Carcoon Standing Up Well

[Migge]

We don't need that in sonny Germany

[Colin Newbold]

We don't need that in sonny Germany

Arse Fart is all I have to say to you Michael. Missed your calendar this year by the way, it was as much a milestone as the Pirelli one

Colin

[clive]

I've no need for a Carcoon or de-humidifier either.

[KevinW]

Very interested in this thread, having popped in to my damp and slightly leaky concrete garage to find every surface covered in moisture yesterday. The ignition box was actually dripping. Ultimately needs levelling and starting again, but its a low priority atm.

I am still pre-IVA (although getting close now ), and thinking this could be a good solution for me, but my main worry is about durability of the product - given that I need to jack the car, move around the garage, crawl underneath and clunk tools around, does this present a risk to ripping the 'skin'? is grit a hazard for the base material? It looks like its a type of PVC. Can you use a repair kit if you spring a leak?

Can you explain the need for the 'extras' (heater and dehumidifier) you've added?

I could always try a dehumidifier on its own, but have also read some horror stories of these failing spectacularly, and i am not sure it would cope very well anyway.

thanks
Kevin

[Roger King]

I've used dehumidifiers in my garages for over 30 years and never had an issue. They certainly help, not just with the car but tools, materials stored in the workshop etc. I plumb them in with an external drain so I don't have to keep emptying them.

[Paul Blore]

Agreed, I wouldn't be without mine.

I don't know what type you use Roger, but I'd recommend a desiccant type rather than condensing as they work to a much lower temperature and are generally more efficient.

I've had a Ruby Dry for getting on 10 years and it's been running 24x7 for all of that time and still works as well today as the day I bought it.

They also warm the air slightly, so the garage is always a reasonable temperature to go into.

Prior to the Ruby Dry, I has three condensing types, but none of them lasted very long.

Paul

[Roger King]

I had a real old fashioned reverse fridge job for ages, followed by a Ruby Dry. When that died I went to the modern equivalent, an X-dry, and still have a couple of those on the go.

[morgy]

I have been thinking about getting a Carcoon since I got my car, Its good too hear your review.


My Ariel Atom 3 300 has not suffered at all from any corrosion Since purchasing it in 2008 but I do live by the sea so damp and salt spray seem to get on everything. Is it worth having an electric Dehumidifier running 24-7 or just using one of those moisture absorbing cylinders if the car is in a Carcoon for long periods of time.. My Garage is well insulated and Fairly dry for a garage..

[Colin Newbold]

Very interested in this thread, having popped in to my damp and slightly leaky concrete garage to find every surface covered in moisture yesterday. The ignition box was actually dripping. Ultimately needs levelling and starting again, but its a low priority atm.

I am still pre-IVA (although getting close now ), and thinking this could be a good solution for me, but my main worry is about durability of the product - given that I need to jack the car, move around the garage, crawl underneath and clunk tools around, does this present a risk to ripping the 'skin'? is grit a hazard for the base material? It looks like its a type of PVC. Can you use a repair kit if you spring a leak?

Can you explain the need for the 'extras' (heater and dehumidifier) you've added?

I could always try a dehumidifier on its own, but have also read some horror stories of these failing spectacularly, and i am not sure it would cope very well anyway.

thanks
Kevin

Sorry Kevin, missed your reply until now. Regards durability of the skin, its pretty thick skinned and I've brushed past it many times with all sorts (metal, wood, etc) without issue. It is a vinylised cloth, so I'm guessing that a tent repair patch would suffice in the event of a tear. The floor is a lot tougher, mine sits over a boarded up pit with a very uneven surface and no troubles to date. I have used a trolley jack a couple of times without drama. I shouldn't think grit would worry it very much.

Regards the heater, it's pretty tame (you know the cylindrical tube heaters typically found in greenhouses?). I've actually got 3 of them but for now 1 will suffice.

The ordinary domestic dehumidifier seems to fill up every week, so there's obviously damp even inside the Carcoon (I haven't yet figured a way to get it to drain automatically).

If you'd seen the amount of surface rust on my chassis before after just 4 years, you'd want a Carcoon. Overall 9 out of 10.

Hope that helps,
Colin

[peterc]

Colin.
Sounds like you need to waterproof the pit.
I used Ruberoid Waterproofing paint designed for proofing cellars as it is intended for use below the DPC with up to 3 Meters head of surrounding watertable. Advantage of being white to brighten up the hole too.
You will probably need to wait until the summer for the external water table to drop assuming it stops raining sometime and get the walls etc dry enough to apply it.
Peter C