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Anyone with machines in the garage?

ScoobyPrints

ScoobyPrints

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Jan 12, 2022
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Leicester
Sorry if this is a recurring topic. Did my best to use the search function but not many examples came back….

wondering if anyone keeps their machines in garage without much insulation/ conditioning.
I have plans to insulate my roof and add a plastic floor to my garage, which is a separate building. But I’m waiting for summer to kick off this project.
I know damp and moisture would be a killer for any pins, but my place is as dry as a external building would be in England.
I do use it as a workshop, even in winter, which makes me turn the heater on often.
Planning also to keep the pin covered whilst not in use.
Not planning on any vintage machines either. Just a modern (ish) one from 2012 (which I believe electronic boards should be a bit more robust?)

Is my idea a big ”No” or should be fine as long as I keep my eyes open and maintenance up to date?
or should I invest in more insulation to the walls etc?

TIA
 
I've usually got one pin in my garage which I use as a workshop. They may be in there for 4 months at a time. I put insulation above the ceiling, and glued about £300 of rockwool rectangles to the external walls. (10cm thick). I also got some insulated garage door bubble sheets for the door.

The key thing is I run a dehumidifier 24x7 in there, and that generates enough heat to ensure the room never falls below 9 degrees, even when it is -3 outside. More importantly, the humidity is pretty much a constant 55%. I also have an electric radiator which I turn on when I am in there and it gets up to a toasty 18 or so in ten minutes or so.

Never had any problems.
 
When it comes to insulation, more is better generally, having said that all my games are in an external outbuilding, because of the design its really not possible to insulate the walls but have done roof with reflective insulation, its not as good as rigid insulation like kingspan but its definitely better than nothing and minimises temperature swings.

I would 100% recommend getting a desiccant dehumidifier with an external drain, plugging it in and letting it automatically turn on and off to regulate humidity, they kick out a bit of heat too, so it never gets really cold in there.
Also have a large tube heater around the back of the pins, dust covers and reptile heater pads that live inside the cabs in the winter months, they go through the coin door when they aren't being played.
 
Got my pins in my garage, it is fully insulated so haven’t had any issues yet :)
 
Got mine in the garage.
Kingspan the ceiling and insulated the walls.
Had no issues.
Have a dehumidifier in there and also an oil filled radiator set at 10 Celsius on a heat controlled plug.
So it kicks in and out depending on temp.
Been like that for 3yrs and have had no problems. Pins look the same as when they got put in there.
 
i've stored a few for months in my garage and never had any issue, just let it warm up for a couple of days and you should be fine. I wouldn't play games in the garage unless you dehumidifier/warm up which will be expensive.
 
Painted glass (screen prints) on older machines common to EM's don't like the cold. Due to the contraction differences between the glass and paint & they flake.

Otherwise as Neil says -
Don't play em if they're cold. Let them warm up if you're dragging them to the house. Wrap them up with old sheets and some plastic on top of the sheets if you expect dripping condensation.
If you can afford to run a dehumidifier of course then do that.

If you can see your breath in there - DON'T FIRE UP ANYTHING! :)
 
How can you tell if you need a dehumidifier? Guessing not every environment needs one?
 
Simple humidity and temperature monitors. I use one that has indoor and outdoor sensors and the outdoor one is in the pin cabin.
However, the Meco dehumidifiers are a good investment. The warmer the room is, the more moisture it can hold. Then a cold snap sees the humidity go up if the temperature isn’t regulated. Mine is set to 55 and I empty it when I go in. I work in the pin cabin a few days each week.

Just to reiterate. Electric heating is expensive, getting more so. I have been measuring my consumption to keep my pin cabin at 10oC and it is using as much as the family in the house.
I have a heat sensor which fires a set of smart plugs. One kicks off the smallest wattage heater at 10oC, the next one kicks in at 9oC. The final kicks in an ceramic air heater at 8oC.

This is just today.
550CF9A9-BCF5-40BD-B26D-CA5F7AEC2482.jpeg
 
I've always been dead against having machines in garages etc but out of necessity I now have mine in an unheated conservatory. Don't underestimate the amount of humidity you will get in a supposedly dry garage. I run a Meaco dessicant dehumidifier in the conservatory and that fills up almost daily. I haven't been able to get the drainoff working on it and prefer to empty it by hand anyway. I have a wifi humdity and temperature meter in there that will warn me if it ever goes outside the limits. The great thing about the dessicant dehumidifier is that it puts out heat as a by product of the way it works. So when it's 0C outside it's not dropping below around 10-12C in the conservatory.
 
7B40CE53-D2FC-4452-B3F7-FB21B72D252B.jpeg8C7DCCBD-A78B-4D1A-B9A1-904CEFB314E6.pngSo theoretically unless it drops to 2.5C in there it should be fine. The dehumidifier should keep it 10C above outside temp.
 
Defo need a dessicant one in a garage. I used to have a dessicant one but found they broke after a couple of years. So after going through two, I opted for a compressor type. It froze up immediately even at 12 degrees. So learnt that lesson the expensive way.
 
