[TowerTalk] Equipment Corrosion

[Les Kalmus]

Dan,

I would vent the building in both gable ends, assuming you have a peaked
roof. You can buy vents at HD or Lowes, etc. and they are easy to install.
You didn't mention windows and if there aren't any, I would think about
installing one for additionsl ventilation.

Moisture will always find a way in. The problem is letting it out.

73, Les W2LK

-----Original Message-----
From: towertalk-bounces at contesting.com
[mailto:towertalk-bounces at contesting.com]On Behalf Of Dan Levin
Sent: Thursday, August 26, 2004 12:40 AM
To: towertalk at contesting.com
Subject: [TowerTalk] Equipment Corrosion


This isn't strictly speaking a tower question, because it deals with the
inside of my shack.  But I think that the folks with the answers are likely
to hang out here :-)



My shack consists, literally, of a shack.  It is a purpose built, free
standing, 10 foot square building.  It is of standard wood frame
construction, with no vapor barrier.  The siding is some kind of
manufactured wood product, I'm not sure exactly what it is.  The siding is
not painted.  The siding is nailed directly onto the studs - no paper,
Tyvek, etc.  The roof is typical asphalt shingle over tar paper
construction.  There are no vents of any kind. This location gets a fair bit
of fog in the summer, and rain in the winter.  The building is not air
tight, I can see glimmers of light coming out through cracks if I stand
outside at night - but not a lot of light.



My problem is that my equipment inside this shack is corroding.  For
example, the screw that holds the microphone shell together on my Heil
headset is rusted.



Before I try a fix, I'd love to hear from anyone who has actual experience
with this type of thing :-)  I have two theories, which unfortunately
conflict.



1)       The problem is that the shack is too air tight.  Water vapor gets
in (maybe I sweat in the shack), and then it can't get out.  So when the
weather is right it condenses, and that causes rust.  The fix here might be
to install vents, like you would typically have in an attic or basement.

2)       The problem is that the shack is too leaky.  It needs a vapor
barrier.  The fix here might be to paint the walls to create a vapor
barrier.



In either case, I suppose that I could install some kind of dehumidifier as
an alternative, but that only works without vents, I think.



Any ideas?



Thanks much!



                               ***dan, K6IF

_______________________________________________

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