Winter car storage

Would anyone like to comment or recommend any of the the following to prevent condensation on my TF21 which is garaged but dose suffer from damp on certain days.  The choice seems to be a fleese indoor dust cover, a Airflow chamber or a Carcoon chamber. Posted by TE McK 07/11/2012 22:13:47

I suffered a very wet garage a couple of winters back - invested in an airflow for my speed 20 and haven't regretted it  - no damp, no decay and if you polish the car before you pop it away, It comes out just as clean months later. Since then Ive got a new dry garage but still use the airflow as a backstop against those horrible damp winter days. It will also dry the car in about 2 days (even in winter) if you ever have to park it up after being caught in the rain. Don't notice the electricity costs (about 40 watts) and its easy to drive in and out of.  Downsides - Fans only last a year or so but you can get replacements on flea-bay for under a tenner (std computer fans) rather than the £40 that air chamber charge and it takes about 4 hours to erect so you won't be putting it away too often.  Overall recommended. Posted by shaun matthews 08/11/2012 11:45:04

Tom, for what it`s worth here`s my cheap and cheerful solution. I`ve used an old greenhouse heater under my Morgan for the last 10 years coupled with an indoor cover and a timer. Not sure if you can still buy them but it`s basically a 4 ft steel tube containing a heating element which apparently costs the equivalent of a lightbulb to run. No damp on the car in this time although my garage has some insulation on the walls.  As I finally now have an Alvis not only with a body on it, but one that actually goes, I will be using the heater under that.  Good luck, Cliff Thompson Posted by cjt 08/11/2012 20:43:37

Hi  Well you don't say what the garage is constructed of but you mention condensation on the car. So my guess is that you have a cold roof above the car on which water condensates and then drips onto the car - asbestos cement sheets can cause this but the worst is metal roof. Completely cured mine by lining the underside of the roof with insulation boards. There are several companies that sell seconds  <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.secondsandco.co.uk/">http://www.secondsandco.co.uk/</a><!-- m --> is one company.  Of course you can use a dehumidifier or a car cacoon etc. but there are arguments against them. A friend of mine uses a bale or two of straw - as he says &quot;ever wondered why barn find cars often don't have much rot!&quot;   Regards  Charles Mackonochie Posted by Charles 11/02/2013 13:43:13

Hi I use a dehumidifier in the garage, controlled by a hygrostat. Running costs (which I have monitored) are around £60  - £90 p.a. As well as protecting the car I avoid rust/mildew on tools and workshop equipment.  The condensate (after filtering) runs the boss's steam iron and is also ideal for use as a coolant as there is no lime-scale.  I am lucky that my garage has reasonable insulation, and the dehumidification is backed up by elementary frost protection (A small electric fire connected through a thermostatic switch operates when the temperature drops to around 5C). The increase in temperature reduces the relative humidity, so the two appliances are not often running at the same time.  It adds a further £30  - £40 to my annual electricity bill, but gives peace of mind and probably pays for itself since paints, glues and various other items need to be stored away from frost.  In a perfect world I would love a Carcoon or Airflow chamber, but 2 cars use most of the available space, and I use the remainder as a rather cramped workshop  Good luck Martin Wickham Posted by martinw 26/03/2013 08:28:39

Greenhouse tube  heaters are still available. I've just bought a 3ft one for £30, which now lives under the car in an effort to cure a clutch that seizes with monotonous regularity every winter (a consequence of modern lining material absorbing moisture I am told). Bought mine from ebay (where else?) Posted by Angus D'Arcy-Drake 02/04/2013 08:44:21

For many years now I have used a cheap and effective means of combatting condensation, just 12&quot; or 16&quot; ordinary desk fans. One at each end of the car will prevent condensation, or if it is wet, even after a run in the rain, the car will be dry in a few hours. Great for extending the life of those expensive brake disks too!  Jack clover Posted by jackclover 14/12/2013 09:38:37

Perhaps you should all migrate to sunny Australia. You will have no issues at all with winter storage and you can enjoy a warmer climate with lovely sunny days. On a more serious note Australian cars are generally very well preserved. My TA21 has no rust and the chassis paint is still the original. Posted by RichardWallach 14/03/2014 09:30:36