My garage floor sweats - Charger home in Showcase car capsule.

[E86/A47]

On hot days, my garage floor sweats. Will my charger rust? Pretty sure it will. Any suggestions?

I was told the person who built it didn't put in the proper vapor barrier.

I've been researching dehumidifiers and it seems like every one I look at has a decent number of bad reviews.

[Alaskan_TA]

Vapor barrier on the ground before pouring the slab is a must. Concrete is porous, so the moisture will rise through it if not done right the first time.

If there is an after the fact fix, I have not heard of it yet. Leaving fans running all the time would help some though.

[Charger4404spd]

Dehumidifier 

[ws23rt]

It's true that concrete is porous and moisture can migrate from below.  If the water table is high and/or drainage is poor, water will come through from below.

Condensation is another situation. When the floor is cooler than the air (from the ground temp.) and the humidity is high, a dew point will be reached and water from the air will form on the cooler surface.

Will your charger rust? ---Sorry for laughing but our chargers were born to rust. It's the moisture on the car that does the rusting.

If extra water is coming through the concrete floor and adding to the moisture in the air it just adds to the work a dehumidifier has to deal with.

The concrete can definitely  be sealed to stop migration from below but even a well sealed floor will sweat if it is cooler than the wet air. The sweating comes from the air.

I'm not up to speed on concrete sealing but it should be an easy thing to research.

[E86/A47]

Thanks guys. I guess I should have asked if it will rust quicker due to the moisture on my garage floor.

I will research sealing the concrete and get a dehumidifier.

I do believe it is condensation.

[ws23rt]

That's still a good question. ----Will your car rust quicker?

I'm thinking that if you do get extra water from below it only adds to the humidity in the garage. And can add to condensate on the car when the temp. is right. In that case ventilation would help until the floor can be sealed.

[E86/A47]

Thanks again!

[XH29N0G]

I painted the floor and walls with a sealer paint, just something I went to Home Depot to get, and it has helped a lot.  I am sure it is not going to stand up forever, or even for that long, but I will redo the bandaid fix I have because it makes a difference.  My house is post war (WWII) and I assume was not sealed by today's standards.  I also have a dehumidifier in my basement and run the AC because otherwise, water condenses on the walls and pools the floor.  Humidity is a problem.

[stripedelete]

It's condensation.   I've got it too.  Like a cold beer on a hot day, I'm going to put a "kooziie" on it.

A sheet of Vizqueen/Plastic on the cement floor.  On top of that sheets of 1/2 inch styrofoam.  Tape all the seams, including at the wall with furnace tape.   Next, cover it with 5/8's plywood.   The plywood just keeps you from crushing the styrofoam.   Finally,  install a couple ceiling fans and make sure the roof is ventilated.

I've had success with this when building an apartment on the interior of a larger building..

I would think twice about it in a work area.  It will certainly trap fumes from fuel spills

[el dub]

  That's the first time I've heard the word Koozii outside of the song Pontoon. Never heard of it before. Always called them socks where I live. what part of the country do you live in stripedelete?

[stripedelete]

  That's the first time I've heard the word Koozii outside of the song Pontoon. Never heard of it before. Always called them socks where I live. what part of the country do you live in stripedelete?

Northern Ohio.   Socks is new to me.   

[Mytur Binsdirti]

Tear down & start all over. 

[E86/A47]

Thanks N0G and stripedelete.

Tear down & start all over.

Ha, I don't like that advice but I am considering building a new garage just for the Charger so I can keep the old garage for my daily driver, winter is brutal around here. Another design flaw is that the metal roof slopes towards the garage entrance so when the snow slides off I have a serious pile of snow to dig out from, DOH!

[green69rt]

Easy test to tell where the water is coming from.   Get a small square of saran wrap or other water proof film.  Put it on the floor and tape around all the edges.  Wait a day.   If there is water under the film then it came up thru the floor, dry under the film means the water is condensation from the air.

[E86/A47]

Great suggestion GreenRT. I will try that. I'm assuming I should dry the spot beforehand.

[green69rt]

Great suggestion GreenRT. I will try that. I'm assuming I should dry the spot beforehand.

yeap.

[jesterCT]

Or you could go like this.

It's pretty common to see some sort of climate controlled chamber like this all over Europe.

http://forum.bmw-02-club.de/img/uploaded/image3578.jpg

[E86/A47]

Interesting, do you know what they are called or where to purchase?

[ACUDANUT]

Dehumidifier 

X2 

[64dartgt]

There are probably a bunch of them. 

carcapsule.com makes indoor and outdoor versions.  I may buy an outdoor one for my 73 Charger.  It is rusting just from begin on the driveway all winter.

[E86/A47]

Cool, thanks! They use a 68 Charger for the 18' indoor car capsule. Price seems reasonable.

Probably a stupid question but I guess I am interested in feedback, does anyone use an enclosed car trailer to store their Charger/classic car?

[Bandit72]

  That's the first time I've heard the word Koozii outside of the song Pontoon. Never heard of it before. Always called them socks where I live. what part of the country do you live in stripedelete?

Northern Ohio.   Socks is new to me.   

They are "koozie" here in Kansas too....never heard of one called a "sock"

That's all I have to ad to this thread...

[Mytur Binsdirti]

Easy test to tell where the water is coming from.   Get a small square of saran wrap or other water proof film.  Put it on the floor and tape around all the edges.  Wait a day.   If there is water under the film then it came up thru the floor, dry under the film means the water is condensation from the air.

God damn it Gump! Your a God damn genius! That's the most outstanding answer I've ever heard. You must have a God damn I.Q. of a hundred and sixty. You are God damn gifted Private Gump. 

[Aero426]

Probably a stupid question but I guess I am interested in feedback, does anyone use an enclosed car trailer to store their Charger/classic car?

Certainly can be done.    You want the trailer supported so the weight of the car is not fully loaded on the axles.    Torsion axles are not made to carry weight for long term storage.    Probably also need some air flow through the trailer.   Mine has vents on the LF and RR sides, so there is some air exchange.   Still, I bet it gets hot as a dutch oven inside on really warm days.  

[Old Moparz]

The same issue goes on in my basement & I run a dehumidifier to correct it. If you go that route, make sure you get a large enough one that will take care of the space in your garage.

http://www.dehumidifierweb.com/area-and-performance/

I put mine on a shelf that's above the adjacent window, drilled a hole in the window sill & ran the drain tube to the outside so I don't have to dump the 2 gallon reservoir every 3 days.

In the garage I just keep 2 ceiling fans going & since it's not an air tight, insulated building I don't have any issue there unless we have a lot of rain & humidity for weeks at a time.