E-Bike storage?

[Doogle]

This may (Or may not, who knows) be a 'stupid' or 'noob ' question but.....
I have recently built a shed in which I hope to store my bike along with usual Shed stuff, gardening tools, powerwash, etc, etc.
A guy at work said he had to move his back into his garage as, in his words, 'Started to rust due to moisture/condensation in the shed'
I have to admit that whilst the inside is dry (It should be it's brand new) it has got me thinking.
Anyone else had similar troubles, any advice as to how best protect the bike when not in use, or steps I could take such as moisture absorbing granules maybe placed near the bike?
Any help/advice greatly received.

 

[Jimo]

I’ve recently bought two 3/4 kilo bags of moisture absorbent to put on my cars dashboard, instructions say that each bag should last for about 3 months, after use they should be put in the microwave to dry out then ready for reuse, they would be just the job, got them from e-bay, can’t be more precise sorry.

Jim

 

[Nealh]

Try and old heavy duty blanket/duvet or sleeping bag to cover/wrap the bike.
Keep/store the battery in a cool temperate place and lightly apply some grease to bike contacts.
Problem with sheds are they are small, thin walled and temperature is never very stable so damp forms quite easily.

 

[Benjahmin]

In an uninsulated shed, condensation will be the problem. The condensation threshold is round about 10 degrees C. It can form on the underside of the roof and drip on anything beneath, especially if it's a metal roof. Strangely, ventilation will help but not prevent. An unheated garage would probably not be much better, they also tend to be uninsulated.

I have an insulated wood workshop that may not get used for 2 or 3 days at a time. When opened it can be colder on the inside than outside. My machines suffer because of it.
Atmospheric humidity, in this country, is in the 70-90% region. As air cools down it is capable of holding less moisture so it forms as droplets (dew) on anything. So not sure that absorbent granules would do any good in an un-hermetically sealed shed, as you'd just be trying to dessicate the atmosphere at large.
I'm lucky, there's just me and the wife in our (very small) house. We keep our bikes in the front room, ejecting them to the shed only when visitors are due.

 

[RoadieRoger]

I have a timber framed asbestos Garage from Kencast of Manchester that was erected in 1965 and have kept Motorcycles and Bicycles in it for the whole time . These machines were covered, but rust has affected some parts over the years . However for the last few years I have used a de-humidifier in times of damp weather to remove moisture from the air and am amazed at the amount collected after 3 or 4 hours . Obviously it needs a 240 V power supply to operate . The best type is the one where the air is passed through dessicator crystals which are then dried in a heating process in the machine . These operate at temperatures down to nearly freezing , whereas the Compressor type are not much good below 10C .
I first purchased the de-humidifier for the Kitchen which suffered from mould in some places . Cooking with gas , a single brick wall and an unlagged slate roof has not helped . The De-humidifier has been so successful that I bought a second and relegated the 5year old original to the garage . This model also heats the space while removing the moisture which is handy .
If anyone is interested I will give details .

 

[Deleted member 128]

I have a timber framed asbestos Garage from Kencast of Manchester that was erected in 1965 and have kept Motorcycles and Bicycles in it for the whole time . These machines were covered, but rust has affected some parts over the years . However for the last few years I have used a de-humidifier in times of damp weather to remove moisture from the air and am amazed at the amount collected after 3 or 4 hours . Obviously it needs a 240 V power supply to operate . The best type is the one where the air is passed through dessicator crystals which are then dried in a heating process in the machine . These operate at temperatures down to nearly freezing , whereas the Compressor type are not much good below 10C .
I first purchased the de-humidifier for the Kitchen which suffered from mould in some places . Cooking with gas , a single brick wall and an unlagged slate roof has not helped . The De-humidifier has been so successful that I bought a second and relegated the 5year old original to the garage . This model also heats the space while removing the moisture which is handy .
If anyone is interested I will give details .

Yes please RoadieRoger, I'm interested in investigating this.

 

[RoadieRoger]

My models are from the eco air range of Desiccant Dehumidifiers www.eco air.org
The Model was the ECO DD122FW SIMPLE , but now described as the DD1 . The SIMPLE is the basic model with a Rotary knob to set the humidity level . The Digital setting model would require too much fiddling and would be ok if left alone for long periods on the same setting . The beauty of the Simple model is to be able to set it to match your requirements for some warmth, as well as humidity . As an example on the Lowest setting it consumes 360 Watts and on the Highest 620 Watts , Hi corresponds to 50-40 % humidity and Lo to 70-60 % humidity , the Intermediate setting Med is 60-50 % humidity . Manual selection means that you can run it economically . A sliding Power Switch sets Quiet or Turbo . The latter is handy for very fast clearing of condensation or drying damp clothes .
My original machine is over 7 years old and the newer one over 2 years old . Both have been faultless .

