Water And Storage Sheds – What You Really Need To Know
One of the first things that is assumed with out of the house storage, whether at an off site storage facility or a build it yourself shed in the backyard, is they are water tight. The reality is, if you are not in a flood plain and seal you shed properly, it will be as water tight as it can be. However, there are unseen catastrophic weather conditions that will take the tightest sealed storage unit and turn it into a soaked up mess!
This is why you really do need to think through your plans for buying or building a shed to include the best practices for keeping water and other factors out as best as possible, along with some additional protective things that can be done to insure your items stay dry. Most people do some of these but not all.
First thing is to choose the type of shed and foundation correctly. If you choose wood, make sure you have either chosen a very good water deterrent type such as cedar or redwood or have the shed treated and sealed. You may have to get this redone every few years to keep it in tip top shape. If you choose metal or vinyl you won't have to worry about water anywhere with the exception of the foundation.
Next is to make sure and seal your shed with a good waterproof caulk or insulation foam so water cannot come through the foundation crack. This will keep the normal rain soaked day at bay and out of your storage areas. If you will make sure there is a floor in your shed this will help keep everything up off the ground. This can be accomplished in several ways; use shelving, pallets or build a raised floor a few inches up off the ground with the use of a foundation kit. This is easily done using peers or concrete blocks.
If you choose to place a vinyl or metal shed directly on a slab without a floor or foundation kit, it is still water tight as long as you caulk or insulate the base of the unit to seal it. This works very well to keep water from getting underneath the base of the shed. For best results, make sure the base of the shed and the foundation are both clean.
Hanging items from the sidewalls is also a great way to keep things up off the ground but it not always practical. When you need to store things in bins and other containers it is recommended that you use airtight plastic bins that can be stacked one on top of another. Use caution and get the sizes that are easily lifted and moved. You can throw out your back if you're not careful about how you handle the larger containers.
For sensitive documents you may want to keep those in a safe deposit box for even safer keeping than you will have in a storage unit or even in your home. You can also scan and store these documents digitally with CD backups or even cloud computing backups. This is quickly becoming one of the most convenient ways to save and store these types of documents.
For garments such as baby clothes that you want to keep or quilts, sweaters and seasonal wear, consider vacuum sealing those items and then packing them away in airtight containers. This does two things; reduces the amount of space you will need to store them and place two barriers between the garment and the water.
This is why you really do need to think through your plans for buying or building a shed to include the best practices for keeping water and other factors out as best as possible, along with some additional protective things that can be done to insure your items stay dry. Most people do some of these but not all.
First thing is to choose the type of shed and foundation correctly. If you choose wood, make sure you have either chosen a very good water deterrent type such as cedar or redwood or have the shed treated and sealed. You may have to get this redone every few years to keep it in tip top shape. If you choose metal or vinyl you won't have to worry about water anywhere with the exception of the foundation.
Next is to make sure and seal your shed with a good waterproof caulk or insulation foam so water cannot come through the foundation crack. This will keep the normal rain soaked day at bay and out of your storage areas. If you will make sure there is a floor in your shed this will help keep everything up off the ground. This can be accomplished in several ways; use shelving, pallets or build a raised floor a few inches up off the ground with the use of a foundation kit. This is easily done using peers or concrete blocks.
If you choose to place a vinyl or metal shed directly on a slab without a floor or foundation kit, it is still water tight as long as you caulk or insulate the base of the unit to seal it. This works very well to keep water from getting underneath the base of the shed. For best results, make sure the base of the shed and the foundation are both clean.
Hanging items from the sidewalls is also a great way to keep things up off the ground but it not always practical. When you need to store things in bins and other containers it is recommended that you use airtight plastic bins that can be stacked one on top of another. Use caution and get the sizes that are easily lifted and moved. You can throw out your back if you're not careful about how you handle the larger containers.
For sensitive documents you may want to keep those in a safe deposit box for even safer keeping than you will have in a storage unit or even in your home. You can also scan and store these documents digitally with CD backups or even cloud computing backups. This is quickly becoming one of the most convenient ways to save and store these types of documents.
For garments such as baby clothes that you want to keep or quilts, sweaters and seasonal wear, consider vacuum sealing those items and then packing them away in airtight containers. This does two things; reduces the amount of space you will need to store them and place two barriers between the garment and the water.
