The storage question

[Michael Lee]

I've had a storage space for way too many years now, and here's some of 
the problems I face.  The changing temperatures and humidity in the air 
isn't too bad, however the storage units themselves is a different 
beast.  Most of them are concrete floors, and a drafty but mostly sealed 
metal building.  I've not really had problems with any rain/water 
getting in (they design them with slab higher than street level and on a 
slope) and the roofs have been fairly good.  The problem I get is just 
the dirt and dust and other crap that falls from the ceiling and 
generally settles.  Anything you want clean, you WILL want to cover with 
a tarp or sheets.

This actually makes the air cool near the ground during the summer, but 
humid hot to the top.  Perfect for metal to attract moisture and rust.  
I've found monitors near the ground (even raised up on pallets) wet to 
the touch on the glass, and rust slowly eating away steel parts like 
screws, and even full chassis.  I have even old Macs where the metal 
cage inside the plastic is rusting.  During the winter, things just 
"freeze" and thaws slowly throughout the spring and even into summer.  
Causes the moldy books/magazines and musty smell, along with more of the 
rust and general decomposition. 

I do not put any magnetic or disk media if I can help it in storage, and 
I try to get it off the ground or layer "junk" near the ground and put 
the better stuff on top.  Also helps to air out during the spring\fall 
when it isn't humid yet, and let things normalize.  If there are things 
that will attract moisture, like paper, etc near the ground it will 
actually get wet and rot.  I've had cardboard boxes just mush.


If anyone has a solution to the moisture/rust problems, I'd love to know!

Mike


Jason T wrote:
> Not disk, but physical space.  I broke down yesterday and did what I
> said I'd never do to support my habit: I've rented a storage unit.  So
> now I've got ~1500 ft^3 to help take the pressure off my living space.
>   I may soon see my floors again!
>
> Being in the midwest, where we expereince just about every temperature
> and humidity condition, what do I have to worry about with storing old
> systems, media, etc in near-outdoor conditions (the unit is not
> climate-controlled?)  The unit will be dry, at least as far as rain,
> leaks and flooding go.
>
> I don't think cold is a big problem, as long as I don't run any
> equipment that was out in -20F weather without allowing it to assume
> room temp first.
>
> How about heat?  I'm worried about floppies and tapes there.
>
> Humidity seems like it would be the killer.  I'll be storing my
> magazines there for a while, and I plan to wrap them all in plastic
> before boxing them.  Maybe the same for magnetic media.
>
> Ideally I'd have a raised-floor datacenter at 65F degrees and the
> humidity control of a humidor, but circumstances are what they are,
> and it's this or start throwing stuff out :)
>
> Any advice is appreciated!
>
>