Reloading in the garage

think you'll need to make some sort of a vent, they have little floor air conditioners units, a hose just runs to a vent, then you'll have to do something with the liquid. you can always store items in heavy tupperware containers just big enough to hold them, and put in many dessicant packs to keep moisture in check.

A lot will depend on where you live. When I lived in the Reno/Carson City area, humidity averaged 25%, so no worries reloading in the garage. Now in Florida, humidity averages closer to 80% so I managed to find a top shelf inside for powder and primers. Equipment was covered by large plastic garbage bags and wiped down with some form of oil/silicone/rust preventative.

I would have an ammo can with desiccant for your dies to go in after they are cleaned and lightly oiled. Primers and powder can go in a shoe box and go inside if at all possible. Bullets a brass store well in sealed plastic containers from food products like Costco chocolate almonds and similar

You didn't say where you're located. I assume "sfl" indicates south Florida ??

Powder and primers don't need to be "cool" to retain their longevity, and they only need to be kept away from "wet" conditions. So while 50% RH may be "optimal" a long life at 80 or 90% RH is fine as long as it's "non-condensing". That is to say, free of condensation.

If that is the issue you face, then put an old refrigerator in the garage and set the temp for 60°F. That will give you a cool, dry storage compartment with shelves.

I'm in central Florida and I store all my supplies and equipment in my garage.

I reload from October through March without any ac. Its too darn hot the rest of the year to reload. I think you will be creating moisture by using an ac in the garage unless its on full time.

I'm using primers and powders that I purchased back in '02 without issue and have been stored in the garage. I store all my reloads in 40mm, 50 cal and 30 cal ammo cans with a desiccant pack. Dies are stored in their cases in plastic shoe boxes with desiccant paper in the die box. I honestly doubt Im protecting the dies. I also have 15 tool heads on tool stands with Dillon toolhead covers and they don't rust. The only equipment that rusts on my bench is Lee.

sfl_gunner said:

storing powder, primers and dies in the garage ... looking to use a portable AC to keep the garage cool and control moisture

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Johnnyd said:

I store all my supplies and equipment in my garage ... too darn hot ... using primers and powders that ... have been stored in the garage

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I would be more concerned about storage temperatures as powder deterioration/stability is dependent on storage temperatures.

As to primers, they are made with moisture sealant/barriers - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...-and-discussions.778197/page-10#post-11386382

BTW, THR thread on primer storage and misfires - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...mer-misfires-guns-ammo-article-review.872986/

I live at the coast where much of the year, there is 100% humidity and keep my primers in factory boxes/cardboard sleeves taped up in plastic bags and powders in factory plastic containers. If you are concerned about moisture/humidity, I would store the primer boxes in tape sealed plastic bags. (Plastic powder containers from manufacturers are meant to protect powder from moisture )

From Hodgdon - https://www.hodgdonreloading.com/reloading-education/safety/gunpowder-stability




From Alliant - https://www.alliantpowder.com/resources/catalog/2018_Alliant_Powder.pdf

sfl_gunner said:

So I’ve been working out of my garage since I started reloading. But now I have more stuff and due to some changes in my living arrangement I can’t store somethings inside the house anymore. So I’m looking at storing powder, primers and dies in the garage. With these plans in mind, I’m looking to use a portable AC to keep the garage cool and control moisture. Does anybody have experience with this type of set up? How are you venting the AC unit (I don’t have a window)?

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you can most likely use a de-humidifier. don't need any window to vent that, just daily checking of the water level, then drain it.

In my shop, a window unit would not run long enough to dehumidify it. I ended up adding a dehumidifier to the room with a drain running out side. It was producing on a average of 1-2 gal of water a day. The tank was not large enough to keep it running 24 hrs. I'm on my 3 dehumidifier in 5 yrs. The one currently running failed before it ran out of warranty and was replaced. In my area we average 60-80% most year round. My shop is 12x25 and insulated with spray foam, sides and ceiling. Sealed up pretty tight.

As far as your powder you may need to store it in a old ref/freezer/ice chest to keep the upper temp down to something reasonable. Heat is the only thing that will degrade powder quickly. I would try to find a place inside the house to keep the powder. Primers are very hard to damage and be stored anywhere. I use to keep my powders on the bottom shelf (cooler) and primers mid height.

You definitely need a refrigerator.

You could store them in a Styrofoam cooler, something that the lid will come off easily if you have a detonation (you don't want a bomb), and then put a damp rid container inside. I wouldn't store the primers and powder in the same container.

I store my powder in a used but operating refrigerator that I have modified the latch so it would blow open easily. I have a dehumidifier running 24 hours a day in the garage, which is insulated and sheet rocked. I have very little issue with humidity even though I live on salt water.

Bob

Blue68f100 said:

As far as your powder you may need to store it in a old ref/freezer/ice chest to keep the upper temp down to something reasonable. Heat is the only thing that will degrade powder quickly.

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gonoles_1980 said:

You could store them in a Styrofoam cooler, something that the lid will come off easily if you have a detonation

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You can often get non-working chest type or stand up deep freezer for free on classified ads.

I’d find a hiding place to store them in the house, myself.

As for portable ac venting without a window, you could put a board across the entire garage door with a hole in it or just cut a hole through an outside wall and install a louvered dryer vent so rodents don’t try use it as a home. https://www.lowes.com/pd/Lambro-4-in-Louvered-Dryer-Vent-Hood/3240560

jmorris said:

I’d find a hiding place to store them in the house

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+1. That would be my recommendation also.

