"What does climate control mean?"
A question we often receive from prospective mini storage customers is, “What does climate control mean?” They have a concept of what it is, but they aren’t quite sure what to expect. In self storage, climate control seems to be an umbrella term that covers many different meanings. For example, the Midwest and Northeast requires heating and cooling year round, where the Southeast and Southwest regions only require cooling. Some facilities only use heating but not air conditioning. Some have separate humidity controls and some do not. But it is all marketed as climate control. So what is the true meaning? The meaning is how each individual self storage facility defines it. Every self storage facility should be able to tell you, preferably in their rental agreement, their stated goals. They should be able to tell you which mechanical components they use and what the temperature range will be. So what conditions are ideal?
Controlled Humidity Levels
The most important aspect of climate control storage is humidity levels. If the relative humidity percentage is less than 60%, ideally around 50%, the likelihood of mold and mildew accumulating is greatly reduced, if not eliminated. Furniture, which is far less cold and heat sensitive than people, doesn’t care if it’s 95 degrees as long as the humidity is 55%. This really needs to be the central focus. Air conditioning for the most part takes care of this, but should always be monitored.
Mini-Max Storage Company in Peoria, IL, provides heating, air conditioning, and dehumidification. Our building temperature is set at 58 degrees on heat during the winter, and 78 degrees on cooling during the summer. The tricky part is the spring and fall when building temperatures are not warm enough or cool enough to cycle on the heating or air conditioning. This is where the dehumidification system takes over and dries the air until the desired humidity percentage is achieved. This produces optimal conditions 365 days a year.
Level Up!
Climate Control storage units offer many advantages over standard units. In addition to not having your property exposed to extreme temperatures and humidity, you also have a unit in a building that is more protected from the outside. Access is through a locked exterior door which is more like a sealed door to your house. Interior access hallways make it nice to open your unit door without standing in the rain, or being exposed to frigid outdoor temperatures. Being more sealed up from the outside also minimizes the threat of pests and the accumulation of dust on your items.
Please give us a call at (309) 692-6358 to discuss if a climate control storage unit is right for you.