Mould everywhere

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I have recently moved house and now store my brewing equipment in the garage. The garage is watertight in terms of roofing and windows.
I noticed that a clean FV and the rim of my brewzilla have some grey mould on them. Both were cleaned (or at least I thought they were clean) when I left them.
Other non-brewing items in the garage have gone mouldy too, for example a cushion I left in the garage.
Is this a comman problem? I assumed many others store gear in there garage. Do you all get this problem?
There is an inspection pit which I guess may be the source of some dampness?
It's a detached garage, unheated, if that makes any difference.

 

[sifty]

Sounds like it's too watertight and needs some ventilation. I brew in my garage but always have the doors open. It gets good sun though too, morning and evening which helps....

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

Many years ago I made the mistake of storing some logs (to be used in a fire pit) in the garage. A few weeks later everything in the garage got mouldy and it was clearly the logs because the mould got denser and thicker closer to the logs.

 

[AnimatedGIF]

Good to know. I can leave the windows locked open a crack. Maybe I need a couple of air bricks too.
I keep my lumber in the garage. I wonder if that would have the same effect as the logs.

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

I wouldn’t have thought lumber, logs have stuff growing on them that presumably spore where your lumber shouldn’t have.

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

Many years ago I made the mistake of storing some logs (to be used in a fire pit) in the garage. A few weeks later everything in the garage got mouldy and it was clearly the logs because the mould got denser and thicker closer to the logs.

Oh no! I have some logs 'drying out' in the garage! Is this gonna be a problem? It's the FIL's old tree lol

 

[Agentgonzo]

Oh no! I have some logs 'drying out' in the garage! Is this gonna be a problem? It's the FIL's old tree lol

It all depends on how many logs and how airtight the garage is. I store about a cubic metre green logs in the garage. I have two garage doors, each of which doesn't seal and has about half an inch gap all the way around both of them. That provides adequate ventilation that I've never had a problem.

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

Ok - I might be ok then. It's a rickety old dump to be fair and probably not airtight.

 

[The Baron]

Hi Tess I am no expert in this but you need plenty of ventilation around wood with ideally sun as well to reduce the water content, ventilation being the key to it so outdoors is the best place with a shelter over it and off the ground.
I am sure the true experts will chip in

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

Mine are just sat on the concrete floor - some of them are stacked up and there's quite a lot of them. Ooh eck!

 

[Oneflewover]

Hi Tess I am no expert in this but you need plenty of ventilation around wood with ideally sun as well to reduce the water content, ventilation being the key to it so outdoors is the best place with a shelter over it and off the ground.
I am sure the true experts will chip in

Exactly what I do

 

[foxbat]

My grain is in my garage

Thankfully it's in large plastic sealable bags.

 

[The Baron]

If its a bit rickety with plenty of draughts it may be ok but try and separate the logs to allow good airflow around them

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

Thanks Baron, sounds like a good plan!

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

Oh no! I have some logs 'drying out' in the garage! Is this gonna be a problem? It's the FIL's old tree lol

Maybe - keep an eye on them and the wall just behind/around them. Any sign of mould get them out.

 

[Justin Dean]

I brew and store all my kit in a detached garage. Mine has corrugated roof and wondow vent so ventilated. Mould I had was blooming on mdf shelving. Took me ages to clean. I replaced all shelving with marine ply. I also have two smallish dehydrators working all the time. I have a antiould spray I use from time to time too.

 

[allotment_fox]

just a few ideas as there is a pit in the floor ( would love one for storage) these are often covered with short wooden planks any water condensation can drain through from the garage floor check the underside of the planks to check there dry.
also garages much like roof spaces have large fluctuations in temperature this will be ideal for anything damp to go mouldy. rarely hope you can get it sorted

 

[Buffers brewery]

I used to store my kit in my shed but moved it to my garage and found the occasional spots of black mould. I now make sure everything is well rinsed of wort and dried off before it’s stored. Seems to have helped but I think during the winter months when things are cold they attract condensation on which mould will thrive.

 

[Tanglefoot]

Your garage may be dry but if it isn't insulated there will be temp fluctuations and condensation which is what mould likes.
Floor, walls and roof are cold bridges, the roof and walls can be insulated between rafters/studs with celotex but floor is more difficult unless you raise it by battening and celotexing in between then cover with ply.
Maybe easier to make an insulated storage cupboard.

 

[AnimatedGIF]

just a few ideas as there is a pit in the floor ( would love one for storage) these are often covered with short wooden planks any water condensation can drain through from the garage floor check the underside of the planks to check there dry.
also garages much like roof spaces have large fluctuations in temperature this will be ideal for anything damp to go mouldy. rarely hope you can get it sorted

Yeah, I need to actually look in the inspection pi to see what's going on. The covers are metal and a little rusty on top. I considered using the pit top condition my beer, but leaning toward filling it in. Thanks for the encouragement

Your garage may be dry but if it isn't insulated there will be temp fluctuations and condensation which is what mould likes.
Floor, walls and roof are cold bridges, the roof and walls can be insulated between rafters/studs with celotex but floor is more difficult unless you raise it by battening and celotexing in between then cover with ply.
Maybe easier to make an insulated storage cupboard.

That's a good idea. I had considered insulating the walls (roof is already done by previous owner - they had a "warm roof" installed). I have considered insulating the walls. Just whether the benefit will outweigh the cost.
Good idea to make an insulated storage cupboard. I hadn't thought of that.