 

[RoadieRoger]

My models are from the eco air range of Desiccant Dehumidifiers www.eco air.org
The Model was the ECO DD122FW SIMPLE , but now described as the DD1 . The SIMPLE is the basic model with a Rotary knob to set the humidity level . The Digital setting model would require too much fiddling and would be ok if left alone for long periods on the same setting . The beauty of the Simple model is to be able to set it to match your requirements for some warmth, as well as humidity . As an example on the Lowest setting it consumes 360 Watts and on the Highest 620 Watts , Hi corresponds to 50-40 % humidity and Lo to 70-60 % humidity , the Intermediate setting Med is 60-50 % humidity . Manual selection means that you can run it economically . A sliding Power Switch sets Quiet or Turbo . The latter is handy for very fast clearing of condensation or drying damp clothes .
My original machine is over 7 years old and the newer one over 2 years old . Both have been faultless .

My Models cost £129 and the last came from Dry-it-Out Ltd. , Crows Nest , Montgomery , Powis , SY15 6TP Tel.01588 620126
There will be other Suppliers and there are Sales in January , so shop around .

 

[Deleted member 128]

My models are from the eco air range of Desiccant Dehumidifiers www.eco air.org
The Model was the ECO DD122FW SIMPLE , but now described as the DD1 . The SIMPLE is the basic model with a Rotary knob to set the humidity level . The Digital setting model would require too much fiddling and would be ok if left alone for long periods on the same setting . The beauty of the Simple model is to be able to set it to match your requirements for some warmth, as well as humidity . As an example on the Lowest setting it consumes 360 Watts and on the Highest 620 Watts , Hi corresponds to 50-40 % humidity and Lo to 70-60 % humidity , the Intermediate setting Med is 60-50 % humidity . Manual selection means that you can run it economically . A sliding Power Switch sets Quiet or Turbo . The latter is handy for very fast clearing of condensation or drying damp clothes .
My original machine is over 7 years old and the newer one over 2 years old . Both have been faultless .

Thanks a lot RoadieRoger, I'll definitely investigate this further

 

[Benjahmin]

I think you would be wasting your money and energy consumption. Today's forcast gives a humidity range of 82-95%. So, of course there will be a lot of water in the dehumidifier after a few hours running. But the shed is not hermetically sealed (ie it's draughty) so will only be slightly less humid. As soon as the wind blows, or a door is opened, you are back to square one. So the dehumidifier, set at say 65%, will run continuously until full. So 10 hours will cost you around 4 units of electricity and all that will have been achieved is some water sucked out of the planets atmosphere.

 

[Deleted member 128]

I think you would be wasting your money and energy consumption. Today's forcast gives a humidity range of 82-95%. So, of course there will be a lot of water in the dehumidifier after a few hours running. But the shed is not hermetically sealed (ie it's draughty) so will only be slightly less humid. As soon as the wind blows, or a door is opened, you are back to square one. So the dehumidifier, set at say 65%, will run continuously until full. So 10 hours will cost you around 4 units of electricity and all that will have been achieved is some water sucked out of the planets atmosphere.

Erm, I don't have a shed. The application is for something entirely different....

 

[Deleted member 128]

My models are from the eco air range of Desiccant Dehumidifiers www.eco air.org
The Model was the ECO DD122FW SIMPLE , but now described as the DD1 . The SIMPLE is the basic model with a Rotary knob to set the humidity level . The Digital setting model would require too much fiddling and would be ok if left alone for long periods on the same setting . The beauty of the Simple model is to be able to set it to match your requirements for some warmth, as well as humidity . As an example on the Lowest setting it consumes 360 Watts and on the Highest 620 Watts , Hi corresponds to 50-40 % humidity and Lo to 70-60 % humidity , the Intermediate setting Med is 60-50 % humidity . Manual selection means that you can run it economically . A sliding Power Switch sets Quiet or Turbo . The latter is handy for very fast clearing of condensation or drying damp clothes .
My original machine is over 7 years old and the newer one over 2 years old . Both have been faultless .

Hello again RoadieRoger, how often do you find you need to empty the tanks on your machines in the winter?

 

[RoadieRoger]

In the Kitchen every morning and in the Garage I usually wait for the red indicator light to show , this means the tank is full and it stops working . At higher temperatures in the kitchen the water tank fills up faster, especially when using the gas cooker . In the Garage the temperature is quite a bit lower and so is the rate of tank filling . I only operate the garage machine in the day, not at night . The kitchen one is operating 24/7 . Note that all Manufacturer`s quote the extraction rate at 20C , even in the Summer here in S.Wales it doesn`t often exceed that ! They quote 7 litres a day at 20C and the tank has a capacity of 2 litres .
The machine is supplied with a continuous drainage facility by piping the water extracted through a hose of 12 mm inner diameter out of the building or down a convenient drain . I haven`t used this facility .