V4 Good Practice is - Engineering Hygiene.

Dampness in the average garage is often the result of a build-up of condensation; this along with poor ventilation can create the worst environment to keep any vehicle, even for a short period of time. The moisture problem is exacerbated each time the air temperature within the garage drops below the dewpoint, when a little more moisture is absorbed into the building.

Later as the air temperature starts to rise again, the potential for drying is greatly reduced, usually entirely due to the poor air circulation and inadequate ventilation within the building.

Imagine it working like this; equate the air within the garage to a large sponge, the warmer the sponge becomes the more water it can take on, conversely the colder it becomes the more water it has to dispose of.

In the mid to late evening as the air-cools and drops below the dewpoint, it immediately starts to rid itself of excess moisture, the colder it becomes the more moisture will be expelled. Several hours later and it’s a new day, the sun starts to rise, and the air temperature within the garage starts to increase, and begins soaking up some of the moisture deposited only a few hours earlier. 

Poorly insulated garages (in reality most) will be subject to increased temperatures, sometimes higher even than the external ambient temperature. This means that the air within the garage will not only take on moisture from inside the garage environment, under certain climatic conditions it will also take on moisture from outside, as the external ambient air finds it way into the building.  Under these conditions there will be more moisture supported within the air in the garage, than there is outside in the open air. Poor ventilation will keep the moisture locked within the building; over ventilation will let in more moist air than necessary early on in the proceedings. Subsequently again as the temperature starts to drop, the garage environment will be the first to reach the dewpoint, and could end the day with more moisture than it started with. This is all part of the normal 24hour cycle during wintertime.

Some people simply heat the garage in an effort to keep it dry, or more importantly to keep the vehicle dry. As long as the garage doors remain closed, and the temperature is maintained throughout the 24-hour cycle, this is an adequate if not ideal solution.  However heating the garage does not remove water from the air; the resulting drop in relative humidity after turning on the heating, simply demonstrates the extra capacity of the air to support moisture. A garage heated to say 26 deg centigrade with a relative humidity of 50% will have 5.5 grains of water for every cubic foot of air. A typical unheated garage with a temperature of only 5 deg centigrade, again at 50%rh will contain 72% less water, only 1.5 grains per cubic foot. Therefore the rule of thumb has to be- if you heat your garage, keep the heat low and heat it day and night, or alternatively- don’t heat it at all.  

One thing is perfectly clear, the higher the humidity, and the greater the temperature drop, the heaver the condensation.

Historically only governments could afford the expense of pressurised temperature and humidity controlled buildings, these buildings cost millions to build and are very expensive to run and maintain.  Running a dehumidifier in the average garage without controlling the airflow can be an expensive and futile attempt at controlling the moisture content within the garage, sometimes it’s more like an attempt at dehumidifying the whole neighbourhood.

If you really want to protect your car properly keeping it dry is the obvious one, but in this modern industrial age there are also other important considerations.

Why Cocoon Your Car?

During my many hours spent exhibiting the Carcoon around the world this past ten years, I have often heard people explaining to their friends the attributes of the Carcoon. It’s a common misconception that the Carcoon achieves its high level of protection by flowing lots of air across the vehicle in order to keep it dry. Many a clone system has been launched on the back of this misconception; the fact is this could not be further from the truth. Having considered the previous few paragraphs you will understand why this would be “absolutely the wrong thing to do”.  

The Carcoon Airflow Systems award wining design is primarily about dewpoint protection and reducing the volume of air surrounding the vehicle, thus keeping the vehicle dry and, reducing the total moisture content within the vehicles proximity.

The creation of an isolated environment with a stabilising airflow within, and I repeat within, effectively stabilises the air temperature too within two or three degrees of the stored vehicles metal temperature.

As previously considered, cold air supports considerably less moisture than warm air; therefore it makes perfect sense to keep the storage temperature low, and as stable as possible.

Once the vehicle is enclosed within its own environment, it is easy to so see what other benefits can be afforded to protect the stored vehicle. For example now within the enclosure, you have control of the air throughout the entire chamber. Air quality can be improved by filtering through anti-oxidising filters, thus reducing airborne contaminates/pollutants.

Unfortunately in this modern industrial age, Chlorine- Benzene- Sulphates-Acids and lots of other hazardous compounds are now considered to be “common airborne contaminates”. The Carcoon Airflow System uses Activated Carbon Filters held under super atmospheric pressure to ensure maximum benefit within the internal isolating airflow. By creating a “cocoon effect” for the entire vehicle, even the underside of the vehicle (you could argue the most important part) is protected from rising moisture.

Its quite a scary thought when you consider, once the air inside a Carcoon has had time to stabilise, it is probably cleaner than the air you are “breathing in” right now.

Traditional Car Cover

In most garages the floor is the first place to collect condensation.  The problem when using an ordinary car cover is, as the moisture starts to dry it is allowed to rise up into the vehicle, it can then become trapped under the cover itself. Most manufactures of ordinary car covers have considered this problem, and claim that their cover will breathe, and let the moisture pass through. The fact is if the cover did not let the moisture through, it would have serious implications. As it is, moisture is very slowly passing through the cover, and this now damp cover is resting directly on the vehicle.

Vital Ventilation

It is also worth noting that the condensation you can see, on the outer panels is less than half the story. All double skin box sections – chassis sections – doors – reinforcing panels and the like are ventilated, and it’s absolutely essential that they are. You may ask why is it so important that all these places are ventilated? Well the answer is fairly obvious; when the air drops below the dewpoint and deposits its moisture on the external panels, the inside panels soon follow. Without adequate ventilation, trapped moisture inside these sections would reap havoc, destroying these essential panels within a very short period of time.

Ventilation holes of all shapes and sizes are there to help draw out this moisture as the vehicle flows through the air whilst being driven. The latest generation of cars make great use of ventilation throughout the entire structure; this is a very effective anti-corrosion solution.

If the vehicle is not being driven on a regular basis, protecting against condensation becomes even more important, in fact essential to the life of the vehicle.

The Carcoon Airflow System is the only system in the world that actively isolates – cleans and ventilates the air around the vehicle whilst garaged.

Award Winning Patented Airflow Technology

After a years testing, The Classic and Sports Car Magazine awarded the Carcoon Airflow System- “ Product of the Year” Status 

The British Design Council said the Carcoon Airflow Storage System is a Product of the New Millennium.
(Special Award)

Our customers say,

“Thank you for your gift to motor enthusiasts around the world.”

“ We don’t know how we managed without a Carcoon”.

Practical Classics Magazine said our battery management, The Power and Charge System is “the best available and the Best Buy”.

Carcoon say: -

We are proud of our world wide multi- patented product, and say a special big Thank You to all our customers’ around the world.

Think of some of the most prestigious names in the world of motoring, including Formula One, and the chances are: - they are Carcoon customers.
 

We lead where others follow.