Causes for Dampness Under Storage Totes in Garage

Dampness in garages is a common in North Carolina. If ignored, the excess dampness in a garage can come from a variety of sources and may lead to bigger problems for you later on as a home owner. One of the most common areas to see results of condensation is if you have storage totes placed directly on an unfinished concrete floor in your garage. The cooler nights and hot days (with high humidity) will create wet spots under these totes and in the corners of their garage. 

Ways to Reduce Dampness and Condensation in Your Garage

Taking these steps can help eliminate excessive condensation on your garage. The good news is most of the recommendations can be taken care of yourself. There are a few more complicated condensation fixes, it’s a good idea to leave them to a professional garage floor painting company.

1. Floor Coatings. A Poly and Epoxy garage floor coating will significantly lower condensation in your garage because much of the moisture is migrating up from the ground through your concrete slab. These type of floor coatings also protect against damage from wear and tear and provides an effective seal to protect the floor foundation from water damage. Some of these type floor coatings also come with warranties to protect against moisture damage in your garage.
2. Heating in Cold Months. Heating your garage during the colder months will keep the garage’s temperature stable and its condensation level under control. You’ll want to avoid using propane heaters, which emit high levels of water vapor though.
3. Limit Parking in the Garage when your car is wet. Taking a few minutes to dry off your wet vehicle with a towel during the snowy and rainy seasons will reduce your garage’s moisture level. You can also opt to keep your vehicle parked outside until it dries. This does though seem counter intuitive to keeping yourself out of bad weather, which might be a benefit of having a garage in the first place.
4. Proper Ventilation. Adequate garage ventilation  is essential to reducing humidity and helps maintain the balance between the air inside and outside. With any garage ventilation systems, such as turbine roof vents, also need to be cleaned regularly to allow for efficient airflow outside.
5. Vapor Barriers. Wall vapor barrier, or using insulation with a built-in vapor barrier, will reduce garage humidity. An applied barrier can also be used to cover the floor as a vapor barrier. You will however want to avoid applying vapor barriers on your ceiling. This can only trap water vapor inside your garage.
6. Proper Drainage. Your garage’s floor slope and gutters should be inspected a couple times a year to help keep condensation controlled. You’ll want to make sure that floor drains aren’t obstructed and that eaves vents and downspouts are kept free of debris to prevent leaks into the garage. Leaves, nests, and lots of other debris can often find there way in there.
7. Dehumidifying. Running a dehumidifier in your garage can effectively minimize condensation problems. Make sure to empty the water collected in the dehumidifier’s tank regularly or attach a drain hose that empties outside and flows away from the house.
8. Eliminate old Freezers and Refrigerators. And old fridge or freezer running in a garage that’s not climate controlled contributes to condensation problems. Fluctuating temps can cause the drip pans in these appliances to fill up with water faster than normal. On days where it gets hotter, condensation will also form on the outside of the appliances and evaporate into the ambient air.
9. Declutter Your Garage. Any clutter on your garage floor restricts airflow, which makes it easier for condensation to form on the floor. You can eliminate or minimize your floor clutter by optimizing your garage’s usable storage space better. A slatwall or cleat system, for example, makes it much easier to keep your garage organized.

By you knowing the causes of garage condensation and knowing the steps to take in order to minimize it will protect your property from potential damage. Be aware there are many causes of wet spots on garage floors, including water heater leaks.