How to stop motorbike dissolving in concrete garage?
Discussion
I bought my house earlier last year, and it came with a concrete pre-fab panel garage which has a single skin profile metal sheet roof on it. The garage concrete panels are in poor condition with significant spalling exposing reinforcement. Eventually I would like to do something about the garage, but priority is on the house first.
However, my motorbike has been in the garage over the winter months and just been to give it a once over ahead of the MOT next month. The bike is not in very good condition! Chain and discs corroded (brakes stuck on even!), fastening furred up and forks also corroded (thankfully chrome looks okay). Where I used to live before here had a traditional built brickwork garage attached to the house and the bike was fine in there, but evidently this concrete garage is too damp for it.
What realistic options do I have to stop this happening again? Is there a carcoon thing which includes a dehumidifier to keep the bike dry? Dehumidifying the full garage isn't realistic as it's got gaping holes everywhere and I will be having to rebuild it in the next few years anyway...
Thoughts welcome please.
However, my motorbike has been in the garage over the winter months and just been to give it a once over ahead of the MOT next month. The bike is not in very good condition! Chain and discs corroded (brakes stuck on even!), fastening furred up and forks also corroded (thankfully chrome looks okay). Where I used to live before here had a traditional built brickwork garage attached to the house and the bike was fine in there, but evidently this concrete garage is too damp for it.
What realistic options do I have to stop this happening again? Is there a carcoon thing which includes a dehumidifier to keep the bike dry? Dehumidifying the full garage isn't realistic as it's got gaping holes everywhere and I will be having to rebuild it in the next few years anyway...
Thoughts welcome please.
Ryan_T said:
Cover it in ACF-50 - Genuinely magical stuff.
Or XCP rust blocker, which is even better.You can get carcoon's for bikes they are around £250
https://www.demon-tweeks.com/carcoon-bikebubble-79...
DickP said:
Do they work in damp environments? i.e. even if it's dripping in the garage it will be dry inside?
Should do but there are limits!As a quick fix if you have a leaky roof get a double layer of pond liner over the top (just hold it down with a few bricks), works a treat on all outbuildings and not silly expensive.
Once it's not dripping wet, you could dehumidify or just ventillate it with a fan.
If you have power to the garage there is a very effective and simple way of dealing with this.
Obtain a small tubular electric green house heater, the ones I have is about 40 cms long and 80 watts, so not much more than old fashioned light bulb. . Mount on a piece of wood, I cover the wood with tin foil first. Place under bike sump. Put cover over bike, I use an Oxford products indoor cover that nearly reaches the floor.
The green house heater has a thermostat, so when it gets cold it comes on.
This generates enough heat under the cover to prevent condensation on the bike.
I have an xjr1300 which has unprotected polished alloy parts, it’s in a concrete sectional garage, after this winter, there is no evidence of corrosion or furring of the alloy.
Obtain a small tubular electric green house heater, the ones I have is about 40 cms long and 80 watts, so not much more than old fashioned light bulb. . Mount on a piece of wood, I cover the wood with tin foil first. Place under bike sump. Put cover over bike, I use an Oxford products indoor cover that nearly reaches the floor.
The green house heater has a thermostat, so when it gets cold it comes on.
This generates enough heat under the cover to prevent condensation on the bike.
I have an xjr1300 which has unprotected polished alloy parts, it’s in a concrete sectional garage, after this winter, there is no evidence of corrosion or furring of the alloy.
Stevemr said:
If you have power to the garage there is a very effective and simple way of dealing with this.
Obtain a small tubular electric green house heater, the ones I have is about 40 cms long and 80 watts, so not much more than old fashioned light bulb. . Mount on a piece of wood, I cover the wood with tin foil first. Place under bike sump. Put cover over bike, I use an Oxford products indoor cover that nearly reaches the floor.
The green house heater has a thermostat, so when it gets cold it comes on.
This generates enough heat under the cover to prevent condensation on the bike.
I have an xjr1300 which has unprotected polished alloy parts, it’s in a concrete sectional garage, after this winter, there is no evidence of corrosion or furring of the alloy.
Great idea. Obtain a small tubular electric green house heater, the ones I have is about 40 cms long and 80 watts, so not much more than old fashioned light bulb. . Mount on a piece of wood, I cover the wood with tin foil first. Place under bike sump. Put cover over bike, I use an Oxford products indoor cover that nearly reaches the floor.
The green house heater has a thermostat, so when it gets cold it comes on.
This generates enough heat under the cover to prevent condensation on the bike.
I have an xjr1300 which has unprotected polished alloy parts, it’s in a concrete sectional garage, after this winter, there is no evidence of corrosion or furring of the alloy.
Stevemr said:
If you have power to the garage there is a very effective and simple way of dealing with this.
Obtain a small tubular electric green house heater, the ones I have is about 40 cms long and 80 watts, so not much more than old fashioned light bulb. . Mount on a piece of wood, I cover the wood with tin foil first. Place under bike sump. Put cover over bike, I use an Oxford products indoor cover that nearly reaches the floor.
The green house heater has a thermostat, so when it gets cold it comes on.
This generates enough heat under the cover to prevent condensation on the bike.
I have an xjr1300 which has unprotected polished alloy parts, it’s in a concrete sectional garage, after this winter, there is no evidence of corrosion or furring of the alloy.
Strangely enough this is exactly what I do.Obtain a small tubular electric green house heater, the ones I have is about 40 cms long and 80 watts, so not much more than old fashioned light bulb. . Mount on a piece of wood, I cover the wood with tin foil first. Place under bike sump. Put cover over bike, I use an Oxford products indoor cover that nearly reaches the floor.
The green house heater has a thermostat, so when it gets cold it comes on.
This generates enough heat under the cover to prevent condensation on the bike.
I have an xjr1300 which has unprotected polished alloy parts, it’s in a concrete sectional garage, after this winter, there is no evidence of corrosion or furring of the alloy.
Glad I'm not the only one who does it.
+1 on the insulation.
BUT: if its a tin roof, it will still condensate, so you could think about spraying foam insulation from underneath, which is a VERY messy business.
Best option is to remove the roof completely & install a composite 'warm roof' something like this: https://www.steelroofsheets.co.uk/products/ks1000r...
Offcuts are available from eBay etc.
Insulate walls internally with Celotex or equivalent rigid insulation/vapour control membrane, & install a greenhouse heater to avoid frost....
BUT: if its a tin roof, it will still condensate, so you could think about spraying foam insulation from underneath, which is a VERY messy business.
Best option is to remove the roof completely & install a composite 'warm roof' something like this: https://www.steelroofsheets.co.uk/products/ks1000r...
Offcuts are available from eBay etc.
Insulate walls internally with Celotex or equivalent rigid insulation/vapour control membrane, & install a greenhouse heater to avoid frost....
You might be better forgetting the garage altogether and sticking it under a decent bike cover.
I used covers for many years and corrosion was never a problem.
I don’t know if a cover inside the garage would work as you wouldn’t be getting a decent airflow and the dampness would still be in the air.
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