Storage: Open vs. Enclosed area

[USAFpj]

The amount of information both on here, and the net in general, is mind boggling; therefore, confusing:confused2:
Until I get a pole barn up, I'm wanting to use the old barn hayloft that lies in the humid South, as storage. There's an enormous amount of ventilation, but will too much ventilation invite mold/mildew on stored household items? Or is it better to ensure the metal roof doesn't leak, add fiberglass insulation to the roof and walls, board the entire floor, and essentially enclose the space to ensure that moisture levels stabilize? As of now, the area is dry and without mold, but that's on wood, and not metal, cloth, leather, etc.. Here's a couple of pics to help out:




I'm thinking that any item that an animal would love to make a home in, place in plastic containers. All else could just be placed on a pallet, and let that air circulate.

 

[KennyG]

If it stays dry, there is no such thing as too much ventilation.

 

[dave1949]

The amount of information both on here, and the net in general, is mind boggling; therefore, confusing:confused2:
Until I get a pole barn up, I'm wanting to use the old barn hayloft that lies in the humid South, as storage. There's an enormous amount of ventilation, but will too much ventilation invite mold/mildew on stored household items? Or is it better to ensure the metal roof doesn't leak, add fiberglass insulation to the roof and walls, board the entire floor, and essentially enclose the space to ensure that moisture levels stabilize? As of now, the area is dry and without mold, but that's on wood, and not metal, cloth, leather, etc.. Here's a couple of pics to help out:

View attachment 418020
View attachment 418021

I'm thinking that any item that an animal would love to make a home in, place in plastic containers. All else could just be placed on a pallet, and let that air circulate.

A wooden box might be better than plastic because wood will breathe. If you use plastic, try not to make it totally airtight.

Any moisture in the items inside the plastic bin will get cooked out in the heat but cannot escape if the bin is airtight. That moist air will condense out into liquid on the plastic when it cools off. It does cool off now and then in SC? :laughing:

 

[newbury]

The amount of information both on here, and the net in general, is mind boggling; therefore, confusing:confused2:
Until I get a pole barn up, I'm wanting to use the old barn hayloft that lies in the humid South, as storage.<snip>

We are in the SLOW process of retiring to Northeast Mississippi.

5,000 sq feet of unconditioned storage. In the tall workshop we store "transient stuff". Humidity rarely gets above 120%. Cardboard "softens" in the summer. We store a lot of items in plastic bags with dessicant. Make sure everything is dry BEFORE putting it in the bag. This has seemed to work for the last 4 years.

Make sure you spray for spiders, roaches, etc. and poison for mice/rats.

 

[KretZ]

Yeah, dump some moth balls around the floor too.

 

[tjcarguy]

Throw more stuff out ! Get a burn pile going .---Trevor

 

[EddieWalker]

Ventilation is the simple act of creating a flow of air through an area. In a residential house this is done by putting vents in the soffits, which is the low spot on the roof, and then vents at the peak of the roof, which is the high spot. Heat rises, so with the tempurature of the roof being hotter then the outside air, the air is sucked into the soffit and exits through the peak. This movement of air is what keeps everything dry in an attic.

For your storage question, the more air flow you have through the area, the drying everything will remain. Mold and mildew need moisture to grow. You will get moisture if you stop the air flow.

If your metal roof leaks, then that is something that needs to be fixed. If it sweats, that is a good indication that you do not have enough ventilation. Air needs to flow from the bottom of the roof panel, to the top to keep the metal dry. If air doesn't flow along the underside of the metal, it will form condensation the same as a cold soda can on a hot day, and it will drip onto everything below it.

In my opinion, I would not seal or close it off. I would stack stuff so there is air flow all around. Put boxes on a pair of 2x4's and if you put more boxes on top of other boxes, then use some boards to create an air gap between them. Do this for everything you put up there.

Be advised that heat is another concern with storing stuff in the south. Can the items you store there handle 120 degree temps? Things melt in those conditions and become distorted. Be sure you know what you are putting up there, and if in doubt, find another place to store it.

Good luck,
Eddie

 

[USAFpj]

Thanks, Eddie. I was wondering when you were going to chime in :thumbsup:. I understood about the different vents, but had no idea that ambient air actually was drawn in through the soffits, and flowed out through the ridge! Once again, I'm overseas, but can't wait to get back home to do a better inspection of the barn overall. I'm in the middle of reviewing other threads concerning converting the barn to a shop, adding onto it, or just maintaining the old barn, but build a separate and more efficient pole barn. I need a place for the tools, Triumph bike, and plethora of WWII Jeep and Dodge projects...

Thanks for the education- back to figuring out the best solution...

 

[s219]

Things that control mold are temperature, humidity, and ventilation. You won't be able to control the first two in a barn, only the last one. Whether it's enough is anyone's guess. But I can tell you that I have tons of stuff stored in my barn, which is sealed with house wrap and fairly tight. The only ventilation comes from soffit/ridge vent flows, and I also open the windows during the warm months. So far, no mold issues in there.

Where I did have mold issues was in my attached garage. It is sealed fairly tight with house wrap and insulated, but whenever the garage doors open, it of course gets all the humid outside air. The problem arose because in the evenings when it would cool down, we'd actually get condensation in the garage and it would be very damp in there. I think the main driver was the concrete floor, which stays cool year round due to earth temperature. I started getting mold in the garage, but caught it in time. The permanent solution was to put in a ceiling fan to circulate air, and to run a humidifier. Since then, no problems at all.

If I compare the garage to the barn (which also has a concrete floor that stays cool) the only differences were insulation and lack of ventilation in the garage compared to the barn. So that suggests the garage was trapping moisture and then cooling it and making damp stagnant air. The barn on the other hand, lets the air move and doesn't hold the coolness from the floor.

Interestingly, the stuff that grew mold in my garage was all stuff that had been stored in the garage or barn at my old house. I suspect it must have already had mold spores on it (which is unavoidable for anything stored in an outdoor or semi-outdoor location) and they finally found the right conditions to bloom.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

It's hard to imagine what it is to cope with the humidity you have there in SC. We spent a week in Myrtle Beach last year; here, you hang your bathing suit outside and it's dry the next day. There, it seemed to be perpetually wet...

 

[USAFpj]

It's hard to imagine what it is to cope with the humidity you have there in SC

2Lane, I was born in Myrtle Beach, but raised in the NW corner of the state, so the humidity is a bit different than the coast.

For most of my military career, I couldn't wait to get back 'home' to Carolina... until I was stationed in Portland, OR- living in Vancouver, WA for the last (7) years. Without detailing the immense wonders of the PNW, I'll just say that it's OK to be finally home, but my heart is still in the Cascade range...