Heater or de-humidifier?

[foxhunter]

I have a store room for tools (mainly battery powered tools) which also houses metal-working machines.

Question -- what would be best to prevent rust? Some heat or a de-humidifier. For various reasons it is not practicable to coat everything in camellia oil or wax. There is no natural ventilation as two outside walls overlook adjacent property and the other two butt onto other rooms which must absorb any damp air.

What would you use?

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Prayers.

 

[Mr_P]

Expensive to heat or use a dehumidifier in a room only used for tool storage.

If it was me think I'd look into some kind of big air tight container and bung a few of those salt traps / mini dehumidifiers (the none powered kind) inside.

Edit : I'm a muppet as this would only help the portable power tools, fixed large machines will need a better solution.

 

[rdesign]

heat the tools by running a current through them as long as they r hotter than the room they won't rust. think i saw a post on here about it. heating the damp air will just worsen the problem as hot air hitting cold steel turns into condensation then rust. dehumidifier might work. why can't u spray it all with dry lubricant if they r metal work tools u don't have to worry about the silicone like woodworking machines.

 

[MickCheese]

I bought a small dehumidifier from Argos. Seems to work well and gives me peace of mind.

Can be vented by a pipe so no need to keep emptying.

On a similar note does anyone know what humidity I should be aiming for?

I have a small gauge that reads between 50 - 60% with the dehumidifier running.

Mick

 

[RogerS]

Not convinced about running a dehumidifier especially if your workshop is draughty. Don't you end up trying to dehumidify the planet?

Some good discussion here http://www.model-engineer.co.uk/forums/ ... p?th=46666

 

[monkeybiter]

I've been intending to make my w/shop 'air tight'ish so that it's worth heating in the winter. I did use a dehumid. for a bit but stopped bothering for the above stated reason. The strange thing is though, maybe because it's not airtight, it's bone dry. I've even had an opened back of cement on the floor for many months [I know, tidy up!] and it's not even clumping or firming up.

 

[MickCheese]

My workshop was my wife's that she used for her business but we have swapped, a long a boring story.

It is a large log cabin and when she was using it I t had to be heated to at least 25 degrees and the humidity kept high.

Now I have it I needed to reduce the humidity and that together with using about 10L of white paint I bought a dehumidifier.

Will keep an eye on the humidity and see if I need to keep it running permanently.

I get about a litre of water from it a day. I know the workshop is fairly airtight because if I leve the door open in this weather I get no water.

Today the humidity in the workshop is 42%.

Mick

 

[Eric The Viking]

Humidity rises in the summer, as warmer air holds more moisture. The worst time for rust is the autumn, as that's when you get condensation (relative humidity rises).

To keep things rust-free, all you need is to keep the RH lower than the surrounding environment (outside the room), then for any given temperature, you won't/can't get condensation. If you can use a dehumidifier from the autumn into the early winter, you may well get the room dry enough not to get problems over the rest of the winter period. Local heating of tool cabinets has the same effect, at much lower running costs (a 20W incandescent lightbulb is usually sufficient).

This may not work if it's also your workshop, as us humans give off surprising amounts of water. Controlled ventilation helps, if you can change out the air on dryer days.

The gap under my garage door just lets in damp :-(

E.

 

[adzeman]

Eric the Viking has given some good advice, I would like to add that it is temperaure difference that causes condensation irrespective of what the actual temperature is. Today in this heat wave the Humidity in East Sussex is 67% thats a lot of water!. The air touches the metal of your tools shrinks and deposit water on the tools so, which is it heater or de-humidifier? Niether put your tools in a cabinet which will insulate a dedicated area. As for the workshop keep the air moving, ventilate.

 

[RogerS]

Google dewpoint and all will be revealed.

 

[Graham Orm]

If you go up the de humidifier route I have a good one for sale. Let me know and I'll rustle up pictures and a price.

 

[foxhunter]

Many thanks for all the information and suggestions. I have decided to go the de-humidifier route as the room is quite small and the running costs will be lower (I hope).

PM sent Graham.

Brian

 

[Graham Orm]

Brian pics. DM in the post.