put her away in the garage, should i add a dehumidifying thingy?

[lisa110rry]

Good evening all,

As usual a question from me. Over the weekend I put the little green meanie away in the unheated detached garage. Do you think I should add one of those little cartons of salts that remove humidity in caravans in the cockpit?

Your comments will be much appreciated.

...and she'll be back on the road on April Fool's Day, somewhat appropriate for one of her hue!

Regards,

Lisa

 

[Giantvanman]

There are problems with a car sitting unused for months at a time…….seals drying out, battery etc etc. Personally I would plan regular runs and air out on dry days.

 

[developer]

A storage facility needs good ventilation more than a dehumidifier.

Only last weekend I was at a member's garage where he had installed 6 permanent airflow vents (holes in the garage walls with internal and external grilles), due to his garage ceiling getting black mould on it.

He may pop up with a photo or two if he sees this.

Nice bloke, though the badges do keep falling off his car .

 

[lisa110rry]

I mostly worry about the leather and the vario roof. I can't afford to keep both on the road GVM, or at least can't justify it, but now that we have the front drive which can be seen from space (800 new homes being built in the village which will all use our lane to get out of it) I could at least bring her out on dry days.

Further comments?

Lisa

 

[rsvgreg]

I use these:

Coopers of Stortford Compact Rechargeable Dehumidifier - Buy 1 Get 1 Free from Coopers of Stortford

Cordless and easy to recharge. At £14.99 a pair you can always have one to hand ready charged. Works a treat

 

[Teflonso]

Big bag of silica gel on the floor, regular run out (in dry weather) to keep the mechanicals in good order.

.

 

[daveenty]

Use is going to be the important thing here or, in your case, the lack of it. It's obviously going to limit you if you're putting the car on SORN but, as GVM says, try to run it at least up and down the drive just to keep things lubricated and moving even if it's just for 10 - 15 minutes at a time. It may also be worth investing in a Ctek type battery charger.

As John (Developer) mentions above, make sure that the garage is well aired. This is important. Mine wasn't initially, which caused the mould spores, though simple air vents cured the problem a lot better than a dehumidifier was doing.

No photos unfortunately but there are 4 x 4" vents, two either side (not six as mentioned above) at just over head height and it's now bone dry.

 

[Lenny63]

Ctek chargers are the monkeys nuts !! invest !!!

 

[BTB 500]

My SL sometimes goes for a couple of months at a time without being driven so is on a maintenance charger all the time ... AccuMate in my case:



The battery in the car is 10 years old now and still going strong.

As mentioned ventilation is very important.

 

[Chrishazle]

+1 for a battery conditioner - check for when Lidl do their offer, apparently it's as good as a CTEK but about £18 instead of a lot more. I've used a conditioner for best part of 20 years for my 968, she's stood unused for up to 3 monthe at a time (in a garage) and started first time every time.

Another tip I've seen is to inflate the tyres to maximum pressure allowable, to minimise the chance of flat spots - never done it myself, but can see the logic.

 

[Ted]

I lay up my bike for six months every year - this is what I do.

Put it away 'dirty' - on the basis that any grease/oil mist will help protect it
Change the oil (I then give it a run round the block to circulate the new oil) I also give it a good check over to see how brake pads, tyres, etc are.
Put a breathable cover over it that almost touches the ground
I have a small dehumidifier which I put under the cover and empty the tank once a week/fortnight.
As there is negligible current drain, I don't use a battery conditioner permanently, but on occasion when I have a brief respite from the honeydew list and go to gaze lovingly and dream of the coming summer I will top up the charge. Like the others, I would recommend a battery conditioning charger - mine from Lidl is excellent.
A week or so before it is ready to go back on the road I give it a good clean and polish, check that everything works correctly (it always does), give it a ride around the block to check all is ok and book it in for an MOT.
I then apply for tax on April 1st

 

[lisa110rry]

All these comments are much appreciated, thank you.

Our garage is brick built and very detached, with a slate roof, built in the 50s so there is plenty of air circulation, plus the occasional bird ingress, unfortunately.

However, the electrics we had put in 28 years ago have failed (the cable thingy apparently comes from a room which contains nothing but 1600 books on shelves which we cannot move - I know that sounds a bit 'up ourselves' but truly it's not, can't explain why because it would give away too much on the internet. But this means we can't have the electrical connection re-done.

I'm going to have to forego a battery conditioner, but this year we've had to give up our front garden to have the driveway visible from space (800 new homes in our village, 700 of which will give on to our lane to get out of the village) so I shall be able to run the little car down the drive and let her burble for a bit from time to time. Must remember to do this!

I will look in to dehumidifying thingies as mentioned.

Regards, Lisa

 

[daveenty]

Hi Lisa,

Can you not get your power source from elsewhere, thereby by-passing the book room? Just a thought...