Not sure I need it as never detected any moisture my self but would this bad boy do the job?

www.screwfix.com

Blyss WDH-316DB 16Ltr Dehumidifier - Screwfix

Order online at Screwfix.com. Ideal for removing excess moisture and controlling damp and condensation. Features automatic shut down, carry handle, LED display and reusable air filter. Suitable for rooms from 30 to 35m³. FREE next day delivery available, free collection in 1 minute.
www.screwfix.com www.screwfix.com

Or
 
Get a Meaco mate. They're very highly rated. A bit pricier but honestly after moving into this house where the condensation was that bad that I peeled the wallpaper off in two rooms by hand 30mins after moving in, I'd say a dehumidifier is an essential bit of kit, especially here in wet Wales. I have this one in the conservatory which is a dessicant:

Meaco Portable Compact Dehumidifier DD8L https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B007X23...t_i_336D8QC3WPR31XJGZNSJ?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

And I have this one upstairs that does the whole house:

Meaco 20L Low Energy Dehumidifier and Air Purifier 2 in 1- Dehumidifier For Medium to Large Size Homes - Controls Humidity & Cleans Air All Year Round with HEPA filter https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00HO96...t_i_WC8EN1XQ2V1M4AT07DBV?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

I empty both of these every day. It's unbelievable how much water they extract from the air.
 
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I’ve got 2 of these https://www.dehumidifiersuk.com/dri...MI9d2h5tm-9QIVlOd3Ch330wg6EAQYASABEgLw7PD_BwE amazing bits of kits but they will frost up if it’s really cold. They have a built in defrost mode so no worries but the one I use in the pinroom in the garage is just a cheap Daitsu one that I have had for over 15 years and never freezes up and that room goes down to 10c with no heating. Cant believe it’s still working perfectly after all these years.
 
3 x 20l Meaco here.
The only thing I don’t like is that they don’t keep stable settings when the power goes off so I can’t control them via a central system.
But you can set a humidity level and leave them on for years. They will check the humidity every so often and run until they reach that level. The first one was running since Feb 2016 in a insulated drying room and I only just swapped it for another one to give it a rest and check it’s energy usage.
Another ran in early autumn to dry out the house that had damp issues due to not being water tight or well maintained. The house regulated itself now.
Another runs in the pin cabin, I can say it is the best at warming the space as it barely comes on.

Think of the damage humidity can cause to your pins. These a cheap in comparison.
 
Thanks all for the inputs. Based on what I read I need to go back to the drawing board and spend some more in the garage then…. I have absolutely no plans to convert it in a function room of any kind, hence my OP.
I‘ll look onto insulating the walls and dehumidifiers. Thanks.
 
You can also put silica gel/packs inside your cabs which will absorb moisture, I bought the 500g packs the other week and put one in a few vehicles as had some moisture building up on the interior glass as not getting used enough doesn’t help and has stopped it. I weighed a pack after a week in one to check and it had absorbed about 150ml of moisture!
I have used the big buckets before for various things and work pretty good.

Silica Gel Desiccant Sachets | Bluestar Packaging Supplies

Buy silica gel products online at Bluestar Packaging Supplies. We stock a wide range of silica desiccant sachets including silica bags, loose self indicating silica and fine granular silica.
www.bluestarpackaging.co.uk www.bluestarpackaging.co.uk
 
russdx1 said:
Not I need it as garage bone dry but can’t hurt to put one in there :) Bought this https://www.meacodehumidifiers.co.uk/products/meaco-dry-abc-range-12l-compressor-dehumidifier-silver-free-3-year-warranty?variant=31141993611318&currency=GBP&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=google shopping&gclid=Cj0KCQiAraSPBhDuARIsAM3Js4pSdm9NYqVdt1mvbJqcIOLJiie2_-2nIiTQNrauYeGw5FzRgWwxrrEaAogCEALw_wcB
Let’s see how much water it collects :D
Click to expand...
Is it too late to cancel it? You need a dessicant one, not a compressor due to the low temperatures it will be operating in.
 
russdx1 said:
Not I need it as garage bone dry but can’t hurt to put one in there :) Bought this https://www.meacodehumidifiers.co.uk/products/meaco-dry-abc-range-12l-compressor-dehumidifier-silver-free-3-year-warranty?variant=31141993611318&currency=GBP&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=google shopping&gclid=Cj0KCQiAraSPBhDuARIsAM3Js4pSdm9NYqVdt1mvbJqcIOLJiie2_-2nIiTQNrauYeGw5FzRgWwxrrEaAogCEALw_wcB
Let’s see how much water it collects :D
Click to expand...
They only work well above 15 degrees so as Rob says above, try and cancel it. The desiccant ones work down to 1 degree. I bought one last week from pro-breeze and when I registered the warranty they gave me a 15% off next purchase code. I have no use for it so pm me if you want it.
 
Ah garage will be heated via a radiator in a few weeks so should always be at least 15 or over.

Or still better to use desiccant one?
 

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russdx1 said:
Ah garage will be heated via a radiator in a few weeks so should always be at least 15 or over.

Or still better to use desiccant one?
Click to expand...
15C or 60F is the absolute minimum temperature a condenser will work at. Get a dessicant one and you won't need to run a heater 24/7 as it heats the air itself.
 
Rob zombie said:
15C or 60F is the absolute minimum temperature a condenser will work at. Get a dessicant one and you won't need to run a heater 24/7 as it heats the air itself.
Click to expand...
Interesting

Will be a piped radiator so will just heat up when house heating comes on :) hopefully should just keep it nice an warm.
 
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