So. Back to the garage.[emoji35] First time this year I have gone out and found both the bikes wet on tanks, frame, etc. The cold metal bits. I'm hoping it's just 'cos the GSXR got put away hot last night, fan was going, and was wet from the damp roads. That coinciding with a cold night and 15 degree day. Is this likely? I have lifted 3 random carpet tiles. The rubber backs are dry with no sign of water. If it was coming up through the concrete base it would be wet under a carpet tile wouldn't it? The carpet side does feel slightly damp. I'm hoping they have just soaked up air moisture. Is insulation the next step? Really peaved off. Thought it was sorted.
Today has been exceedingly damp.I have had this problem of water condensing out on my bikes-especially a Triton which has lots of bare alloy,headlamp,etc. My solution is to have a dehumidifier running when conditions are like they are today.This solution seems to work well for my garage.
Out of interest my wooden workshop which has insulated walls and ceiling along with substantial ply base and rubber tiles,has no condensation on any of the bike and mainly metal parts that are stored in there.
I thought you had insulated? If not you should do so. The crucial thing in avoiding condensation is to maintain an ambient temperature above dew point. You can't do that if the internal surfaces are chilled and without insulation you'll be fighting a losing battle with heating. What surface have you got on the internal walls? If its plywood, take it off and either cut and fit PIR insulation (Celotex etc) between the studwork or overlay whole sheets over the studwork and reattach the ply. Of course being cold doesn't matter if the air is dry but unless its hermetically sealed damp from outside can get in and you'll bring moisture in yourself just by working in there and breathing. And if you're putting damp bikes away in winter in an unheated building you're going to be introducing a lot of atmospheric moisture and they're going to rust whether you've got insulation or not. Get it insulated and keep the temperature above dew point. If you're going to be riding in winter its worth investing in a bike dryer. I bought a two speed Bruhl. Cost £88 but money well spent. I can wash a bike in the evening and know it'll go into the garage dry.
I've got the same issue. The air has been saturated for weeks which is bad enough but, in my case, not helped by the cheapskate bastard DIY incompetent I bought the house off who actually put a second hand corrugated metal roof on the garage and he filled all the original screw holes with silicon sealant. There is effectively no venting either so I get chronic condensation building up on the underside of the roof. Some of the sheets are dented and I get puddles on the roof and one the silicon sealant plugs gave up the ghost yesterday and dumped a roof puddle all over my bike. :droplet: I fixed that today but I need to get a coring drill and make some vent holes all around the garage walls up near the roof. The garage really needs re-roofed but I'm still spending lots on the inside of the house fixing the cheapskate, incompetent bastard's attempts at DIY. Aaargh! Don't get me started!
Didn't insulate due to running out of time, money, motivation and the wife/kids wanted me back. I also wanted to see what happened this winter. Pleased it's gone this long but disappointed now. Garage is single skin shiplap. No insulation at all. Insulation coming in around £2k with boarding the inside too. I was hoping for an easier year, looks like I'll be doing more DIY than riding again. I don't normally ride in wet/winter, just really wanted to get out yesterday as had a freshly serviced bike and new Shoei to test.
How big is the garage? 2K sounds a lot to me. At least if you're paying trade prices. You don't need massively thick insulation board or really heavy ply. You're not living in it. You just need enough to stop the surfaces from chilling and exclude damp outside air.
Same problem here mate, the back wall of mine is built into the land, and also the roof is asbestos and shared with my chavvy neighbour so I can cap it or put a new one on there :-( Everything in the garage is just dripping and it just annoys me! Does anyone know if I put some greenhouse heaters (like the 40/80w ones) in there it will make any difference?
Same problem here mate, the back wall of mine is built into the land, and also the roof is asbestos and shared with my chavvy neighbour so I can cap it or put a new one on there :-( Everything in the garage is just dripping and it just annoys me! Does anyone know if I put some greenhouse heaters (like the 40/80w ones) in there it will make any difference?
6mx5m with a pitch roof. That's to insulate walls and roof, board roof and walls. Think it was £1800 delivered Inc VAT.
Mines damp too, put the dehumidifier in a couple of hours ago to dry it off, takes a while but worth it.
You can get stand-alone dehumidifiers that will cope with 30 sqm for around 400€ over here - must be the equivalent in the UK.
Big blankets over the bike and the greenhouse heater under it really works, I had one wired through a time clock so didn't run 24/7 I found it very effective. Now I have a fan heater connected to my central heating system, I don't need to heat the garage to house temperatures , it's easy as my boiler is I my garage and as it's my business store and workshop I can't afford damage from damp.
