Rocket and supplies storage

[bigone5500]

I need to store my rockets and related supplies. This is due to moving and limited space. I have a 12x24 steel storage building and it is perfect. However, my concern is the heat. I have in excess of 200 built and many unbuilt kits. I also have a large amount of other rocketry related things such as tubes, cones, ...

I am in the process of insulating the ceiling with some R13 fiberglass made for 2x4 walls. I don't know what the temps will be like in there when I am done but know that so far it gets very hot when the sun beams down on it. I guess my ultimate concern is what is the maximum temperature you would keep your rockets stored at? I am going to guess it may get in excess of 120 Deg.F in there.

Thanks.

 

[AlfaBrewer]

I keep my rockets and building supplies (ex adhesives) in my garage which has no heating or cooling. Just the R-13 insulation in the walls and radiant barrier in the roof. This is in Texas, so it gets plenty hot in there during the summer.

 

[mikemech]

Plenty of ventilation at the overhang and at the peak of the roof. Let outside air come in, up, and out.

 

[H_Rocket]

I would not keep my BP in there. While I do not know where you live or what the daily gradient is, It's just not worth the risk of stressed grains that end up cracked.

 

[Sooner Boomer]

I've only had one problem due to heat (with a built rocket) and I blame myself. I left a rocket in the back seat of the car over a weekend during the summer. It had been built with yellow glue. The way it was sitting, there was some slight pressure on the fins, and the heat caused the glue to soften and the pressure caused them to "creep", bending one slightly out of alignment. I doubt I would have had this problem with epoxy.

 

[bigone5500]

I don't plan on storing my motors in the heat. I have those and my adhesives inside. I have a few of those sterlite totes and cardboard boxes with all my rockets in them. I also have some that are too large for a box. I live in NW Louisiana and the temps will get around 100F in the summer and once in a while just above. The humidity is bad here too.

Thanks for the input.

 

[RocketryBill]

It really depends on the materials and conditions of your storing place. Refrain from storing BP, motors, adhesives, and sensitive electronics in a condition of over 80 degrees Fahrenheit. For the rest of the materials. like just the fuselage of the rocket, it should not be kept in temperatures of over 91 degrees Fahrenheit. Put a thermometer in suspension in your area, and after 30 minutes measure the temperature. For humidity, nothing, absolutely no rocketry gear should be kept over 80%. Keep it to an ideal 30-65% humidity.

 

[rharshberger]

Also store your tubes upright, and not leaning against something. If laid flat they will eggs slightly over time (at least the lighter wall tubes will), if leaned against a wall, they develop a curvature, Gravity sucks but it has its uses. High temps will accelerate the process. Also store your motors in a temperature controlled environment, temperature cycling will cause problems with motors over time like cracks in BP propellant (BOOM!).

 

[bigone5500]

It really depends on the materials and conditions of your storing place. Refrain from storing BP, motors, adhesives, and sensitive electronics in a condition of over 80 degrees Fahrenheit. For the rest of the materials. like just the fuselage of the rocket, it should not be kept in temperatures of over 91 degrees Fahrenheit. Put a thermometer in suspension in your area, and after 30 minutes measure the temperature. For humidity, nothing, absolutely no rocketry gear should be kept over 80%. Keep it to an ideal 30-65% humidity.

This may pose a problem then. I may have to make space in my bedroom for the larger rockets and put up with my wife's complaints until I get a means to control temps in the building.

Also store your tubes upright, and not leaning against something. If laid flat they will eggs slightly over time (at least the lighter wall tubes will), if leaned against a wall, they develop a curvature, Gravity sucks but it has its uses. High temps will accelerate the process. Also store your motors in a temperature controlled environment, temperature cycling will cause problems with motors over time like cracks in BP propellant (BOOM!).

I didn't think about this. However, I do have my tubes in a tall box to keep them all in one space.

Thanks.

 

[caveduck]

Another weird thing to watch out for in heat is unbuilt kits in poly bags. In the mid-80s there was a rash of Estes kits (especially the Start Trek licensed ones) bagged in seemingly substandard plastic that disintegrated in the space of maybe 20 years, despite being in the dark at mostly moderate temperatures. I'm pretty sure that heat would accelerate that, not to mention baking out any self-adhesive items in the kits.

 

[bigone5500]

Well I got 5 out of 6 sections insulated in my building. I left the doors and windows shut all day today and this eve. went in and took a reading. It was 140F on the uninsulated part and 110F on the insulation. The other areas were roughly the same or 5 to 10F less. I think with a vent in the back I can get the temps even lower. Later on in the year I may get more and do the walls. Meanwhile, I have to get two more rolls and finish the ceiling.