So, had to toss my Toro in a storage place this winter, first time in a while.. Nice storage place, clean, fairly new, no issues there.
Today I went to check on it and I noticed the car cover was very damp, took it off and car had a lot of condensation on it... nothing in the interior.
We have had some crazy weather lately, last weekend it was below zero and yesterday it got up to 55 degrees, mid 40's today, I'm sure that had a lot to do with it.
My question is, should I just leave the cover off for now, at least the winter? The unit is fairly clean and close so I can check on it frequently. I'll probably at least get some Damp Rid and place that into the interior of the car as a precaution, not sure if there is any use of putting that in the unit itself.
Anyone else have some experience with this type of situation or general thoughts? thanks.

Just noticed I stuck this in the 'Newbie' forum... though i was putting it in 'general'... not sure how I did that, sorry for the confusion....

 

I moved your thread. Leave it off and place some card board under the car.

 

Concrete sweats old cutlass is right, but put a sheet of plastic under card board and leave cover off, dust won't hurt it like water will

 

Unfortunately sweating happens when you have a cold surface, below the dew point, that gets bathed in warm damp air. In storage I've covered the concrete floor with a vinyl tarp to serve as a vapor barrier. Helpful but that won't solve the problem you're experiencing. Try to avoid opening the overhead door on warm damp days, the idea being to the keep cooler, drier air within the storage unit. But it's also difficult to keep the uninsulated unit cold inside, particularly if your neighbors are opening their units or if you're unit is at an end. If you have power available you can run a small electric heater to try to get your car above the dew point. It will take quite a while to get he engine block and other high thermal mass items up in temperature.

If you think conditions are going to be condusive to condensation, I'd be inclined to pull the cover off.

 

ALWAYS COVER CONCRETE WITH PLASTIC! Even if it's sealed. Huge ambient delta Ts will cause metal objects to sweat, your car...as witnessed.
Buy a roll of heavy 2 or 3 mil contractor plastic. Cover the entire floor with it...like wall-to-wall carpet.

Remove the floor AND trunk mats. Crack the trunk open. Remove all clutter from the interior & trunk.
Place a bucket of damp rid in the trunk and interior.
The car cover needs to be breathable...then you can leave it on.

 

If there's electric, I'd throw a box fan in there.

 

A Mopar buddy one told me he put a small oscillation fan on his car all winter. It works. Don’t use a cover.

 

I use a combination of dessicant bags, dehumidifiers and a breathable cotton cover in a oversize insulated two-car garage. How big is the storage area? Would a dehumidifier be practical, or is it a big multi-car parking garage?

 

Thanks for moving my thread....

Thanks everyone else for the advice... I'll leave off the cover for now... I do have some cardboard and plastic so I can try covering the floor of the unit with that to give it a go.

 

10 x 25 storage area, unfortunately no electric available. I will try damp rid or similar in the car and cover the floor as others have suggested...

 

I’d find a diff place, that’s the same thing I had out in my garage in the back yard.

 

could also cover the floor with floor dry, ive done that, no wetness.

 

I have to disagree with the plastic on the floor of a non climate controlled storage. I would say NEVER use plastic or tarps on the floor. It will only draw more moisture and not dry out. Plastic should be under the floor when the concrete is poured. If you put anything on the floor use large cardboard sheets and that is only if there is no water that gets in during a rain. The cardboard will absorb the moisture and help keep it off the car and then dry out, plastic will not. When the floor or car is cool or cold and the outside temp is warm and humid NEVER open the door and if you do only open it long enough to get yourself inside and then hurry and shut it. Another mistake people make is starting there car when it is cold but not letting it get fully hot. I am not talking water temp hot, I am taking the entire engine block and exhaust all the way to the end. At an idle in cold weather it will take an hour to get that hot and some will never get hot enough at an idle in cold temps. It is better to let it sit all winter till driving season.

If that storage unit is not sealed well or not at all between storage units, I would get the car out of there. Every time a neighboring storage unit is opened up in the right weather conditions, your car is going to draw lots of moisture.

 

Circulation is key. I have an air handler in the trusses for a nonfunctional heat pump that just runs all the time. The garage isn't sealed well (3/4 drywall coverage on the ceiling), but there is a ton more condensation if I turn it off. I just use a cotton dust cover.

 

I have been storing my car in South Dakota from mid September to mid April for over 10 years. I do not cover or place anything on floor. The only thing I deal with is a dusty car.

 

Can you find a climate controlled storage facility for the winter?

 

Isn't the climate there famous for being quite dry?