Vinyl storage

I downsizing to a new house and will have very limited space for my collection. Has anyone any experience of storing vinyl records in a UK garage? Or maybe this is a complete no no!! The current cabinet would keep them free from insects and mice etc. But clearly not from from cold, heat and humidity.

I have done this. (we eventually moved to a bigger house and problem solvedā€¦)

Moisture is your issue. It may be eased if your garage is integrated into the house, but mine was a separate building and was not a good site for my records.

I raised the storage cabinet off the ground by 3 feet, and tacked on some polythene ā€œcurtainsā€ front and back of the cabinet, making sure that air could still circulate and not cause condensation.

It worked OK as far as keeping dust out, but a few sleeves became slightly discoloured but the LPs themselves were fine. Site the cabinet away from natural sunlight if possible.

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Thanks Numpty. Not an integrated garage I am afraid. But maybe run a de-humidifier during periods of dampness? Jus the problem of heat and cold at that point!

The very useful 35xl plastic boxes are the right size for LPs and will provide a water and dust proof environment. About 70 albums per box I think. Canā€™t help with the temperature I am afraid.

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If you have a lot of vinyl 1000 or more maybe rent a small storage space, one thatā€™s temperature controlled?

Moisture is your enemy. Once mold takes hold itā€™s insidious and can ruin a collection. Donā€™t store records anywhere that isnā€™t temperature and humidity controlled. Otherwise, you may come to regret it.

Itā€™s not a complete ā€˜no, noā€™ as I did this when moving house and had to store. Mine were in individual plastic sleeves and were well-wrapped in bubble wrap in blocks of ~10 albums. So long as wrapped in a dry environment, I found this OK for a while - but, as others have said, I would not store then somewhere with massive temperature swings e.g. loft.

The issue I found was some of the plastic sleeves adhered to LP covers - not many, and that may have been down to elderly plastic covers, which tended to go brittle after a while. The newer ones, much softer, didnā€™t create issues.

Of course, I may have been lucky.

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Love the bed idea! But no room for a spare bed. Still investigating the idea of a de-humidifier.

Our garage is attached to the house and next to the sitting room so it gets a minor temperature lift when the central heating is on. The opposite long wall is single brick with support piers. Not great for insulation.
I used to be the proud owner of a Lotus Elan which I sold about 4 years ago. I had a dehumidifier which could produce a litre of water a day in our damp/cold winter. The one I had allowed two sorts of water disposal. An attached bucket which was (often) emptied daily or the fitting of a plastc tube allowing unattended use. The bucket had a cut off like a toilet cistern when it was full. Sometimes it had a mind of its own resulting in a minor flood.
I have replaced the rear door with a double glazed one and the front double doors have some brush insulation at the bottom.
I keep my Naim and B W speaker boxes in there with no obvious sign of deterioration. However the black inner B W packing was at one time attacked by mice.
My main LP storage is in the full length cupboard above the garage accessed from a bedroom.
This houses the central heating boiler and small radiator. I found a number of LPs were slightly damp as they were a good 15" away from the boiler, hense the radiator. Moisture always goes to the coldest part of any room.
Even under ideal conditions inner LP sleeves often discolour with time. Just the way it is.
So, would I keep vinyl in my garage? Only if I had to. In a detached garage? Never.
Loft storage is one step to the tip.

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Back to the drawing boardā€¦

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