Storing tools in a non-heated shed

[jahej]

I'm wondering if its power tools take damage if I store them in a non-heated shed? I am mainly afraid of the humidity, especially living in Amsterdam.

The tools I have Rotex 90/150, 2200 Router, and Tracksaw.

 

[FestitaMakool]

The Wood Whisperer just released a video on this.
“Our” climate may differ, but most of his points apply anywhere you are.
=share

I would:
Clean and vacuum all the (saw) dust off of your tools
Apply machine oil (like the sewing machine oil, not motor oil) to any exposed metal.
WD 40 for hard to reach areas (won’t damage plastic or painted metal either) as screw heads..

The columns on the router are especially important. Apply light coat of oil and work the full plunge a few times.

When done, store them in their systainers with lid closed.
If you can get hold of sachets of silica gel - place these in the systainers before closing and put to storage.

 

[AstroKeith]

I think it is a problem. Tool steel will rust and it would be extremely difficult to protect all such surfaces.
Typically after a cold night, as the air temperature warms up (especially if the sun is on the shed) any moisture will condense on the still cold metal parts.
I'm close enough to you to have the same climate! (ps love Amsterdam)
I also do astronomy, and the solution there is to put telescopes etc into a cupboard or container and heat with a 30W greenhouse heater or mat.

 

[ForumMFG]

I don’t store my tools in my shed but it might as well be one.  I store them in my ram promaster.  All my systainers get a 40 gram pack of silica gel and then i store a couple massive buckets filled with silica gel on the shelves in my van.  So far so good. I buy the silica gel that can be put in a oven to recharge them. 

 

[Paul_HKI]

Humidity and condensation can be a problem here in Finland too so I use the reusable 'Car dehumidifier' packs when storing my tools anywhere it may be damp and cold, as they're easily prepped for reuse in a microwave.  Just throw a couple into each systainer (why not - better safe than sorry!) and carry on as normal, assuming you can't find a hiding place in the house/apartment for the tools when the winter and fog folls in on the lowlands.

Lots of options and your local autoparts or campervan/motorhome accessories supplier likely has them on the shelf.  Locally in Finland I pay €5-6 each for them and so far they've kept everything free from rust and corrosion.

You'll see the sort of thing I'm referring to if you check fleabay item 363656393683

 

[Crazyraceguy]

I would bring them in if you can, but the desiccant dryer packs are a credible alternative. I keep one in with my chisels, even in a shop that is heated full-time.
Of the tools you listed, I would be most concerned about the OF2200, specifically the columns. If you can only bring in one thing, pick that one.

 

[ear3]

My shop is in an unheated garage, and in addition to Festools, I have handtools and the cast iron surfaces of stationary machines to think about.  With regard to systainerized tools, I occasionally apply machine oil or T9 Boeshield to things like router columns, but not necessarily religiously -- despite that I have never had a rust or corrosion problem with a tool inside a systainer.  Nor have I had a problem with my Kapex, which lives exposed near the garage door entrance, though I do probably oil the rails on this machine fairly often for protection.

It's a different story with the handtools and cast iron surfaces.  Here I do have to be very vigilant with prophylactic measures in the colder months, making sure they are oiled and/or waxed.  There are also a handful of days from December through March when, following a cold night, there will be a significant upward temperature swing, accompanied by high relative humidity, where I may have to take additional measures to minimize condensation on those surfaces.  It's actually best not to even allow the outside air to come into the shop on those days if possible, since this will jack up the ambient moisture in the space. 

 

[Coen]

Well, that highly depends on if that sheds sucks up water from the ground too or not.

My tools are in an unheated garage too, but in the eastern part of the country. Sandy soil instead of below-sealevel peat and wetland...

And also slightly insulated. This helps to keep the temperature above outside temperature and prevents condensation. And in summer it shaves off peak temperatures.

 

[ThunderBeest]

Any good tips on garage door insulation? I have considered insulating the walls and roof of my garage,but as long as the wind blows through the garage door I haven't bothered to invest in the rest.

 

[Michael Kellough]

In addition to the above, the more unfinished wood stored in the same space the better. Wood buffers humidity fluctuations.

 

[ChuckM]

Any good tips on garage door insulation? I have considered insulating the walls and roof of my garage,but as long as the wind blows through the garage door I haven't bothered to invest in the rest.

Get the size that suits your garage door:https://www.homedepot.ca/product/reflectix-48-inch-x-25-ft-double-reflective-insulation/1000167795

My garage is insulated from day 1,but not the garage door. I installed the Reflectix last winter. A week ago when the outside overnight temp. was consistently between -20C and -30C, the next day shop temp. as spotted was -1 or so.

In the summer, it keeps the heat out, too.

 

[squall_line]

Any good tips on garage door insulation? I have considered insulating the walls and roof of my garage,but as long as the wind blows through the garage door I haven't bothered to invest in the rest.

Get the size that suits your garage door:https://www.homedepot.ca/product/reflectix-48-inch-x-25-ft-double-reflective-insulation/1000167795

My garage is insulated from day 1,but not the garage door. I installed the Reflectix last winter. A week ago when the outside overnight temp. was consistently between -20C and -30C, the next day shop temp. as spotted was -1 or so.

In the summer, it keeps the heat out, too.

[member=57948]ChuckS[/member] , I believe my door is already insulated (it's not hollow, and it's not stamped and empty on the back). I'm guessing the reflectix wouldn't be as good of a "bang for the buck" as, say, eliminating air transfer with all of the spots of daylight I can see around the door at the corners?

