Mould in garage drying room

Ken2000

Hi, I run a small mountaineering business in Scotland, where its often wet. I have a small drying room in my garage, but it is showing signs of mould. Can anyone recommend a simple fix that might stop the problem from getting worse, please? 

elsien

Heat, ventilation, dehumidifier? 

Any of those in situe at the moment? 

Apodemus

Unless you want to heat and ventilate the space, you will need a dehumidifier.   Probably a desiccant wheel type which will extract better at low temps than a refrigerant/complressor type.

EDIT:  As you were!  I spy a desiccant dehumidifier there already!  Are you using it?  Is it working?

TELLIT01

Extractor fan in the wall?

Bendy_House

As asked above, Ken, what do you use to dry the equipment at the moment? In particular, do you use heat? If not, then just ventilate ventilate ventilate. Blow-dry.

How wet do the items tend to be?

A couple or more of extractor fans mounted high up on the back wall, and a series of ventilation holes along the door bottom should - I think - sort this pretty much 100% and cost very little to run. Everything in there should be dried off pretty quickly. Think of it as hanging the items out on a clothes line on a breezy day. Yes, it's cold air, but that doesn't matter.

If, however, you do use heat, then you would need to balance this with the ventilation so as to not just waste the heat.

There might even be mileage in positioning some of these inlet holes at heights to suit the hanging clothes, so the drying air is directed at them.

Ken2000

elsien said:

Heat, ventilation, dehumidifier? 

Any of those in situe at the moment? 

Hi, there is a desiccant dehumidifier in there, which I use when there's wet stuff in the drying room.

Bendy_House

Ken2000 said:

elsien said:

Heat, ventilation, dehumidifier? 

Any of those in situe at the moment? 

Hi, there is a desiccant dehumidifier in there, which I use when there's wet stuff in the drying room.

If you can get a steady draught flowing through there, I think it'll work better than a dehumidifier under most conditions.

I guess there might be some weather conditions - when the air outside is absolutely soaking - where the dehumid would better 'air-drying', but I suggest you trial this; hang up two equally-wet outfits, one in that room and the other outside with an 'umbrella' cover over the top to keep off rain, but which allows the wind to blow freely over it. Monitor them both.

Or even a combination of the two - ventilate to remove the majority, and then finish off with the dehumid.

Apodemus

Bendy_House said:

I guess there might be some weather conditions - when the air outside is absolutely soaking - where the dehumid would better 'air-drying',

Bendy, the OP is in Scotland (as indeed am I). The air is always bl**dy soaking!

Bendy_House

  You are talking to an utter hebridian.

Apodemus

Bendy_House said:

  You are talking to an utter hebridian.

Ah!  Say maidin mhaith to Granny McBrochan for me! 

Eldi_Dos

Would it be possible to get a angle grinder and some good eye protection and put some drainage slots in floor getting progressively deeper and leading out under garage door. This could help prevent puddles forming when wet gear is brought in.
Vine eye bolts installed on opposite walls would allow for drying ropes to be put in when needed and a pedestal fan would help with drying, Toolstation have very reasonable priced one at the moment.