storage in shipping container

ugabulldog · Dec 23, 2018

I am moving and will need to store items for a few years (not sure how long exactly). The best option is a 40' shipping container which I have looked into. This will be in South Carolina. From what I have found (depending on who you ask like anything else) it is ok to store solid wood furniture, clothes, leather couch etc. basically everything except electronics. I have had a couple of people tell me that this is not a good idea, clothes will fall apart, finish will peel off furniture (guess they mean clear coat?). So, I wanted to get some other opinions, hopefully real world or knows of real world experience of this in a hot climate like SC. I plan on putting a good coat of leather condition on couch first, and the wood question is two parts: first part- all wood furniture will be solid wood antique furniture which I am hopefully assuming will be ok, second part is I have a one piece that has plywood drawers and one that is particle board- what about these two pieces?

Also, if this is not recommended then my question is what are people using these shipping containers for if you can't store most items in them and how is pods and mobile mini doing any business?

EDIT: container is certified cargo worthy

crmorse · Dec 23, 2018

TL;DR: I'd say yes, you're good to go. See below for long version.

Pro tip 1: ask to get a HIGH CUBE (HC) unit if you can. Often they are actually cheaper and the extra height comes in really handy. For example, mine is just tall enough that I can rotate a 4x8' sheet of plywood without having to pull it out first. Standard shelving units also fit with enough room to use the top shelf.

Pro tip 2: Stick long strips of LED lighting (http://a.co/d/8mUI0HS) to the top corner along both sides and rig it to an old car battery and small solar charger. Instant interior lighting that will run for hours. Even on a bright day the back of the container will get dark. This comes in REALLY handy for getting to that stuff that got shoved in the back.

Long version:
I've got one I've used for exactly that purpose for a four years now in north-easter AL. I've also used an unheated metal barn and a borrowed 53' enclosed semi-trailer. By FAR, the shipping container has been the best. Nothing stored in there has had condensation problems like the other places had. It also helps smooth out the temperature swings a little. Nothing inside my container has really froze or melted. That said, in summer it does get hot enough to kill you if you stayed inside it so don't store anything that melts like soap or is temperature sensitive like food.

I don't really have any finished furniture in mine so I can't say for sure on that but I do have the ladder for the kid's bunk bed that I made. It has an oil based stain followed by lacquer clear coat. It has been unaffected by the storage but it was also nearly brand new when I put it in there so that's not a great sample size.

I did have several dozen pieces of plywood and OSB stored until last month. They came out in perfect condition so you're GTG there. Perhaps the best test case I can offer is I had a box full of competition grade balsa wood for building model planes. It has held up perfectly. No mold or warping or anything so I'd hazard that all solid woods would be fine too. --As long as the unit doesn't leak... just because they sell it as "wind & weather tight" doesn't mean it is. We had to do a little patch work after the first couple of rains until it got to being actually WWT.

The biggest concern for me would be the leather, I'd worry about the humidity getting to it. I don't have anything similar stored to compare it to. All I can offer is that my table saw in the container still looks like it did the day it went in and the small edge jointer that went in the barn was nearly trashed after just one season.

By FAR, the 53' van was the WORST for storage. Major humidity issues. The water seemed to just wick up through the wood floor. Everything in there was trashed. Perhaps I got a leaky trailer but I hung out inside it for a while during a heavy rain and didn't see any sign of it. But the floor was always wet. The shipping container has a wood floor too but it's never been wet or humid so something is different about it.

YanmarFever · Dec 23, 2018

1 word = MOLD...

teejk · Dec 23, 2018

Short-term probably ok but I know a lot of people store things in their attics where the temps can get quite high in older construction and I've known it to deform plastic stuff. I also know people that store vintage autos in used semi trailers but never bothered to ask about the condition of the cars after a few years. So I guess I don't know the answer other than to say I prefer climate controlled air to store anything of value.

Industrial Toys · Dec 23, 2018

It all depends on the temperatures. I have a 40' and at times there is water dripping off the ceiling. Moist air inside and cooler temperatures outside. A dehumidifier would work. If I ever got another, it would be an insulated reefer unit.

My friends mom just moved and had to store stuff for a few months. The storage place had a pipe burst! What a friggin nightmare!

Raspy · Dec 24, 2018

They come is every condition from ones with holes in the walls and floors, rotten floors, rusted out roofs, etc, to much newer ones that are very tight with gasketed doors and any holes fixed. Mine have a white elastomeric roof coating that was sprayed on when I got them. They are also painted with a light tan paint that looks good and is relatively cool. They still get pretty warm inside, but the light color and white roof must help. They have no holes anywhere.

So, get newer ones and look at them to make sure they are in good condition. Before you go to too much trouble with your search, ask the seller about their age and condition. When the first one I committed to buy was delivered, I discovered it had been completely mis-represented and was old and beat up. Before he even unloaded it a told him "no thanks, that is not what we agreed on", and sent it away. Then I called another company and was very pleased.

Now, I'm getting organized and the house is done, so I'm thinking about getting rid of at least one. Two of my neighbors have said to just let them know when I'm ready. Get nice ones that are painted well and you'll enjoy them and will be able to sell them easily if you need to. I think the ones that still have APL, or some other logo are kind of an eyesore in the yard.

I've been storing furniture, books, architectural drawings, lamps, beds, clothes, tools, plywood, motorcycles and all sorts of building equipment and camping gear in the two 40 footers I have, for ten years without any problems.

Diggin It · Dec 24, 2018

My vote is no. SC is not only hot, but humid. That won't go well for things that can be damaged by heat and humidity.

Not too long ago, I helped clean out a quonset hut with a gravel floor. Some of the clothing items were rotted beyond saving. Others were OK and are now back in use. Same for the wood furniture items and tools. Some survived, others didn't. Differences may have been the materials, the packaging they were in, placement in the hut ... who knows.

It had originally been erected to house a small tractor and other yard and garden equipment. Use changed when ownership of the property did.

Containers would be good for that use, outdoor machines and tools. Not for clothing and furniture, at least not long term.

Unless these items have some special sentimental value, why not sell? If they have no sale value, do you really want to pay for something to store them for so long?

I've considered getting one for my machines instead of rebuilding my shed, but I can't find anything for less than about $4K and my driveway isn't conducive to having one delivered and set up.

ugabulldog · Dec 24, 2018

What if I install a solar vent fan or two on one end and waterproof vents on the other end?

EddieWalker · Dec 24, 2018

I'm in East Texas and it's extremely humid here in the summer and in a normal year, we get close to four feet of rain. All that humidity leads to condensation, so the way I dealt with it in my 40 foot container was to install large vents at the bottom corners of the container and then put in a couple of roof turbine vents on the ceiling. As the container heats up, the air flow becomes significant in there. In the past five years, I have not noticed any mold issues, or even any sign of condensation.