All you need to know before renting a climate controlled storage

All you need to know before renting a climate controlled storage

Hello, welcome to our blog. Here you will find everything that you need to know about renting a climate controlled storage. We will start by explaining what climate-controlled actually means and what can it do for you. Then we will consider which type of dehumidifier is best for you, as well as which items should we store in it. Finally, we will give you some useful tips and even some legal advice.

So, without further ado, let us start.

The most important thing to know about climate controlled storage is quite simple. Its main job is to keep the temperature and humidity right where you want them. The difference between temperature controlled and climate controlled will confuse you. That is alright. You see, even the term itself applies differently, depending on who uses it. Different moving companies will swear that their storage services offer climate controlled where it actually might not be. They might just be talking about temperature control, instead.  The main difference between these two terms is actually quite simple. Humidity.

Renting a climate controlled storage – How humid is it?

Humidity is an important factor in storing all your valuable, high risk, stuff. This is where climate controlled storage really shines. While facilities which control temperature are numerous, they usually do not provide humidity regulation. As we increase the humidity, we also increase holding heat in the air. When we decrease it, we also decrease the temperature. And that is the greatest thing. When renting a climate controlled storage, you get two for one. You manage and regulate both humidity and temperature at the same time. Gone are the days of finding your valuable stuff ruined because of inappropriate storage facilities.

How does this work?

Climate controlled storages are equipped with some of the finest HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) systems. They also feature many different kinds of dehumidifiers. If that was not enough, think about heavy duty insulation. If even that was not enough, there are also customizable thermostats! All of these work together to provide you with the best storage experience possible. Sure, it is a bit pricier when renting a climate controlled storage but you can sit back and relax, not worry about your expensive items. Lack of worry might just be worth it, alone! As with any type of storage, make sure that your things are properly packed. This list of packing supplies in Toronto might come in handy.

Dehumidifiers vs AC’s

Let us break down these items a bit. Dehumidifiers are similar to air conditioners. Both devices serve to change humidity levels. Air conditioners do this by rapidly dropping the temperature within the AC unit. This inevitably causes temperatures to fluctuate. We do not need to tell you that this can spell doom for climate controlled storages. Dehumidifiers manage heat over time perfectly. Oh, they are also more energy efficient than AC’s! If energy efficiency is a concern, definitely go with dehumidifiers.

Which dehumidifier is right for me?

There are two main types of dehumidifiers. Mechanical and desiccant. What does desiccant even mean? Fear not, we will explain. The main purpose is to remove moisture from the air. These ones accomplish that by using a chemical substance, which dries. Think something along the line of silica gel. The energy source for these is heat. Nice trick with these dehumidifiers is that they can run off other processes. You see, some processes generate heat, which desiccant humidifiers can use to power themselves. Think about how much money can you save on energy! The only downside to these is that they are somewhat ineffective in extreme humidity setting.

For extreme humidity, we have mechanical dehumidifiers. Another name for these is refrigerative dehumidifiers. These are, by far, the more common model. They work similar to an air conditioner. A refrigerant is being used to remove moisture from the air. Energy efficiency will suffer a bit, though. It might get a bit tricky to choose between these two options. You have two options here. One is to carefully examine the levels of humidity in your particular region and also to make sure that your items do not need any special attention. The second option is easier, you can always contact a professional. Choosing a dehumidifier is kind of a big thing, you should take care when selecting one.

What should I store in my brand new climate controlled storage?

To be quite honest, most of the stuff that you were planning on storing will be perfectly fine in good old temperature controlled storage. It is those sensitive items that we need some extra protection with. We are going to provide you with some of the most common sensitive items. These items will benefit immensely from being stored in the climate controlled environment.

Artistic pieces

Premiere storage for art goes to climate controlled. If you need a lot of art stored, you want your valuable pieces to be safe. Your artwork might get ruined by mold and also mildew. What can also happen, is your paintings shrinking or expanding, when subjected to extreme temperatures. You obviously do not want this to happen. Go with climate controlled! You want to achieve around fifty percent humidity and also anywhere between 60-75 degrees, where art is concerned. Also, make sure that whenever you want to move your fine art from storage to another location to hire professional art movers in Canada.

Valuable and delicate fabric

Including toys, upholstered furniture, or even clothes. All of these can be affected by mildew or mold when being exposed to humidity. What you want for these is temperature around 50 degrees, while keeping with less than 50% relative humidity.  You do not want your precious childhood teddy bear to get all ruined now, do you?

Valuable paper

No, I do not mean money! But yeah, it also applies to money. More in line with comics, magazines, books and also photographs. All of these have a tendency to turn yellow when exposed to really high or low temperatures. You want to keep these below 75 and above 35 degrees of relative humidity. Oh, and take care that you do not expose them to light, it will fade them out over time. These little things can make all the difference between a mint condition comic and a worthless one!

