Rust prevention.

 I recently bought a case of "DampRid" moisture absorbing containers, to place on the floor underneath where my bike is parked. It's a dry basement area but the humidity can get up there. Anyway, it turns out that the "DampRid" is made up of calcium chloride, which is extremely corrosive to most metals. I recently retired from the concrete ready-mix industry where C-C is used as an excelerant to speed up the hardening of the concrete. But we were forbidden to add it to concrete that would be in contact with any metal,  rebar, frame work, etc. I have also heard of the damage it can do when used as a moisture absorber inside of gun safes. It is also,(unfortunately), is used as a road surface pretreatment in the winter time where I live in P.A.. So I am definitely returning the product. Sorry, don't mean to ramble. Just wanted to pass this along cause nobody needs rust.

Might want to invest in a dehumidifier. My tools were rusting in my basement workshop until I added one. 

I place a rubber type mat under my bikes that are stored in my shed with a concrete floor. I use the three foot wide (or so) stuff from Home Depot that comes on a roll which is cut to length then sold by the foot. I put the side with the grooves down - the smoother side up. I believe it helps because if I lift the mat during certain weather conditions, it’s wet beneath and dry above.
The idea is to keep moisture from rising up to your bike. I figure that any moisture rising now has to rise around the edges of the mat, therefore missing the underside of the bike. That’s my theory. A plastic tarp may work as well but would be more of a problem to move the bike around on.

I notice that my bikes stored in my other shed, (which has a wooden floor with an air space above the ground), remain completely dry.

urankjj wrote:

 I recently bought a case of "DampRid" moisture absorbing containers, to place on the floor underneath where my bike is parked. It's a dry basement area but the humidity can get up there. Anyway, it turns out that the "DampRid" is made up of calcium chloride, which is extremely corrosive to most metals. I recently retired from the concrete ready-mix industry where C-C is used as an excelerant to speed up the hardening of the concrete. But we were forbidden to add it to concrete that would be in contact with any metal,  rebar, frame work, etc. I have also heard of the damage it can do when used as a moisture absorber inside of gun safes. It is also,(unfortunately), is used as a road surface pretreatment in the winter time where I live in P.A.. So I am definitely returning the product. Sorry, don't mean to ramble. Just wanted to pass this along cause nobody needs rust.
 

Hi urankjj,
I wouldn't think that having CC in a container would be a problem. It's not like you're sprinkling it on the floor. After the containers have absorbed what moisture they can you just dispose of them. Before I retired I was asked one fall day to bring the five gallon bucket of ice melter from where ever it'd been stored. When I picked it up I was surprised that it felt like it was full of a liquid. Apparently the lid wasn't tight and the Ice melter pellets had absorbed so much water from the air, since last season, they'd turned to goo.
I do agree with the dehumidifier idea though.
Bill

KZQ, Bill.    That's what I thought also. But knowing the effects that CC can have on metal I just didn't want to take a chance. I will definitely be getting an electric dehumidifier, and the rubber mat under the bike sounds like a great idea also. Thanks to all for the input. Stay well oiled and rust free.....
 

Modern US building code calls for a vapor barrier  ( Sheets of  heavy  plastic ) to be installed  prior to pouring concrete indoors  and some call for it out in the garages too.
This really helps out . But I use a 1/2 inch thick rubber mat for extra protection. 
My classic cars buddies  put down plastic and cardboard on the floor to protect from moisture
Along with a good dehumidifer  all will be well
Dave

My dehumibifier removes atleast 2 gal (+16lb) of water per day. It would take a massive amount of desicant to remove that much water from rhe air.  Just weigh the desicant defore and after 24 hours, and replace the desicant every day $.
Desicant should only be used in a sealed container. Once it absorbs the moisture in that container, it's work is done.
 

CL2 is hydroscopic. It absorbs moisture out of the air at night. That's why the road looks wet in the morning. Its a food grade material used in surgery to slow bleeding among other things. We the CSA104 used it to bind the fines on our dirt roads after grading to keep them from wash boarding. If done correctly one application a year for three years the road becomes like asphalt. 
The jerk next door tried to dig up the road in front of my place but only left skid marks.  It does cause rust so it is stored in plastic cisterns or bladders and the tankers are flushed out every day after delivery. I wouldn't use it in an enclosed area. 
Steve

It seems like a good concrete sealer/coating could be helpful in this situation.

Over the summer I redid the deck with the Cabot Deck Correct stuff from Lowes. It's supposed to work on wood and concrete, though I can't speak to the concrete part yet.

It comes out of the container with the consistency of ketchup and can be applied with a regular 3/8" nap roller (and brushes for the trim work). It's supposed to keep moisture out of the deck boards, so it probably (?) should also block moisture from coming up through the floor.

You have to clean the surface first, of course, but there's no etching with acid or anything like that required. Since it was a deck I power washed it with plain water and let it dry, which may not be super practical indoors so you'll have to figure out something else.

Again just saying that using calcium chloride as a dehumidifier can do fast damage to most metals in proximity to the CC. That is why it is banned as a concrete additive in most scenarios. As a moisture absorber it does vaporize somewhat and linger in the intended area. Then bonding to any metal and facilitating the process of rust. Yes it pulls moisture out of the air and melts ice, but so does hot air.

My best on this one came from top FAA boss I worked for in the early '70's .
   Butch had a pristine 1974 Z1 900 that is still today like new looking ( in my dreams) every time I think of it !
   He would prep it for winter the same way , was it down and let it dry well. Then take two large cans of W-D 40 ( squirrel pee ) as he called it, and empty both cans from top to bottom over  the bike .
. Then cover it up with an old bed sheet until spring. Then in the spring he would give it a good wash and it always looked like NEW !
Rubber, chrome, paint... everything.
ROCK ON 

Way more gooder than wd40, imho.

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