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Post by drolsen on Aug 21, 2018 17:56:45 GMT -8
Hi folks,
We just moved to the Virginia Tidewater area, into a house with a huge attic. I would love to be able to store the bulk of the collection up there, but I’m concerned about the horrendous humidity. I grew up in Baltimore, where we stored things in the attic (cardboard boxes, etc), but I think it’s even worse here. What considerations do I need to make if I’m going to store models up there in the summer humidity? I’m concerned both about electronics and the possibility of the moisture affecting all those cardboard boxes (i.e. mold). I’ve previously stores models in a climate controlled self-storage unit in large plastic tubs with lids, which I’ll probably use again to keep the bugs and dust away. The attic has a vent fan that helps reduce some of the heat. Should I put large silica packets in the bins? Get a humidifier for the attic? We’re renting, so I won’t be making any modifications to the house itself. Thanks!
Dave
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Post by riogrande on Aug 22, 2018 2:49:54 GMT -8
Personally I would not want to store my models in a hot and humid environment - not with the cost of them. You need to protect your investment. In the past I put as many as I could in the top shelves of closets where they were inside the house which had climate control. You might want to put a thermometer up there and see what the temp is typically - it may help you determine what the environment is like. If the attic is well ventilated, then a dehumidifier might be unable to make headway against an air mass that is constantly being replaced with more humid air.
If the attic has a window, perhaps you could get a small window A/C unit. It would have the effect of both getting the heat level down and drying the air out.
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Post by drolsen on Aug 22, 2018 9:01:16 GMT -8
It certainly isn’t my preference. Back in Texas, I rented a climate controlled self-storage unit for a lot of my models. Here, the cost of rent is going to prohibit that. We have a large house with tons of storage closets, so I can probably put the most valuable items (engines and high end freight cars) in those, but ensuring marital bliss will require me to put some things in the attic. I don’t have an option - it’s a question of how I’ll mitigate the risk. I think the attic conditions may be better than the garage, which seems pretty damp. I’ll check ou the temp and humidity over a couple days to see how it looks.
Dave
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Post by riogrande on Aug 22, 2018 9:36:19 GMT -8
There is always marital bliss to be considered! I lived with my sister for a period and then for a year or two lived in very small apartments with very little storage space. Sister decided to move some of my boxes of models to the garage; I quickly put them back in her large finished basement out of the way.
I would definitely put whatever is the most valuable inside in closets as much as you can manage and keep peace. I know my attic in my town home could get real hot so I didn't store anything I thought might be sensitive there; it had an attic fan too.
If the attic where you are renting has a window that can easily and without trouble take a window A/C unit, that might be good insurance to whatever does get stored there. When I lived in a house in NY, the attic had windows in the ends which could take a small A/C unit for sure. I had a window fan unit instead but an A/C would have fit, at least a small one.
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Post by dieselgiants on Aug 30, 2018 9:23:26 GMT -8
Temperature and humidity are interdependent and taking the temperature won't provide you anything without knowing the humidity and dewpoint (where the humidity in the air condenses). The most cost effective way to store your trains in a very hot and humid environment is to seal them in a vacuum seal bag. You should do this only when the humidity is low as any cardboard will absorb the moisture in the air and if put in a bag, will trap that same moisture. The plastics used for most trains will tolerate higher temperatures than one might imagine. So unless your attic was getting into the 150F range or higher, I surely would not worry about any material being affected. For metals, temperature is surely not an issue. Moisture, however is a concern relative to corrosion. Storing in a sealed bag will protect the metallic items and even brass. Do not store any damaged/moldy or smelly boxes or trains with those that do not smell. That odor is caused my mold that has already sporulated (spread its spoors) and the residual odor is called a mycologic volatile organic compound or MVOC for short. It is the bane of the rare book, print, and art community and is near impossible to remove from paper-type products. It can be cleaned from most other surfaces using swabs and rubbing alcohol or very mild soap. Alcohol is better since it doesn't leave a residue.
Do not buy smelly trains period! If you do get one that you have to have, discard the box and clean the unit before storing. Avoid buying water damaged boxes and trains. There was a lot of junk coming out of the flooded areas in the south on eBay and people were listing as new even though it was obvious there was water damage, which means your train probably sat submerged and will likely fail prematurely.
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Post by riogrande on Aug 30, 2018 9:47:17 GMT -8
The most cost effective way to store your trains in a very hot and humid environment is to seal them in a vacuum seal bag. You should do this only when the humidity is low as any cardboard will absorb the moisture in the air and if put in a bag, will trap that same moisture. The plastics used for most trains will tolerate higher temperatures than one might imagine. So unless your attic was getting into the 150F range or higher, I surely would not worry about any material being affected. Attic's can get to 150 F or higher. www.factsfacts.com/MyHomeRepair/ventilation.htm"Attics can reach temperatures of 150 to 160 degrees F during a summer day, although outside air temperatures are only 95 to 97 degrees F." Well, we've been having out side temperatures in the mid-90's across the US so it's very likely attics without environmental controls are getting to 150 and higher. So moisture aside, I don't really want to expose my 44-55 dollar models to that kind of heat. |
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Post by canrailfan on Aug 30, 2018 11:50:04 GMT -8
The most cost effective way to store your trains in a very hot and humid environment is to seal them in a vacuum seal bag. You should do this only when the humidity is low as any cardboard will absorb the moisture in the air and if put in a bag, will trap that same moisture. I faced a similar situation several years ago. As is suggested, I put my models in vacuum sealed bags (the kind sold for storing clothes and linens) and also put a bag of desiccant in each vacuum sealed bag. I prepared the bags in the dryer climate inside the house before taking them to storage. When I opened everything up three years later I didn't find any mold or must problems although zinc pest did affect some old Athearn crane parts I had been keeping. As far as the heat is concerned, unless the attic is well insulated, it's unlikely a small window AC unit could help much. A better choice might be a temperature-controlled fan to exhaust the hot air from the attic whenever it gets too warm. |
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Post by riogrande on Aug 30, 2018 13:27:13 GMT -8
I can say this - my town home attic did have a temperature controlled exhaust fan and it still got pretty hot up there. Either way you take your chances.
My choice was/is simply not to take any chances with expensive trains - I have always chosen to store them inside in a temperature controlled environment. Athearn blue box trains, maybe I'd risk those but I don't have much of that any more.
Choose your poison.
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Post by stottman on Aug 30, 2018 22:01:40 GMT -8
I have stored most of my worldly possessions inside a 40' shipping container since 2015 after I retired from the Army and my Wife's contracting company would only pay for 3000 pounds of household goods to Germany.
I don't have the humidity as it is SW Idaho, but I do have the 4 seasons and the gradual temperature swings.
Anyways, I did pull some modern RTR items out last year. The only "issue" was ONE out of the 4 had a loose weight inside, and a loose metal grill that was attached with superglue.
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