Out of the way, bottom of closet would be temperature/humidity controlled and out of sunlight.

jmorris said:

I’d find a hiding place to store them in the house, myself.

As for portable ac venting without a window, you could put a board across the entire garage door with a hole in it or just cut a hole through an outside wall and install a louvered dryer vent so rodents don’t try use it as a home. https://www.lowes.com/pd/Lambro-4-in-Louvered-Dryer-Vent-Hood/3240560

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I did this once and the first problem is that when you lift the door, you create a very odd gap at the top of the door. I stuffed the gap with pool noodles to seal it but eventually found it not to be worth it.
So, only did this as an emergency situation and got used to using just a fan.

I’d store the primers in a plastic ammo can and stick it under or behind a couch or in a closet. The powder I’d leave in the original bottles and store separately but also in the house somewhere. My bench is in the living room and the powder is stored in the cabinets on the bottom and the primers get stacked above on the shelves. I’ve had it like that for 30 years with no problems.

bullseye308 said:

I’d store the primers in a plastic ammo can and stick it under or behind a couch or in a closet. The powder I’d leave in the original bottles and store separately but also in the house somewhere. My bench is in the living room and the powder is stored in the cabinets on the bottom and the primers get stacked above on the shelves. I’ve had it like that for 30 years with no problems.

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i'm glad to hear that, (for 30 years) cuz some of you guys are scaring me with explosions talks, and i ain't even started shopping for my reloading equipment yet.

my plans were to store everything in the basement. it's cool in the summer, warm in the winter. i can run a dehumidifier if i have to, cooling fans as well.

The wine mini fridge.

Simple, compact, and a stable environment. Keeps it cool, but not cold: about 50°. Some regulate humidity too.

I kept my powders in one for a number of years in northeastern KS. It was in a heated only detached garage. We have 100° summers at 50% humidity. Never had a problem with it. My fridge was about 36"H 18"D and 15"W and i could store about 40 pounds of powder. Even old cardboard cans of powder stayed loose and powdery.

It did not have a latch. Smokeless powder does not explode in a fire. It simply burns. But that burning will increase pressure inside, so a latch is not recommended. Also, the insulation of the fridge will keep heat from penetrating to ignite the powder, for a little while.

Youll notice I say I used to store it in a mini fridge. Thats because that fridge, and the powder in it burned in a fire that consumed the building. The only explosions were the primers and a tank from the oxy-acetylene torch. That was the big one. You could set a mens basketball in the peeled back rupture in the side of the tank. The firemen were only concerned with any black powder.

I now am fortunate to have my powder and primers in a 6 sided concrete room in the garage that is plumbed into the HVAC. My reloading room isnext to it and also hooked to the HVAC and doubles as my lathe and mill room. My projectiles and equipment is all stored in here, in a cabinet.

A buddy on an automotive forum was searching for an answer of how to store chemicals and aerosols in an unheated garage in during the northeast Washington winters. The consensus was to use an old refrigerator with a small heating element or light bulb. Seems like the refrigerator is a common answer to semi-outdoor storage!

gonoles_1980 said:

You could store them in a Styrofoam cooler, something that the lid will come off easily if you have a detonation (you don't want a bomb), and then put a damp rid container inside. I wouldn't store the primers and powder in the same container.

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Loose smokeless powder does not explode. The lid will blow off because of the heat created by burning powder. Though if the powder gets hot enough to combust, the Styrofoam is long gone.

Even loaded ammunition does not explode in a fire. The lead projectile melts before the powder gets hot enough to combust. Brass can even melt first. Read my last post. I do have experience with this, unfortunately.

Primers are the only thing that "explode" in a fire. And they are nothing more that a bunch of firecrackers.

No, the pressure from a round in a fire forces the bullet to leave the brass with a PFFFFTTTT, the lead doesn't melt

BigBlue 94 said:

Loose smokeless powder does not explode. The lid will blow off because of the heat created by burning powder. Though if the powder gets hot enough to combust, the Styrofoam is long gone.

Even loaded ammunition does not explode in a fire. The lead projectile melts before the powder gets hot enough to combust. Brass can even melt first. Read my last post. I do have experience with this, unfortunately.

Primers are the only thing that "explode" in a fire. And they are nothing more that a bunch of firecrackers.

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I was talking more about the primers, especially if for some reason the primers were stored in the same area as the powder. I keep my primers and powder stored in my computer room, the primers on one side of the room and the powder on the other.

I have reloaded in an un-air-conditioned garage (first in northern Arkansas, then north Texas, now back in northern Arkansas) my entire reloading life. With the exception of some late-1970's/early-1980's Green Dot, none of my powder has suffered deterioration. None of my primers have gone bad. Apart from some Norma 30 Carbine brass that was stored in a Ziploc bag and a few rounds of new Remington 25 ACP brass, nothing has experienced any deterioration other than routine tarnish.

Heat and humidity are the enemies as you're no doubt aware...as to the A/C idea, I'd guess venting it's condenser dribble tube outside would probably suffice. But the cost of running a big enough A/C unit may eat up some of the savings you'd normally expect from reloading. (Truth be told, in my case, reloading does not save a nickel...it just allows me to shoot more!). YMMv Rod