Airchamber or Carcoon Veloce?

Author
Discussion

sparkey

789 posts

283 months

Tuesday 14th October 2014
quotequote all
I think I'm about to invest in one of these for outside storage:

https://www.autopyjama.com/permabag-uk/cars/

Having looked at all options this seems to me to cover everything - totally sealed so no dust or dirt, it removes moisture into sealed canisters and has a monitor so that you know if everything's OK. It seems easier than a carcoon type thing because it doesn't rely on electricity (so I can park away from my garage in a sheltered spot) and it's not a big bubble so it looks a bit less "odd".

Anyone had any experience of them or any good reason why I shouldn't buy one? (any reviews I can find elsewhere seem very positive - although it's a bit pricey)

S..

EricE

1,945 posts

128 months

Tuesday 14th October 2014
quotequote all
sparkey said:
I think I'm about to invest in one of these for outside storage:

https://www.autopyjama.com/permabag-uk/cars/

Having looked at all options this seems to me to cover everything - totally sealed so no dust or dirt, it removes moisture into sealed canisters and has a monitor so that you know if everything's OK. It seems easier than a carcoon type thing because it doesn't rely on electricity (so I can park away from my garage in a sheltered spot) and it's not a big bubble so it looks a bit less "odd".

Anyone had any experience of them or any good reason why I shouldn't buy one? (any reviews I can find elsewhere seem very positive - although it's a bit pricey)

S..
I have no experience with it and it seems like a reasonable solution, but my main concern would be the direct contact of the material with the paint which may give some unpleasant results when the bag is exposed to the wind.

Another thing is that too low humidity will dry out rubber parts and seals. I had this happen when the hygrostat of my dehumidifier placed inside a carcoon broke and the dehumidifier was stuck in "always on" for a few weeks without me noticing. Fortunately it was just a "beater" winter rally car that was parked inside that carcoon so replacing the dried out seals didn't cost the world and I was able to refresh a few of them with a Würth rubber maintenance product.
Maybe the desiccant in these permabags stops attracting moisture below a certain humidity percentage.

sparkey

789 posts

283 months

Tuesday 14th October 2014
quotequote all
I'm less concerned about the contact with paintwork because they supply a soft indoor cover with it, to put on the car before "bagging" it, and provide storm straps so that it can be secured properly. The rubber drying out may be an issue... It claims to keep relative humidity below 50%, but I've no idea what level rubber starts to dry out - perhaps preventive maintenance with rubber preservative stuff applied in advance may be the answer

madda

40 posts

171 months

Tuesday 18th November 2014
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Hi all,

I thought I would do a little update on this now that I have tried various scenarios and products to work out what is the best combination to create the optimum conditions for my pride and joy.

The first thing I did was to buy a cheap but accurate digital humidity meter from eBay (£6) and find out what I am dealing with. It turns out that the humidity in the garage without intervention is anything from 85-95%. Initially this had me quite worried, but if you take a step back and consider that the humidity according to Accuweather is 80-90% every time I look, the readings in my underground garage aren’t that surprising.

Now for the different solutions I have tried:

Carcoon only – this was not good, after a few days of running with brand new filters the inside humidity would reach 100% whilst still under 90% outside of the bubble. Obviously this was not good for the car, so I next tried introducing a dehumidifier into the garage.

Carcoon + Dehumidifier – this combination did not surprise, and by running at a target humidity of 60%, it was achieved in the garage BUT it was still staying slightly higher inside the Carcoon. I was not happy with how much I was having to ‘work’ the unit and in turn bump up our electricity bill so the carcoon was sold.

Car covered + Dehumidifier – 60-70% humidity easily achieved, and car storage good but still quite a lot of energy consumption. One more option to try…

Cair-O-Port + Dehumidifer (inside port) – After spotting a bargain on eBay I had to give it a go. As this product is supported by a frame you can drive in and out, access the car from the side panels, and most importantly, at no point does the coarse plastic cover have to touch the car. In terms of humidity control I was shocked. With the unit sealed, not inflated (fans are off as I have to buy a new transformer) and the dehumidifier running inside, the humidity went down to 35% within an hour of running on full wack, something which I could never achieve in the garage no matter how long I ran the unit for in the open garage. This is excessively dry and I worry it might result in dried out interior and perished rubbers, so I have switched to a target of 60%. To maintain this I don’t think the unit has kicked in yet and it definitely hasn’t collected a noticeable amount of water.

