Any ideas ? I'm looking for something something that will be cheap to run
>and not require major work to implement. Really just want to keep it dry in
>there to stop tools etc. getting damp.
>
>Regards
>Ian.
There's a variety of solutions, depending on what you want to achieve, amount of effort and cost.
I've tried all of these at different times.
If you just have a collection of tools to keep from rusting, then a simple wipe with an oily rag after use will work reasonably. For larger tools - especially machinery, there are sprays that work effectively - Rocol make a range of these.
Another option is to make or obtain a storage cupboard for all the important tools. You can insulate it a little with styrofoam sheet and put a small greenhouse tubular heater with a thermostat in the bottom.
A better solution is to use a small dehumidifier in the cupboard. These are under £100 from the DIY sheds. I found this very effective for stored tools. The model I have has a humidistat to turn it on and off as required.
I then tried it in the garage as a whole but found much less effective. It also ran quite a lot more of the time, although limiting ventilation helped with that. Presumably the reduced air changes meant less fresh air to dehumidify.
As I started to use the garage more and more as a workshop, it became apparent that heating it when required with fan heaters really wasn't on. In the winter I would turn on three fan heaters and wait for an hour before I could go out and do much. In fact, when I worked out the heat loss, about 12-15kW would really be needed to make it warm enough to work comfortably. With electricity at over 5p a unit, this becomes expensive.
Last year I insulated the walls, doors and roof with Celotex. This brings heat loss down to the same kind of range as a house, so the heat requirement falls to about 4-5kW and would be more sensible with electricity.
I went an extra step and installed a heating circuit for the workshop which is connected via a heat exchanger to the house CH system. This has a separate control and thermostat system which basically runs a setback temperature of 13 degrees and a working temperature of 18 degrees. I can over-ride this when I like and the workshop is up to temperature very quickly.
.andy
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