storage in shipping container

[ugabulldog]

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]

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]

1 word = MOLD...

 

[teejk]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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

 

[EddieWalker]

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.

 

[Thomas]

Agree... consider venting.

 

[RoyKing]

Don't set container on the ground keep it up on blocks, wedge it like they do mobile homes and consider getting a reefer tall.

 

[3Ts]

Mine is in East Texas, lots of heat & humidity. It sits on the ground and is not insulated. It is terrible inside - it rains inside from condensation, aluminum corrodes, steel rusts, wood is damaged, papers are moldy. However, try Eddie's suggestion and get it insulated and ventilated and it might work.

 

[sandman2234]

Mine is in East Texas, lots of heat & humidity. It sits on the ground and is not insulated. It is terrible inside - it rains inside from condensation, aluminum corrodes, steel rusts, wood is damaged, papers are moldy. However, try Eddie's suggestion and get it insulated and ventilated and it might work.

This is what I get from mine. No way would I put something inside of it that was ever going back in my house. Between the rain he mentioned, and the mold, not going to take the chance with planing on bringing it back to the house.
However, insulated helps, and while I don't think cutting holes in them to vent them is going to help, (not enough air changing) If you can get power to it, a good dehumidifier might make a difference.
David from jax

 

[ustmd]

Mine is in East Texas, lots of heat & humidity. It sits on the ground and is not insulated. It is terrible inside - it rains inside from condensation, aluminum corrodes, steel rusts, wood is damaged, papers are moldy. However, try Eddie's suggestion and get it insulated and ventilated and it might work.

++1

Ours is in Central Texas--looks of heat and humidity. People who we bought the property from were using one to store their household goods (furniture, etc). They ended up throwing out most of the furniture due to mold and rot. They had problems with some of their hard wood as well--joints opening up.

Also, be careful where you put it. If it sits directly on the ground, will sink in and start to wick ground moisture up. Also, the space beneath them is the perfect home for all sorts of vermin--mice, snakes, etc.

 

[Dave Pee]

I keep a window AC running, for half the trailer. Also insulated the inside. Works fine.

 

[STx]

I got a foam pak and spray foamed my 40' high cube and installed a 12,000BTU Daikin mini-split. We have that set for 80 degrees, it keeps it there even on the hottest days and only bumped our light bill about $30. Without the mini-split and insulation, we'd see 140+ in there. It was about $3,000 more for the insulation, mini-split and installation but, that's a lot cheaper than replacing everything.

 

[Diggin It]

^^^ Before I went to anywhere near that expense, I'd sell off everything, or donate if necessary.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Worked for me in MD, but only used about 9 months

 

[STx]

^^^ Before I went to anywhere near that expense, I'd sell off everything, or donate if necessary.

Not if your wife wanted you to store everything in a way that it wouldn't get ruined. Definitely not if you wanted to keep your wife.

When the house is done, we'll convert the container into a hobby room or something, it's not a single use expense.

Climate controlled storage the same size would be $300/mo or more so the ROI is 10 months and I actually have something to show for the cost that will still be useful when the storage need is gone.

 

[RoyKing]

If you want quality storage you've got control moisture get off the ground high enough so the cats can get under like 12" insulated and see if reefer unit can be retrofitted for 110 or 220 ac. Then use fabreeze.