[member=76829]ThunderBeest[/member] , when you say "wind blows through the garage door", are you getting actual air infiltration, or just passive transfer?

 

[ChuckM]

[member=57948]ChuckS[/member] , I believe my door is already insulated (it's not hollow, and it's not stamped and empty on the back). I'm guessing the reflectix wouldn't be as good of a "bang for the buck" as, say, eliminating air transfer with all of the spots of daylight I can see around the door at the corners?

You're right that if there's a huge gap around the garage door that wind can blow freezing air into the shop non-stop like opening an window, insulating the door alone many not help a lot. Any source of leak should be looked into and mitigated where possible. The Reflectix will do its job the best when leaks are plugged as much as possible.

I took a look at my door (built in mid 90s), and it seems to be pretty good with no big gaps.

 

[woodbutcherbower]

My advice would be not to over-think this, and certainly don’t worry about a little bit of damp if your tools are cased (Systainers). My entire £15k tool inventory lives in the back of my van, and has done for the last 30 years. At this time of year, it’s full of condensation (see photo of the van’s ceiling I took today) and is literally dripping wet. The only things which have ever suffered are 6 x 6-foot Magnusson sash clamps which are housed in a rack fixed to this ceiling - and even then, there’s just a tiny amount of pitting on the clamp bars which are made from ordinary mild steel. It rubs right off using steel wool. Other than that - absolutely no issues whatsoever. I too have an OF2200 and a TS55. Both 5 years old and 100% corrosion-free. And don’t use machine oil on router plunge turrets unless you enjoy scraping out sludge consisting of sawdust mixed with oil - use dry PTFE lubricant from an aerosol can. More effective - and sludge-free.

 

[Coen]

Any good tips on garage door insulation? I have considered insulating the walls and roof of my garage,but as long as the wind blows through the garage door I haven't bothered to invest in the rest.

You need to minimize air leakage first.

And next; you mean the classic metal door, like this?

You can use high tack caulk to attach EPS, PIR or XPS to the inside, like this;
[attachimg=1]

This was free left-over XPS from a demolition nearby. Rd 1,45

Also works very well to keep the heat out in summer. Very much slows the cooldown in winter too.

But keep note; if you spent a lot of time in the garage, you exhale moisture. This will condensate on cool surfaces if it's not ventilated out.

But once again; the floor here is dry. While Amsterdam is way more likely to have high water table, surface water problems, etc. that will contribute to more moisture ingress. Single wall of most masonry, exposed to rain and wind, will also contribute to more moisture inside.

I have family in that area, and everything rots in that 'shed'... it sits too low, rainwater will sit around it, the roof has no overhang so the masonry walls suck in rainwater. But the concrete slap that forms it's floor has it's feet in water 24/7/365... And even worse; the flat roof was leaking, so the roofing was swamped with water too.

 

[mino]

The best "fix" is to make the garage heated. It will help everything, not just the tools.

But "heated" here it does not mean it needs to have 20C, or even 15C for that matter.

It is enough that the air in the garage will be consistently 5C above outside temperature when the relative humidity is high in the morning. In an Amsterdam setting, I would say setting heating to 10C or so during the Winter should do the job nicely.

If you do some ad-hoc door insulation it should not cost much.

But careful with insulation - you do NOT want to overdo the air movement insulation - you need sufficient air movement to allow the air inside to acquire balance with the air outside. Otherwise you will get a very high relative humidity in the summer rains period.
This is not such a big issue in living spaces, as people would ventilate manually as needeed. But in a garage that can go weeks without attendence, you need sufficient micro-ventilation else you will have issues even in the summer period.

One last simpel advic: Hotter air goes higher, so learn to store tools/things which you want to protect from water vapor condensation as high as possible in the garage. For me it means no tools on the ground and no shelving /for sensitive tools/ below the work surface level.

 

[ChuckM]

Snip. But in a garage that can go weeks without attendence, Snip.

Luckily this doesn't happen in my case, or in the case of many Canadians who live in houses with attached garages because we use the garage (daily for most who drive) as our main entrance door.

Rust never sleeps, and I have different strategies to deal with machines vs hand tools. For table saw or other machines' tops, I use WD60 to clean, followed by a rust preventative (Fluid film. T9 or CRC). I slightly buff the top to get a thin coat and cover the top afterwards. My shop has a humidity between 40% to 70% in the winter because the car brings snow in that melts inside the garage/shop.

Edit: I do the same to my blades after each cleaning (the 40t blade was bought in 2017 to address my PCS 1.75HP ripping deficiency when stock is 2" thick and over).

 

[Coen]

The best "fix" is to make the garage heated. It will help everything, not just the tools.

Hahaha. Ever taken a look at Dutch energy prices?

Insulation, insulation, insulation. If you have some windows (solar gain), even the most basic insulation will achieve your +5 degrees C without any heating.

 

[woodbutcherbower]

So much energy.
So much time.
So much advice.
Zero feedback.

The OP’s never bothered to come back and read any replies …..

 

[woodwise]

[member=75780]woodbutcherbower[/member]
I don't know why this happens, seems akin to people asking for advice comparing items they wish to purchase. Intelligent people with good intent spend time providing feedback and rendering advice only to have the OP proudly inform them that they disregarded it all and purchased the item they thought was best.

As to this thread, I have been following along and feel I have picked up a few useful bits of information, so all is not lost!