Electronic Devices

Ah, something close to my heart. The main issue with cameras, computers and even speakers is corrosion and mold. All of these are death threats to tech stuff that you want to work when you pull it out from storage. What you want is relative humidity anywhere between 30 and 60 percent. Best temperature is around 60-70 degrees. Oh, you can also go the extra mile and jam some packets of silica gel in the boxes that contain your electronics, while also storing them higher up.

Valuable metals

It is no surprise that valuable metals are highly susceptible to humidity. Your silver will turn black and lead will become white powder if exposed to extremely humid conditions. Same with copper and iron, which will turn green and rust, respectively. You want these kept at around 35-55 percent of relative humidity and also between 35 and 75 degrees. Oh, and make sure to also put them a bit off the floor, in order to protect them from various liquids that might be creeping about.

Optical disks

Ah, I fondly remember these. We do not use optical media that much anymore, but we have so much valuable stuff on them! Perfect candidates for renting a climate controlled storage, don’t you think? One of the first reasons for renting a climate controlled storage is to keep our old memories intact. We want to store these in a dry and cool environment. There is almost nothing worse in life than picking up an old cd and have it not work! Keep these in strict temperature settings, anywhere between 65 and 70 degrees and also keep the relative humidity between 45 and 50 %. Oh, and do not expose these items to direct light, it can cause disk surfaces to be clouded.

Vinyl

These might be the most important items in your collection. Keep them vertical and use original sleeves, if you have the means. As far as humidity is concerned, you want to aim for the 45-60 % mark, while also keeping the temperature between 65 and 70 degrees, much as electronics. Major issues that can arise with these items are warping and breaking in half. The horror!

Fine Wine

Ah, fine wine! Traditionally, one of the most difficult storing items. It should be kept in a low light environment. You want to keep the temperature as close to 55 degrees as possible and also to maintain 50-80 % relative humidity. You do not want your wine to age too fast, which is exactly what will happen if it is kept in an environment that is too humid. It will make the wine assume that dreadful brown appearance. Do not forget the wine corks, either! If the air in your storage is too dry, them corks will crumble due to drying out. Nothing worse than being unable to open that special bottle of wine because the cork dried out!

Wood

Items made out of wood are one of the main reasons that renting a climate controlled storage is such a good idea. As we all know, wood will expand when it is hot and contract when it is cold. Over a long period of time, this becomes noticeable and even unusable, in some cases. You want to keep these pretties between 55 and 85 degrees. Humidity is really important here, as mold and wood rot is something you never want to see on your priceless instruments. Keep that humidity around 30-50% maximum. If you want to further protect your valuables, clean and polish them with oil before sending them to storage. Some of these instruments might even warrant extra insurance when moving from one location to another.

I have so much different stuff, what is my ideal humidity when renting a climate controlled storage?

Managing humidity for each particular item borders on the impossible. When renting a climate controlled storage, you most likely want to settle for humidity that will cover most of your bases. Obviously, you could rent out several units and keep different types of items in each one but that is not always possible, nor economically feasible. To be safe in all but most extreme cases, you should shoot for 55% relative humidity. You see, most of the items do well in these conditions and this is the industry standard for climate controlled storages. If your items do not come with specific humidity guidelines, you can safely assume that they will do well in 55%. Anything above that will have your items become damaged if exposed to it over a long period of time.

In spite of all this, our extensive years of experience can work wonders for you. If you are uncertain about different aspects of this endeavor, make sure to contact us and we will try to provide guidance. After all, our testimonials and reviews speak for our expertise.

Legal stuff

When renting a climate controlled storage, it is important to check whether the lease specifically states “climate controlled”. You see, advertisement and reality sometimes do not match, unfortunately. By ensuring that your lease agreement is reflecting what is advertised, you will avoid liability. While you’re at it, check for regular verbiage that concerns non-liability. It is these little things that end up mattering the most. If you are unsure, or if the lease verbiage is difficult to understand, it is always better to consult a professional. There is almost nothing worse than signing a lease and figuring out later that it is not what you thought you were paying for. Leases usually have limited responsibility, in a way that if a mechanical defect occurs, tough luck.

You should make sure that whoever you are leasing the storage unit from is reputable and accountable for any problems that happen within the unit.

Conclusion

As you have seen, humidity really can take a toll on your most precious items. Hopefully, you have learned what type of humidifier will suit you best, which are the items that you need to take extra care with and how to ensure that you do not get shafted when renting a climate controlled storage. There are always more things to consider, as is the fact with almost all things in life but this article should have given you the weapons you require in the battle of keeping your stuff pristine.

For everything you might need, High Level Movers Toronto are at your service!