Perfect garage weather?

[Ronald F.]

OK, so I got the lift, got the classic car, got the garage heated and air-conditioned. Now, what's the ideal temp and humidity to set? I have been keeping the temp around 77deg in the summer and 60deg in the winter. Haven't paid too much attention to humidity yet. What are your thoughts?

Thanks!

Ron

[John H.]

Re: Perfect garage weather?

OK, so I got the lift, got the classic car, got the garage heated and air-conditioned. Now, what's the ideal temp and humidity to set? I have been keeping the temp around 77deg in the summer and 60deg in the winter. Haven't paid too much attention to humidity yet. What are your thoughts?

Thanks!

Ron

Ron -

I keep mine at 68-70 during the winter and 75 during the summer (my 16' x 16' retirement office is out there, so I'm out there all day long regardless what the weather is outdoors); humidity has never been an issue with the super-insulated walls, ceiling, and floor.

http://www.corvettefever.com/techarticles/corp_0608_custom_corvette_garage/viewall.html

[Ron G.]

Re: Perfect garage weather?

I keep one of my cars in a garage that is fully insulated, vapor barriers, epoxy floor with 3/4" plywood with a carpet that has rubber backing, and the tempature is at 78 degrees year round. I keep it at the aforementioned temp even in the summer so it actually burns out any humidity that may exist. If there is any, it is at a minimum. I also have an alarm if the tempature for some reason should fall to 65 degrees, I am automatically alerted and I receive a call from my alarm company. This is in conjunction with a modern alarm system equiped with motion detectors at every angle. Another reason I keep it at 78 degrees is because my car is painted with lacquer paint that was done 26 years ago. One of the keys to maintaining lacquer based paint is to keep the tempature consistant. That means if your going to store the vehicle a 3 degrees or 78 degrees then keep it at that the same temp. year round. Lacquer especially does not like drastic tempature swings.

[Steven B.]

Re: Perfect garage weather?

Ron, I have lived in OH, IN, GA, TX, CO, etc and in most states temp in garage was in 65-75 range. My concern was humidity, usually too much. I have used humidifiers and dehumidifiers and IIRC the units are set at 12-15%. Steve

[Ronald F.]

Re: Perfect garage weather?

Ron, I have lived in OH, IN, GA, TX, CO, etc and in most states temp in garage was in 65-75 range. My concern was humidity, usually too much. I have used humidifiers and dehumidifiers and IIRC the units are set at 12-15%. Steve

Steven, 12-15% humidity is pretty dry. Is that the best for rubber seals, tires, etc.? Wouldn't that cause drying/cracking? I'm asking beacause I don't know. If dry is best, then I certainly would want to get a dehumidifier for my garage, too.

[Steven B.]

Re: Perfect garage weather?

Ron, it was too late when I posted. At around 65 degrees, because two of my garages were walkout basement garages, the dehumidifier was set at 42% to 45% and no cracking. Sorry for posting in my sleep. Steve

[Sal C.]

Re: Perfect garage weather?

Thanks Nemo!! It'l be days before I can even get to my garage.

[Mark D.]

Re: Perfect garage weather?

I've got a two ton ac/heat pump in the basement garage. 75 degrees in the summer and the Relative Stupidity usually hovers around 50%. Wintertime setting is 70 degrees and the stupidity is typically 35%.

[Paul J.]

Re: Perfect garage weather?

Ron, as you can tell it's all about humidity. The only time tempurature is a factor is when it crosses dew point, which is when you will get condensate on smooth surfaces (If I rememeber my thermo correctly it's a function of enthalpy, but don't quote me on this). This may or may not be the same tempurature that you see on the weather channel, since any air conditioned room usually changes the amount of water vapor (steam) in the air. If you keep the room at any tempurature either above or below dew point, no condensation will occur. This is also true if you lower the humidity. If the room temp varies, minimize the number of times that it crosses that dew point threshold. My shop is heated but I seldom use the heat, and then only for comfort. This is mainly due to the moderate climate in my area and my shop is very well insulated with minimal air inflitration. About twice a year I get a condensation problem, and I could easily control it by either slightly raising the tempurature or lowering the humidity when these fronts come through, but it's only a couple of times and I don't have any rust issues. My garage is on the other side of the house, and it is neither heated nor insulated, and I have rust issues in there. No cars are stored in there.

Paul

[Bill H.]

Re: Perfect garage weather?

Ron, This is just an observation but the humidity here (Reno) is 7 to 13% in the daytime all thru the summer and goes up at night. The origional rubber parts on my 67 haven't cracked or dryed out in 30 years. I just finished popping out the floorpan & firewall plugs, they are still soft and uncracked though they do show their age.
Just sayin'

Steven, 12-15% humidity is pretty dry. Is that the best for rubber seals, tires, etc.? Wouldn't that cause drying/cracking? I'm asking beacause I don't know. If dry is best, then I certainly would want to get a dehumidifier for my garage, too.

[Paul J.]

Re: Perfect garage weather?

Steven, 12-15% humidity is pretty dry. Is that the best for rubber seals, tires, etc.? Wouldn't that cause drying/cracking? I'm asking beacause I don't know. If dry is best, then I certainly would want to get a dehumidifier for my garage, too.

Ron, I guess I should have read all of your posts before I responded. The reason why you want to control humidity and/or tempurature is to prevent condensation on smooth metal parts, like the inside surfaces of your engine. Rubber has oils in it and is affected by high tempuratures, not humidity. Plastic is the same way. Both are affected by sunlight (infrared light) and other outside factors like ozone. They deteriorate over time whether in low or high humidity. It matters very little. The humidity issue is about metal, which oxidizes/burns under certain tempurature and moisture conditions. Now Post #9 might sense for you and Bill.

Paul