Reloading Room in Garage

[PharmShooter]

Guys,

I recently put a reloading room in my 3rd car garage that has a large entry way (appx 8 foot wide) from my 2 car garage. The room is about 12 feet wide by 18 foot long. I live in Indiana where it can get very hot and humid during the summer and pretty cold during the winter. I am formulating plans for closing the 8 foot entryway. I have a very nice wall mounted electric heater I used previously for heat in the winter. I am thinking about having this portion of the garage tied into my lower story heating and cooling unit.

With that being said, if I do nothing for the time being what do I need to be worried about? Do I need a dehumidifier?

What do I need to do to make this area perfect for reloading ammo???

Thanks for your thoughts!

Brad

 

[ShtrRdy]

If you don't do anything about temp control, you could probably just store your powder and primers indoors.

 

[P7id10t]

What do I need to do to make this area perfect for reloading ammo???

Um... Leather sofa, 46" TV (or larger) / entertainment system, keg fridge. Then you can have buddies over for reloading parties. Who said MAN CAVES couldn't be comfortable?

I don't know about you but my wife prefers that I keep my man entertainment low key. Impossible. Movies featuring guns, action and chicks with points, Xbox Zombies, loud obnoxious music. I get loud, really loud.



A good bench doesn't take up that much space. Mine is 5' deep along 12' of wall in my garage. The only thing i park in my garage is my motorcycle, in the other bay.

 

[JoshcBoucher]

I have my set up, "under my garage", in my "Man cave". I store every component, in plastic bags, and run a dehumidifier full time. Worked, so far, for 12 yrs, at this address.The wood stove brings the temp up to tee shirt levels, in 20 min, and the stereo helps with the "long sessions". Got a little fridge, and coffee maker. If I had a toilet, I could live down here.

 

[260shooter]

I live in South Illinois so I have the same problems as you. For 20 years I have had all my reloading stuff in the garage with heat in winter (not full time) and no AC. Haven't had problems with humidity or condensation ever.

 

[lightman]

If you are going to have problems, probably the first thing you will see will be rust forming on things like your press handle,the ram, or your dies. Lumpy or clumpy powder would be another indication. There are lots of options to consider about framing up your door. Maybe some of the builders on here will chime in. Lightman

 

[PharmShooter]

I am noticing very light rust on one of my dies and on my heads. Any other suggestions? Thx for the feedback.

 

[lightman]

I think the light rust is going to be an ongoing problem. Getting that wide door closed in will help, and I would look into some type of heating/ac system. Controlling the environment will be the key. Either joining to your existing system or adding another unit. These problems can be solved, but I'm really thankful to have a room in the house! Good Luck Lightman

 

[milo 2.0]

I am noticing very light rust on one of my dies and on my heads. Any other suggestions? Thx for the feedback.

Most rust issues don't happen overnight, and isn't noticable right away. The rust might have occured indoors and you never noticed.
Most HVAC people will steer you away from using an indoor source of ventilation for the garage. Just a widow mounted ac unit will do the trick.
There's a product, Boesheild T-9, protective coating, it dries after spraying and isn't oily, will protect stuff, other good sprays also. If you keep things shut up, a dehumidifyer should help.

 

[Deadshot2]

Insulation and drywall, if not already done, will go a long way to controlling hot/cold. There are even some large insulated garage doors today that don't cost an arm and a leg for that size. Only need to replace panels, not track, rollers, etc.

Want to store primers/powder in a controlled environment? Get a used refrigerator, clean it out well, set the temp for around 60 degrees inside, and put a big bucket of dessicant in it. Some say that "Kitty Litter" can be used for this.

For A/C, I use an LG portable unit in my reloading room. All you need is a "vent" cut through a wall or a window opening. The unit vents all heat through a 6" flex tube which in my case goes through a window opening. Gets put away during winter months. Bought mine at Home Depot.

 

[fish30114]

When it gets hot enough that you notice it, there will be humidity issues. The best way to de-humidify ambient air, other than a dehumidifier is with AC, which acts as dehumidifier itself. You also should consider the insulated Garage door panels as another poster suggested, or you can cut to the correct size and glue to your door foam panels. I will concur with the insulation and drywall comment. That will make a real difference... I actually used T-111 paneling on my walls in my shop, which made it easy to sink screws into it to hang mounts etc. Using a material like that and trim on the corners as needed works pretty well for a shop environment.

If you are going to eliminate the door itself, I would think about a door with and/or window that would hold the necessary vent for an AC unit of whichever type. All the sprays you want to put on stuff isn't gonna keep you cool when you load. One other thing that pays to think about early on, is lighting, and wiring you may need to do for it. One thing I really miss having in my room, is a sink. It isn't un-doable, but the sink would end up in a place I don't want it in at this point,...just didn't think about it when I built this house, if I build another one, I will. The one thing I got right, and am glad I did, is wire everything up where I have good lighting and plenty of power outlets. I've got a seperate 400 amp subpanel just for my shop. Sounds like you've got a nice amount of space alloted, so plan everything to the best of your ability and have fun!