I’m that happy with this result that I am tempted to not run the fans at all, though as the transformer is on order (£5 off eBay instead of the £37 Cair-O-Port wanted), I will give it a go and report back. My gut feel is that it will blow in the moist air from outside the sealed area and the dehumidifier will have to start working harder again. I actually believe there isn’t much to gain by constant circulation given the bags that are on the market as a ‘seal and forget solutions’ for long term storage, any thoughts appreciated?

I hope that summary is useful to someone looking at storage options with winter fast approaching. For me, the products which combine a sealed unit and an integrated frame win hands down.

NomduJour

18,988 posts

258 months

Tuesday 18th November 2014
quotequote all
The point of the Carcoon is that it creates an enclosed climate which keeps temperature fairly constant so condensation doesn't form, it doesn't constantly pass air over the car if the drying vent is zipped.

I've had a car in one for several years (in a draughty and damp concrete-floored steel farm building) and it hasn't degraded at all in that time. Might have a look at a humidity meter to see what's going on inside.

golf fahrer

8 posts

133 months

Saturday 22nd November 2014
quotequote all
I now have a carcoon indoor with the metalic sturcture for 1.5 year.

I never looked at the humidity but its in a damp garage. The principe of a carcoon is that it creates a constant
environment.

It seems that it does what is says. The car is kept clean and i never saw condensation.
So a very happy consumer here.


drmark

4,794 posts

185 months

Monday 24th November 2014
quotequote all
I had a Carccon veloce and added a small humidifier (inside the Carccon) set to 65% when I noticed condensation on the floor of the Carcoon on cold damp days.The combination works superbly and the machine only needs emptying once a week.

Philip0

329 posts

112 months

Tuesday 25th November 2014
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I have a medium size Carcoon Veloce (the one with a frame that you can drive in/out, medium size, 488cm x 230cm x 170cm) in very good condition, works perfectly, no nicks or tears. Red colour, see www.carcoon.com/carcoon-indoor-veloce. I'd like to change it for a larger version of the Carcoon Veloce or an AirChamber Extra Medium size (Extra Medium - 520cm x 220cm x 180cm), see www.airflow-uk.co.uk/Airchambers. Any interest?

palfers123

30 posts

149 months

Tuesday 25th November 2014
quotequote all
Typical! Was about to add a post saying 'I'm looking for one to house my new classic merc - 488cm length...' Your veloce is 488cm and will be a few cm's too short / snug (touching the bumpers etc) - so sadly not for me. B&gger!

So - if anybody has got one the next size up they are looking to part company with, please get in touch - otherwise it's a new one in the next 24hrs. On that topic, if anybody knows of any decent deals or if any retailers read this, feel free to drop me a PM.

Thanks in advance,

Palfers

jon.b

173 posts

201 months

Wednesday 26th November 2014
quotequote all
Philip0 said:
I have a medium size Carcoon Veloce (the one with a frame that you can drive in/out, medium size, 488cm x 230cm x 170cm) in very good condition, works perfectly, no nicks or tears. Red colour, see www.carcoon.com/carcoon-indoor-veloce. I'd like to change it for a larger version of the Carcoon Veloce or an AirChamber Extra Medium size (Extra Medium - 520cm x 220cm x 180cm), see www.airflow-uk.co.uk/Airchambers. Any interest?
If you're interested in selling the medium, please PM me.

judas

5,963 posts

258 months

Thursday 27th November 2014
quotequote all
palfers123 said:
Typical! Was about to add a post saying 'I'm looking for one to house my new classic merc - 488cm length...' Your veloce is 488cm and will be a few cm's too short / snug (touching the bumpers etc) - so sadly not for me. B&gger!

So - if anybody has got one the next size up they are looking to part company with, please get in touch - otherwise it's a new one in the next 24hrs. On that topic, if anybody knows of any decent deals or if any retailers read this, feel free to drop me a PM.

