Is polystyrene a good enough insulator

[The3rd Earl Of Derby]

to keep rust at bay?

I've decide to move me workroom(spare bedroom)into the utility room(posh git) which is slightly smaller. However the utility room gets a bit cold in there come winter time,no rad in there yet,any way I'll have cupboards & drawers for small tools and I'm thinking of lining the cupboards & drawers with polystyrene to stop rust getting a hold of metal parts.

I cant put the big stuff in cupboards ie Drill Press,Table Saw, ect,so I was wondering whether if I make fit over covers out of polystyrene will be sufficient to keep the rust at bay like this?

Any thoughts Thanks.

[normanwisdom]

If the room is dry i.e. no leaks in roof, rising/penetrating damp etc then the only prob is condensation. When relatively warm humid air meets cold surfaces (walls, tools, anything in the room) you may get condensation - worse on heat conductive surfaces such as your metal tools. Worst in summer, less of a prob in winter as the rooom is likely to be relatively warm compared to outside air. Insulating the whole room with anything will keep it warmer than the outside air assuming there is some source of heat e.g. from rest of building, sun through windows or actual heater. Insulating cupboards won't make any difference unless you also heat the cupboards. You could do that with just a small lightbulb at the bottom perhaps?

cheers Jacob

[normanwisdom]

PS covering your kit with polythene or anything impervious will keep out moist air - but polystyrene pointless.

[dom]

And a fire hazard.

[adder1969]

It'll keep it in too. I really don't think you have to worry unless it's an exceptionally damp room or your tools are made of exceptionally poor material.

[The3rd Earl Of Derby]

Cardboard,paper,blankets,carpets,wood ect are a fire hazard as well but we live with it.

Polystyrene doesn't catch fire,it shrivels up.

[Bob Mannix]

Produces black nasty fumes I believe.

In a (successful) attempt to make the upstairs, solid walled NE corner room of the house feel warmer, I have 2mm polystyrene veneer behind the wallpaper.

...yes I know (and don't care) that it saves very little heat and is prone to damage, the walls are warmer to the touch and the room feels warmer - anyway I digress...

Selling house and purchasers had full survey done which identified said veneer as a "fire hazard" so had to knock a bit off for stripping and repapering. The hazard is not it catching fire but what it gives orf.

[dom]

Oh yes it does:

acrid smoke and may give off toxic fumes.

[dom]

A little maintenance with WD40/beeswax polish (very nice on saw tables)/vaseline/machine oil will work irrespective of temperature and humidity.

[Dave Liquorice]

Only if it keeps the kit above the dew point, which varies with temperature and humidty. I think you'd be better off building your cupboards and fitting a 60W light bulb into the bottom wired via a frost stat set to around 10C. Still no gaurantee that you won't get condensation if the humidty is high, is the utility next to a kitchen or bath/shower room?

[Dave Liquorice]

Must make it differently now then(*). I well remember burning expanded polystyrene when I was a lad. It does burn with a yellow flame, melts, which is rather hot and *very* sticky and gives of dense black smoke full of nasties not just soot.

(*) Modern stuff probably has a fire retardant treatment or additive.

[normanwisdom]

Does save heat - look at relative k values - polyst. foam 25, bricks

1700. Means 2mm polyst. equivalent to 136 mm brick. Worth having - more the better

cheers Jacob

[Bob Mannix]

well I *thought* that but it wasn't why I did it and knowing this ng, I assumed I would be shot down if I put it forward as a heat-saving measure! It did what I wanted, which was fine. 2mm can be wallpapered up very easily. Main problem is the damage-proneness, I think, rather than fire risk. The purchasers are a nice couple with one youngster and another on the way and it's to be the youngster's bedroom - if they see "fire risk" you can't blame them for wanting something done about it. Easy come easy go and we are all friends which is cool.

[The3rd Earl Of Derby]

Next to kitchen but seperated by a small through passage ie wall and kitchen door the wall and door leading to utility room. The door to backyard is inbetween.

Looks like a no no then, the only other alternative is leaving the Dehumidifier in there ...there goes the electric level bill.

[Roger]

The message from "Dave Liquorice" contains these words:

Polystyrene tile weren't called bonfire tiles for nothing. :-)

[Dave Liquorice]

A dehumidifier is a bit OTT IMHO and as you say expensive. Keep the door to the utilty closed when getting steamy in the kitchen and provide a little background heat and you should be fine. You might not even need the background heat depending on how much comes from the rest of the house.

As has already been suggested oiling ones tools is also a good idea. When I remember I use engine oil as it doesn't evaporate like WD40 does. My Dad had a couple of tins with oily rags in for the purpose, use tool, clean, wipe with oily rag, no problems with rust in an unheated garage.

I liberally oiled the machined faces of the cast iron parts of my cheapo drill stand, they haven't rusted. The same can't be said for a saw and Stanley plane that I didn't oil. I do now and the rust hasn't progressed. These are in an unheated garage that has suffers visible condensation on everything given a cold snap followed by warm. Pipes have been known to freeze out there...

[Owain]

And a comfortable cool room is pleasanter than an uncomfortable warm room.

Could it have been plasterboarded over? By the time fire reached it, people should be well out of the house.

Owain

[meow2222]

It wouldnt make any difference at all re rust.

NT

[Graham]

Is it? The measuring cylinders I have used in my darkroom are made of clear polystyrene and have proved fairly impervious over the last

35+ years. Unless you and the OP are referring to expanded polystyrene?

[Guy King]

The message from "Graham" contains these words:

Ah, well, they've been kept in the dark!