40' shipping container for storage ?

[70 sublime]

I have rounded up a 40' shipping container for some extra storage space

Anybody else use one ?

My friend had one when they were doing some house renovations and packed a bunch of house stuff in it over one winter
When they went to get things out later on lots of stuff was wet from condensation from warmer days and very cold frozen nights
We are in Canada 

So my thinking would be to put a couple vents on it someplace
Just not sure how big is big enough
One of those spinner roof vents ?
Maybe just a house dryer vent would be good on the side of the container ?

I do not want to just leave the door open as part of the reason I want it to be mouse proof also for what ever ends up inside for storage

From the factory so to speak the container comes with two small groups of holes on opposite sides near the top at each end with a cover over them to keep the rain out but still let it breath some

[Lennard]

Wayne (birdsandbees) used/uses a shipping container for car storage, and lives in Canada.

[Challenger340]

Adequate breathing is critical in the Canadian climate where it can be below freezing at night, and then well above freezing as the sunshine hits the container with the cold "chunk" of iron car inside a condensation point !

[alfaitalia]

Yep.... we used to store excess stock at work in those....not now though. Even in temperate UK the single skin meant gallons ( literally) of condensation used to form making all the stock wet. Even after we cut extra vents into it, it did not make much difference. I would not be storing a car in one myself without some sort of double skin interior with insulation in between.

[MGBRingo]

I would never use one of them for storage of anything. It will rust your car away.

[JB400]

Sounds like you'd want to install fans to help circulate the air.

[b5blue]

Here in Florida my bro. leased one for years. In the end mildew bugs rodents were issues. He did nothing to address problems. A coat of white paint, weather stripping and a few solar powered fans would have helped greatly.  

[chargerbr549]

I have a 40 ft old semi trailer and a friend of mine has a 40 ft shipping container next to it and they both work great here in Vegas but then we don't really have humidity here to deal with and it rarely freezes.

[djcarguy]

have helped family set up a half dozon ship cans.  we put them on rail ties and block one side few inchs higher to drain water off roof .the  ribbed roof hold lots of rain near Tacoma ,Washington. ties get it off the ground to breath. some we cut to put a man door in middle of the side. drill angled vent holes in 4 corners .we  keep wedding carriages an cars an parts in some. with no real problems .

[odcics2]

Yep.... we used to store excess stock at work in those....not now though. Even in temperate UK the single skin meant gallons ( literally) of condensation used to form making all the stock wet. Even after we cut extra vents into it, it did not make much difference. I would not be storing a car in one myself without some sort of double skin interior with insulation in between.

Hmm, no wonder there are stories of repop metal rusting out.  Maybe it's getting a head start on the way over from China??   

[stripedelete]

I don't think roof vents will be enough in your part of the world.   We had issues with a quanset hut on the farm.   My dad tried a lot of different things, but, it still had its own weather system inside and everything rusted.  After he was gone I flipped up the 3x3 Windows on each end and left one sliding door open about 3 feet.  It solved the problem, but it was far from secure or weather tight.

I'm faced with the same situation with a 26ft semi trailer I just picked up for extra storage.  It is lined with wood paneling  and has a wood floor so I'm going to wait and see.  I'm planning on storing extra construction material, pvc pipe, plywood etc, chains and tools you use every couple years (but don't want to rent or barrow).  So I'm not too sensitive to some condensation. 

If I do have a condensation issue, I plan to line it with plastic, closed cell styrofoam  w/foil facing out, and a layer of plywood.   I had great luck with this on a two bay garage that sweated like a car wash.

It would be pricey on a 40 foot container, but you could just put up the plastic (which will help create and dead space) and over time dumpster dive the rest.  Bulk trash days are like going to Home Depot for projects like this.

Give me a call if you want to discuss it further.

[XS29L9Bxxxxxx]

We have about 8 of these at work. Always smells damp and musty inside them.

Would not store anything of real value inside. Mostly to keep things dry, but as mentioned, moisture gets in there anyways.

[Dodgecharger74]

A body shop near me stores cars in 2 of them  both have  A/C  dehumidifiers

[70 sublime]

Well the snow season is over with ( I hope)

I have a bunch of stuff stored in my shipping container over last winter
Some car seats but mostly metal parts
We have built some wooden shelves for storing parts on

The container is totally how I got it with just the little breather holes in one front corner and opposite back corner up close to the roof
Over the winter I checked it now and then just to see if there was any wet on the walls or floor
Happy to report everything stayed nice and dry 

My container is on the east side of the farm shop with the opening doors on the south end so it only gets direct sun in the morning till about noon
Not sure if this helped any with the heat and cooling but it has worked good so far

[birdsandbees]

Missed this thread I guess, as we were in Alabama at the time it was started. I have three 40 foot cans. Two are dry as Gin and the third one rains from the ceiling.

[Chargerguy74]

Newer cans will have 8 smaller vents (4 per side) vs the one per corner of the older cans which seems to help. You can install bigger vents, like the 6x9" vents container king sells. Super easy to install with and angle grinder and some self tapping screws. I wouldn't jump to a whirly bird or anything roof mounted for that matter. The 6x9s may be enough. The can just needs to be able to breath well and get some air flow. If you're really concerned you can spray foam the roof on the inside and that should help a lot with condensation. It's also very important to not bring a lot of moisture into your can. Especially with inadequate ventilation.  I am in Canada as well.

[GMP440]

     At our fire department we use use two of them.  One is 20' and the other is 50'.  The 20' one is for storing bunker gear and is air conditioned with a window unit.  
 The 50' one is used to store supplies and tools with two window a/c units.  No rust on any bare metal stuff in the containers.
   Never any condensation or mold.  This is in South Florida.  You can anything in them, but air circulation is key.

[Stevearino]

The issue is the metal and I was familiarized with the issue when I put up a pole barn for my shop. The solution was what looked like a foil backed bubble wrap that went on before the roof metal went on. Keeps the moisture from the interior from condensing on the metal when there is a temperature differential. I just put up a quick tractor shed and since it is open I figured the adequate ventilation would be enough. Nope. On a humid morning it looks like it is raining in that shed. I put up some 1/2" isocyonate board and the issue is gone.