Thanks in advance,

Palfers
I have a size 6 outdoor carcoon (560cm long) I'm looking to sell or swap for something drive-into-able (if there's such a word) of a similar size (to fit a Bentley Turbo R). Only two months old and in excellent condition.

Blu3R

2,362 posts

198 months

Saturday 29th November 2014
quotequote all
Philip0 said:
I have a medium size Carcoon Veloce (the one with a frame that you can drive in/out, medium size, 488cm x 230cm x 170cm) in very good condition, works perfectly, no nicks or tears. Red colour, see www.carcoon.com/carcoon-indoor-veloce. I'd like to change it for a larger version of the Carcoon Veloce or an AirChamber Extra Medium size (Extra Medium - 520cm x 220cm x 180cm), see www.airflow-uk.co.uk/Airchambers. Any interest?
Philip if you still have this I'm interested too. Can't email you through here.

Philip0

329 posts

112 months

Saturday 29th November 2014
quotequote all
Hi, yes I still have the Carcoon Veloce - looking to swap though for larger Carcoon Veloce or a Extra Medium Airchamber - can do?

Blu3R

2,362 posts

198 months

Saturday 29th November 2014
quotequote all
Philip0 said:
Hi, yes I still have the Carcoon Veloce - looking to swap though for larger Carcoon Veloce or a Extra Medium Airchamber - can do?
I don't have one to swap but will gladly buy yours if you find what you're looking for.

Ballistic Banana

14,698 posts

266 months

Sunday 28th June 2015
quotequote all
Holey thread revival...

I'm looking at either the air chamber medium special or a Carcoon veloce.Whilst the Carcoon veloce will fit easily height wise the air chamber may be a bit tight with my electric door as it opens up and over. I read better reviews for the air chamber and being slightly longer I hope to keep some other items in it. Is it true you get an adjustable section at one end ? Or I suppose I could shorten the piles one end only. A shame they don't do a taper like cair o port.
Anyhow any recommendations or views grately appreciated.

BB

swisstoni

16,850 posts

278 months

Monday 29th June 2015
quotequote all
The airchamber could possibly be tailored a bit by trimming the rods and its all a bit flexy but it would be a faff.
The Veloce has a more rigid frame of steel tubes and would be very tricky to customise.


Edited to make a better comment!

Edited by swisstoni on Monday 29th June 09:56

rovermorris999

5,195 posts

188 months

Monday 29th June 2015
quotequote all
I have an airchamber and I'm pleased with it, it seems well made and robust enough. The glass-fibre rods that make up the frame were a tight fit but it was put together on a cool day, warm weather makes it easier. It's well worth having the frame, I'd imagine the collapsible bag type must be a pain.

mph

2,316 posts

281 months

Monday 29th June 2015
quotequote all
I bought a Carcoon Veloce last year and the car has just come out of storage looking the same as the day it went in. I have a very damp garage.

I can see some disadvantages for the framed type. If it's occupying your only storage spot then you will have to drive the car in and out of the unit every time you use it. This can mean dirt and water being carried into the storage area.

I'm looking to buy a second Carcoon next year and I'll be going for the collapsible type. The car will remain stored during the winter and once out of storage the Carcoon will be folded away.




lowdrag

12,869 posts

212 months

Monday 29th June 2015
quotequote all
I haven't checked humidity inside the garage but since it is a wood one it absorbs somewhat anyway but is probably pretty high at times. Whatever, I have had the Carcoon (wish it was the rigid one though) for five years and no problem with the car. It was rebuilt a year or two back and won the club concours so I was concerned a bit, but despite down to -17 in the winter it came out spotless and perfect this year.

dig123

339 posts

115 months

Monday 29th June 2015
quotequote all
I discussed with Airchamber the options to make a special size but it almost doubled the price and they make them in a batch once a year in November so not an easy option. As I wanted one which was narrower and lower at one end, in the end I went with the closest fit and just used the glass fibre poles as best fitted to get it to fit into the space I had.

So quite easy to shorten and adjust to fit you can probably do the same with the one with out a frame but it is a lot easier to put the car in and out of. Re shortening the glass fibre poles easy to do but kept mine the same length so I could adapt in the future with out having to buy new poles.