Storing Safely With Kids

What to Look for in a Climate-Controlled Storage Facility

When looking for a storage facility, you may find that you need a climate-controlled unit. This is particularly true if you are storing books, antiques, jewelry, or wine. Finding the right facility will be essential to keeping your items secure and safe from damage. Here are a few things to look for when choosing a storage facility.

Temperature Control

Some storage facilities keep all units controlled at the same temperature, while others offer more customized heating and cooling options. Ask if you can select the temperature range for your unit, and let the facility know what you will be storing. Your storage facility may be willing to work with you to ensure your items are properly stored.

Humidity Control

In addition to having a heated unit, you may want to ensure your unit has humidity control. Excess humidity can damage wood, paper, and jewelry, as well as a range of other delicate items. Some facilities offer in-unit dehumidifiers to remove excess moisture from the air, so be sure to ask if this is included in your lease. If not, ask about renting a unit with electrical outlets, as this will let you run portable humidifiers occasionally to control the humidity.

Temperature Guarantees

You'll want to make sure that the temperature in your unit is guaranteed to stay within a certain range. Your facility should be able to include this information in the lease, so you can feel confident your items are safely stored at all times. You may also want to ask the facility to contact you in the event of a power or heat loss, as this will give you an opportunity to remove your items from storage until the climate control system is restored.

Adequate Space

Of course, you'll also want to make sure you have enough room in your storage facility to hold all of your items. However, having plenty of room is also important for controlling the climate in the unit. By choosing a unit that's too small, your items may be packed in tightly. This means that there may not be enough air circulation in the unit. By renting a unit with space to spare, the warm or cool air from the facility's HVAC system can properly circulate.

Ask to take a tour of the storage facility, and take note of the temperatures in each unit as you visit. You may also want to ask to see an occupied unit to assess the temperature in a rented unit. The storage facility may be able to make arrangements with another tenant to provide you with this opportunity. Click to find out more about heated storage units.