded or painted with insulated garage doors.

From my research it seems air circulation can help or running a dehumidifier. I'm not sure how effective that could be given its a garage so its not exactly airtight and its so humid and wet outside.

 

[3rdgendslmech]

Same thing happened at my house except in the basement. Are there any ducts that you can get conditioned air into there? If not a fan and a DEHU unit with a pump should do the trick.

 

[ace10]

Could be coming up through the slab.
Have you checked the grading around the garage and the downspouts?

 

[burninghXcsoul]

The one airduct does go through the garage so I could add a vent there. Would this help at all?

It has been very humid here I'm pretty sure thats where this is coming from. There is no moisture coming up through slab and the garage is about 1 foot higher that everything else and the downspout by the garage drains directly onto pavement 4 feet from the garage and slopes away from the house.

 

[pattenp]

If the air duct serves the living area, opening it up to the garage is a fire code violation. It's also not safe because it can bring carbon monoxide into the house from car exhaust. I have the same problem this year and I run a dehumidifier in the garage and have no mold or moisture problems. It does drive up the electric bill a bit because it is constantly running.


Edit: To add, my garage is 720sqft with 12' ceiling and I use a 70qt dehumidifier. It runs maybe 75 percent of the time and keeps the humidity level at 45-50%. I try not leaving the garage door open more than a few minutes at a time if possible.

 

[wayne55]

A fan will help.

 

[cjcocn]

The one airduct does go through the garage so I could add a vent there. Would this help at all?

It has been very humid here I'm pretty sure thats where this is coming from. There is no moisture coming up through slab and the garage is about 1 foot higher that everything else and the downspout by the garage drains directly onto pavement 4 feet from the garage and slopes away from the house.

It may not be coming up through the slab, but the cooling factor from the slab might be adding to your moisture levels.

The items that are getting mold are those that are more likely to shoe the effects of changes in temperature and generate condensation.

A fan and a dehumidifier should help your situation quite a bit and, depending on the size of the dehumidifier and the size of your garage, it may take care of the problem completely.

I am certainly not a rocket scientist and didn't even stay at a Holiday Inn last night, but I have had a little bit of experience with this type of moisture.