Storing Like A Champ

If you have office electronics, personal computers, or other electronics that need to be put away for an extended amount of time, long term storage can give you the extra storage space and security you need for long trips abroad or downsizing your home or office. Unfortunately, there are a few risks to watch out for and hopefully mitigate. Before putting sensitive belongings like electronics in storage, here are a few inspection and improvement points.

Humidity And Corrosion Problems

Most electronics use copper or gold as transfer media for circuits and contacts. With enough humidity in the air for a long enough time, corrosion can begin to reduce the quality of these electricity-transferring contacts, resulting in poor performance and increased spark/burn risk.

The easiest way to avoid humidity is to be on the lookout for any exposure to the outside world and to have a working air conditioning unit at the facility. A visual inspection can handle most of the leak problems, but the air conditioning problem isn't so simple to fix.

One would assume that an air conditioning system at a business would be working properly most of the time. save for a few understandable breakdowns or power outages. Unfortunately, the cooling needed to keep employees and visitors cool may betray intermittent failures that could still turn your storage unit into a muggy mess.

Ask about the facility's air conditioning filters. Are the filters used to block allergens, as is the case with high-efficiency particulate arrestance (HEPA) filters? How often are these filters cleaned or replaced? Beyond the filters, is there any blockage in the ductwork?

These questions can help you figure out how well maintained the air conditioning system is in case of performance problems while you're not around. Humidity can be reduced by the air conditioner's evaporator and absorbed by the system.

Dust, The Destroyer Of Computers

Air conditioning filter quality also affects how well dust is kept out of the storage units. A bit of dust is understandable, but a poorly-filtered storage unit or no air conditioning at all can lead to dust getting inside your electronics.

This is a bigger problem than simple cleaning can fix. Unless you're a skilled technician, you'll have to hire someone to break down the equipment and clean out the dust safely unless you want an overheating problem on your hands. Even if you are a technician, having to go through the effort of disassembly, cleaning, and reassembly is something you can avoid by inspecting the facility ahead of time.

Contact a storage facility, such as Pearl Street Self Storage, for storage units that can deliver all of the protection you need for sensitive electronics.