Question Storing Dive Gear in SE Florida

[Para Goon]

I'm new to SE Florida and store my dive gear in the garage which is not climate controlled.

Are there any negative effects to storing my dive gear (e.g., regulators, drysuits, wetsuits, and tanks) in the garage exposed to the heat and humidity during the summer?

What precautions should I take to prevent damage, due to the heat & humidity, when stored in the garage?

 

[fred32176]

I dry my gear overnight on my covered back porch and then bring it in the garage for a day to completely dry. My tanks and weights stay in the garage, everything else got in my office closet. Your garage should be fine as long as your garage doesn't get really, really hot, like over 110 degrees. Just make sure your stuff dries and you should be fine.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

I live in SWFL. Just as hot & humid over here. I store all of my gear except computers & analyzers in our garage. I have since we moved down almost 9 years ago now. No issues at all.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

Just make sure you throughly rinse your gear in a tank with clean water not the tanks at the dock and thoroughly dry it, which for some divers this can be an issue if they're flying out the next day.

This is a good point. I meticulously rinse/soak all of my gear after every diving weekend. I then allow it plenty of time to dry. Most of my gear is stored hanging or in open containers so that any remaining moisture has time to evaporate, which can take time in the summer. You don't want to close anything up in a sealed container if it hasn't thoroughly dried.

 

[DanBMW]

After diving, all of my gear is stored in our garage, in west central Florida. I've been doing this for 40+ years with no problem. I do keep the wet suits indoors, in a closet only because we have the room, not because of any moisture problem. Gear dries overnight in the garage too. Something strange though is that nothing ever dries in a Florida motel over night.

 

[greeniguana]

FL garage heat destroys plastics and fabrics. I store everything inside.

 

[Allen-1]

I'm in coastal southern georgia, summers are HOT and HUMID. After diving, I rinse my gear immediately, and then rinse it again very thoroughly when I get home. I hang everything in the garage in front of a fan for a couple days to make sure it's dry before putting it away. I store everything inside, but I've got the space to do so.

 

[atestani]

I have been storing gear in my garage for years. I always rinse everything thoroughly, initially dry outside, and 1-2 day dry in the garage. Everything goes back in my dive bag except wetsuit(s) which I keep on hangers.

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

I keep mine inside, hanging up with space to dry.
Depending on the time of year, I may rinse it in the shower, then let it mostly dry, then move it to another location. Summertime, gear gets rinsed outside, hung in the shade, and brought inside at night to finish drying.

BTW, OdoBan is an excellent choice for rinsing gear and wetsuits. I keep a spray bottle of it with me, and give the wetsuit a spray after the dive.