Does filling a garage with junk encourage dampness?

[Brandane]

This is a question I need to answer for my work, where I am general maintenance/porter/driver/gofor.
We have a brick built garage, separate to the main building. It was built to hold a VW Crafter 15 seat minibus, so a fair size, with a roller shutter door access.

Inevitably, over the years it has become a junk store while the now unloved bus sits outside in the rain.

I am finding that the garage suffers very badly from damp, with visible condensation on the walls. Anything on which mould will grow becomes a target for said mould.

Would I be right in thinking that garages are not built with sufficient ventilation to prevent this? If it was empty bar the vehicle it might be ok, but not for piles of boxes, bags of clothing, tables, chairs, and whatever else?

I am looking for ammunition to take to der management, who think it is ok to keep filling it with more and more junk....

P.S. This is the west of Scotland, where nothing gets a chance to dry out at the best of times.

 

[Drago]

I guess anything that inhibits airflow wouldn't help, particularly as stuff tends to get stacked against the walls.

I bought a Carcoon (a dehumidified storage module) for the Volvo as I noticed every time the weather warmed up a degree or two after a cold spell the car would be drenched in condensation despite being in the garage. Fill the space with items that sweat jn a similar manner and I can see you'd have problems.

 

[TissoT]

Presuming the garage has air flow - in regards to vents built into the building.

 

[fossyant]

We run a dehumidifier in our detached brick garage during winter. It's full of bikes and camping gear, both of which we need to keep damp free. The issue can be, after a prolonged cold spell, once the air temperature starts to warm up, everything starts to sweat ~(condensation) due to the change in temperature. Having lots of paper/card/materials in there won't help and they will hold moisture. Air flow is also key.

Our insulated summerhouse is bone dry, but the shed next to it, the roof will sweat as it's single skin - this years job is to replace and insulate the roof. There are plenty of air vents in that shed.

 

[a.twiddler]

A simple uninsulated garage could be cold and draughty with ventilation or cold and damp without. Adding lots of surfaces for moisture to condense on doesn't help. All it really does is keep the weather off.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Cold air holds less moisture, it reaches its dew point. If you put damp things in an unventilated garage the moisture cannot escape. If you have something that conducts well, it will act as a colder surface for moisture to condense on.

 

[Dave 123]

Any junk in a garage will provide a surface for mould to get a grip on, and if there is no air flow the mould is being given a helping hand.

 

[MontyVeda]

does it have gutters. If not that'll contribute greatly to damp inside

 

[Beebo]

does it have gutters. If not that'll contribute greatly to damp inside

Especially if there is no damp course and the floor slab is just laid straight on the ground.

 

[Psamathe]

Many factors might influence things. eg when I had my garage built I was asked by the builder if I wanted a damp membrane under the floor ie it was an option. So if the OP's garage was constructed without a damp membrane then damp can rise up through the floor.

Also, empty garage and there will be more air movement whereas fill with junk and less air movement to day anything out.

Ian

 

[Conrad_K]

"Stuff" begets more "stuff." The more you collect, the more appears, apparently by spontaneous generation.

see also: refrigerators