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tools are getting rusty at the new house

lbhsbz

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About 6 months ago I bought another house and moved...its about a mile away from my old house in Long Beach CA. I'm about 5 miles from the water, so I don't think salty air has anything to do with it...old place was about 5.25 miles from the water. I never had a problem with anything rusting in my old garage, but I seem to at the new place.

The only differences in the garage I can see are:

Old garage had 2 whirlybirds on top...that's it. No eve vents, no other vents aside from air leaks around the doors.

New garage has eve vents, and no whirlybirds.

We've had a bit of rain lately, but this issue started before that. My mill table and newish Kurt vise look like hell right now.

Climate is the same. I do have an electric clothes dryer in the garage now, old house had the laundry in the house, not the garage. Its vented properly and the vent is clear and working.

Any thoughts?
 
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jtetterton

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First thing I would do is get my hands on a moisture meter and see how the atmosphere is in there.


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old_smokey

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My clothes dryer adds a ton of humidity to the air. I run a dehumidifier while drying and it pulls a lot of water out.


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finn

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Do you have any chemicals like muriatic acid stored in the garage? I ran into that at my first house.

Got rid of it and never had a problem again in all the years I lived there.
 
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L

lbhsbz

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My thoughts as well.

I'm curious where the dryer vents and the eve vents are located. Is the moisture being sucked back in ?


Was the old garage insulated ? Is the new one insulated ?

Dryer is vented with about a 10" long hose straight out the wall. Eve vents are not on that wall at all. Neither garage was insulated
 

NUTTSGT

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Dryer is vented with about a 10" long hose straight out the wall. Eve vents are not on that wall at all. Neither garage was insulated

Then if all is the same, relative to shade, not in a low spot then I might think those whirly birds were pulling alot of air out of the garage and preventing condensation build up.
 
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lbhsbz

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Then if all is the same, relative to shade, not in a low spot then I might think those whirly birds were pulling alot of air out of the garage and preventing condensation build up.

That's where I'm headed with this. Gonna pick one up and install it this weekend. Only thing I can think is that somehow air with some moisture in it is rising up to the peak during the day, can't get out, then settles back down at night when it cools off. I'm no ex-spurt tho
 

ZRX61

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Solar Blight Valley, SoCal
Use ACF-50 (or Boeshield T9) on the Kurt & the Mill table.


Maybe install heaters in your toolboxes if that's an issue.


Use the terrarium heat pads for reptile habitats* but install them under the bottom drawer & put them between a couple of ceramic floor tiles. I just drill a small hole in the back to run the power cord through.

Within a day or so the entire toolbox & contents will be warm & moisture free.

*These things (42x28cm):

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M3SXW53/?tag=atomicindus08-20
 
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u3b3rg33k

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I just put a desiccant wheel dehumidifier in my garage. pulled it down into the 40% rh range. was in the 60s before.
 
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Git

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I would double check the clothes dryer vent to make sure it is not plugged up with lint
 
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outdoorspace

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The clothes dryer needs to get it's air from somewhere. It's probably sucking in humid air from outside.

I just put a desiccant wheel dehumidifier in my garage. pulled it down into the 40% rh range. was in the 60s before.

These are intriguing. Link please?
 

HC33

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Its condensation and it really *****. I had this problem every time its around 60 degrees and raining outside . so i took a silica dry packet from my gunnsafe . which is a really big silica pack and put it in drawer where all my tools were rusting . problem solved never had any rust again . you can order the silica packs from gunsafe companys.:beer:
 

BillK

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Does the roof have a ridge vent ? If not you are probably right about the warm air getting up there and not being able to escape. Thats how my detached garage is set up and I have no problems.
 

Opa

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i had some swimming pool chlorine stored in a shed, in a sealed (i thought) container, along with some mild steel for projects. the steel rusted. i figured out it was the chlorine, and after i removed it from the shed, no more rusting.
 

u3b3rg33k

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The clothes dryer needs to get it's air from somewhere. It's probably sucking in humid air from outside.



These are intriguing. Link please?

http://ecoseb.com/desiccant-dehumidifier.html

the big one (21 PPD) "simple" version on amazon is priced OK. 21pint doesn't sound like much, but compared to the compressor 50 PPD unit which does nothing at 40F, this thing is amazing. 400W on low, 700W on high.

I got the simple because I plan on controlling it with my thermostat via a relay-switched outlet on the dehumidifier terminals. why pay extra for electronic controls I don't need?
 

kbs2244

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I am of the opinion that your whirlybird install will do wounders.
Leave room for a second one.

Mold and rust need still air.
You do not need a hurricane.
Just keep the air moving.
 

larry_g

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oregon
What besides the laundry appliances are in the building that were not there in the old place? Garden chemicals, pool stuff, what laundry chemicals are now new to the area? Did you have a garden shed at the old place and now some of that stuff is in the garage? Been charging any batteries or warming up cars that didn't happen at the old place? List all small details that are different and hopefully you will have an ah-ha moment.

lg
no neat sig line
 

Showkey

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http://ecoseb.com/desiccant-dehumidifier.html

the big one (21 PPD) "simple" version on amazon is priced OK. 21pint doesn't sound like much, but compared to the compressor 50 PPD unit which does nothing at 40F, this thing is amazing. 400W on low, 700W on high.

I got the simple because I plan on controlling it with my thermostat via a relay-switched outlet on the dehumidifier terminals. why pay extra for electronic controls I don't need?

Compressor dehumidifiers have a terrible reputation.......so

I am interested well. Just got off amazon ......reviews are mix on failure rate and company Service and communication. A few 4 star reviews with failed units.
 
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Colin Len

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Long Beach CA
I'm very close to you, in Lakewood, and I have this same problem. Happens when it gets really wet like the weather we've been having. I also have no venting. I've thought about venting - but I'd also like to insulate so that's counter-productive. Also been considering some type of dehumidifier but it isn't ideal to take up more space in the garage nor pay for the electricity to run it. Seems like there's not much of a good option other than when I'm ready to gut it and fully insulate.

Subscribing. Hopefully some more good knowledge and ideas pop up in here.
 

James-W

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Southeastern Wisconsin
If it were me I would probably run a dehumidifier in the garage. Obviously running a dehumidifier would add a cost but I would rather pay the cost than to have rust forming on everything.
 

Showkey

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In reality a garage is one step above from being outside..........until it converted to conditioned living space. Yes even in CA. When the marine layer sets up your likely at 90-100% relative humidity.
Start by measuring the indoor humidity levels........your likely looking at plus 70% and prolonged levels above 70% is the point where bad things start happening.

Tools and equipment rust when left outside.........this is no different than the dozens of discussions we have had on condensation, high humidity conditions in shops, garage or barns where the indoor climate is not controlled.


Insulate, seal and control air exchange rate..........depending on location that might include heat and AC ........which then will control humidity levels. Any thing short of control will leave at the whims of the weather changes. At the very least insulate, seal and dehumidifiers.
 
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jeepinerdeep

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Pool Chemicals was the first thing I thought of. Coworker ruined an entire John Deer lawn tractor and a circular saw with a busted container of pool chemicals.
 
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