Storing Electronics? Make Sure Storage Facilities Are Ready
Posted on: 7 September 2016
Not every storage facility can be used to store sensitive materials. Fine clothing, untreated wood, unsealed electronics and other sensitive objects can be quickly ruined by the onset of humidity or will require intense cleaning if dust settles in. You'll need to make sure that your storage facility of choice is properly equipped to keep your belongings safe. Have a look at what could go wrong and what you need to look out for when storing electronics and similarly sensitive objects in long-term storage.
Corrosion And Buildup
Depending on where you store your items, humidity may be a constant issue or a problem that only happens during storm season. For many stored belongings, this poses a risk of mold and staining, but electronics have the risk of corrosion to deal with.
Oxidization of metals is not a quick process to the casual computer user, otherwise users in coastal areas and the South would have sparking, broken computers with damaged electrical traces. Unfortunately, long-term storage can accelerate the problem.
There's no set amount of time, as humidity rates, dynamics of the storage room and air pollutants can change the rate of rust and corrosion, but electronics stored in humid areas may be damaged after months of neglect.
Dust is another issue, but the problem is cleaning everything out properly. For many objects, you simply need to wipe off any dust or scrub away at residue left behind by humidity and dust combining. With electronics, cleaning off dust isn't so easy.
The internal components are often covered by hard-to-reach casings and ventilation ducts. Opening the devices for maintenance can be difficult, even in systems designed for consumer maintenance such as desktop components. If not cleaned properly, dust acts as an insulator that can cause many devices to reach critical heat. Some devices may burn dust and lead to permanent damage, while more advanced systems such as personal computers will run more slowly or shut down as safety measures.
Looking For The Right Features In Storage Facilities
The basics of looking for a clean room are not enough. Although dust, debris and obvious cracks should send you to another storage unit, you'll want to know about features such as air conditioning and filtration.
Air conditioning is great for reducing humidity, but watching out for filter problems is a top concern. Air conditioning as a storage facility feature is not rare, but you'll need to know how well the system is maintained. Air conditioning systems should have a filter, but irregular maintenance or a removed filter can lead to a fast filling of dust from the outside that settles over your belongings.
In addition to checking air conditioning filters and suggesting more advanced filters, be sure to inspect the air ducts for your unit. A buildup of debris can be a slow dust problem and may mean a leak in the system that a basic filter check won't handle. Although this is all the storage facility's responsibility, never assume that the job is being handled until you build rapport with your storage management team.
For more information, contact Pearl Street Self Storage or a similar company.
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