Humidity

[Mdotflorida]

My workshop is a standard block built double garage with concrete slab. I have well insulated walls and floor but open ceiling up to a felted and tiled roof.

The humidity always seems to be upwards of 85% with occasional days where it is nearly maxed out. I have lots of cast iron and this sometimes picks up a light surface coating of rust if I have not been in the shop for a while. Apart from this I have noticed the timber moisture levels rise. I recently had an order of Oak delivered. It was approx 6-8% (unadjusted) when it arrived. It's been sat in the shop for about 3 weeks and is now at approx 14% (unadjusted).

I have come to the conclusion that a dehumidifier may help. My question is do I need anything special. The only 2 features I am looking for are a continuous drain facility and an adjustable humidistat so that I can leave it running 24x7 at a set level. Should I look for any other features ? I have read that colder areas such as workshops should have a machine with 'Hot gas defrost !!!'

As with everything it is possible to spend a varying amount of cash on this. Has anyone got any recommendations ?

Many thanks
Jeff

 

[Scrit]

I'd suggest that you keep your timber in a "conditioning box" for a few weeks before use with the dehumidifier stationed inside there rather than trying to keep the whole show dry. If you handle a lot of tannin-rich timbers (such as oak) you might find the life of your DH is only a couple of years as you''ll end up with tannic acid inside the DH which will rot everything in site - but a cheap domestic unit is a lot cheaper than a full-blown Arrowsmith or Ebac commercial unit with stainless steel innards. Breeze block is sometimes a tad porous so I'd think about oiling and boxing/putting away your tools between sessions and using Liberon Lubo Wax or paraffin wax on your cast iron surfaces - the only way to dry out a workshop properly is to have an effective vapour barrier in the concrrete(?) floor, seal the walls and put in full-time heating which is a bot onerous for a hobby shop.

Scrit

 

[woodbloke]

Hi - I have a fully insulated, heated wooden workshop with suspended floor. I have a standard dehumidifier from B&Q which runs on a timer in the winter when the air is colder and drier. In the spring and summer I have it running all the time. To date i've had no probs of any sort. I don't need to oil tools at the end of a workshop session, though I do just to make sure.