Ideal Garage Humidity? | FerrariChat

Ideal Garage Humidity?

Discussion in 'Technical Q&A' started by Kevin Rev'n, Nov 12, 2018.

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  1. Kevin Rev'n

    Kevin Rev'n Two Time F1 World Champ
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    #1 Kevin Rev'n, Nov 12, 2018
    I installed a Aprilaire 1850 in the garage over the weekend. I now have the power to control the humidity between 40-80%. What should I be shooting for? I am testing it now at 50% and that seems pretty good to me but I am wondering what the consensus is? for Ferrari health and garage storage and tools?
     
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  2. flash32

    flash32 F1 Veteran

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    Dominick
    #2 flash32, Nov 12, 2018
    I had researched that a while back and found 45 to 50 is ideal

    Sent from my SM-T380 using Tapatalk
     
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  3. moysiuan

    moysiuan F1 Rookie
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    #3 moysiuan, Nov 13, 2018
    Leathers have a moistute content of about 10% to 20%, even if your leather appears hard and dry. It will not do well under the 40 percent humidity level. Various plastics also have moisture absorbing properties to varying degrees, so the same humidity that works for leathers would generally work for plastics too.

    I would say go for the 45% level as the optimal target. Museums would generally target 50% humidity at 18-20 degree C as the optimal preservation envirnment for most materials.

    If humidity is kept really low in the garage, it will probably just mean you are just sucking moisture out of the concrete or the surrounding materials, wood, drywall, etc. due to an extreme moisture differential Not energy efficient to do this, and will not benefit the vehicle.
     
  4. Kevin Rev'n

    Kevin Rev'n Two Time F1 World Champ
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    #4 Kevin Rev'n, Nov 13, 2018
    Thanks Andy for the reply. I am set at 50 now and that seems OK. We haven't had a heavy humidity cycle since I installed it so I am still in the "feeling it out" stage. I go into the garage a few times a day for various reasons and so far it has been hard for me to even catch the thing running! I look at the drain tube and see that it has run recently so I know it is working. My personal most important metric is that I am not dripping sweat on the car when I am trying to detail it on a warm day with the garage doors closed. So far so good.
     
  5. NW328GTS

    NW328GTS Formula 3

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    #5 NW328GTS, Nov 21, 2018
    mine is about 45-50%. I don't get any rust on any of my tools or bits of stray iron/steel laying about the shop. I don't see any reason to go lower. I do a lot of wood working as well and its works great for that too. Leave it too dry and the wood changes as soon as you move it into the house.
     
  6. Carper

    Carper Karting

    Aug 13, 2017
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    #6 Carper, Nov 21, 2018
    My car is in an air chamber (tent) with a dehumidifier inside. Over past 6 months it has recorded a minimum of 47% and a maximum of 53%. This range seems perfect storage conditions for the car.
     
  7. Kevin Rev'n

    Kevin Rev'n Two Time F1 World Champ
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    #7 Kevin Rev'n, Nov 23, 2018
    So an update is a good idea here. I tried 50 but with our proximity to the ocean and the trade winds bringing it 24/7 the thing was running way too often IMO. Perhaps an issue with my structure. I changed it to 53% and seems to be running about half as often so I will try that for a while.
     
  8. 328PWC

    328PWC Formula Junior
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    #8 328PWC, Nov 24, 2018
    I follow what the attached link said towards the bottom of the article for my car: "In a perfect world you should maintain stable conditions year round. In this ideal world your storage area should never get above 70°F and the humidity should always be between 40% and 50%. If possible, an even lower temperature is better for your car collection"

    https://roadscholars.com/storing-collector-cars/
     
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