Self Storage Facility

I recently downsized from a single-family home to much smaller townhouse house (or attempted too, but that’s another story). Being on a tight budget, with one kid in college and another with one foot out the door (but all her stuff still in my possession), my wife and I decided to save money and move ourselves (with the help of other family victims/volunteers).

We had a few months to prepare, so we planned to move most of our stuff ahead of time in easy non-back breaking chunks. So, we looked for self-storage facilities near the new house.

Now I must confess, I have worked within the dehumidification industry for over 20 years, implementing corrosion control and storage technologies for the U.S. military and consider myself a know-it-all of how to protect stuff in storage. I knew non-climate controlled storage was not an option for our possessions, clothing, photographs, hi-end electronics and even some antique furniture from my parents.

We searched the internet and called over a dozen self-storage facilities within 10 miles of the new place. We quickly discarded all non-climate controlled facilities. Spring and summer in the Washington, D.C. area is extremely humid. I’ve seen firsthand the damage and destruction uncontrolled humidity can wreak on items like clothing, furniture, books and other items we were going to store.

The search narrowed to three self-storage facilities that offered climate control options. I got prices (all pricing was similar), move-in incentives (again similar), two offered use of their truck for one day (Great incentive BTW!) and other features like on-site manager for security (all three), gated 24-hour access (all three), renter’s insurance (all three offered) and online ease and access to account (all three).

The three selections differed mostly in Company Name and the one that didn’t offer a truck. Everything else varied just slightly, A small cost differential per month. A marginal geographic location advantage. All other “amenities” were similar, except one didn’t offer a truck.

The second closest facility appeared to be a simple choice, it had the lowest monthly rental rate by a few bucks and a free one-time use of a truck (saves a couple hundred on rental and hassle). I filled out the online rental agreement, but hesitated before that final click. I had driven by this facility a number of times, but thought I should physically check it out first.

This is when I found out the difference between “Climate Controlled” storage facilities!

Climate Control was advertised by all three. Climate Control, in my opinion, was not really at all three.

I toured my #1 choice with the on-duty manager, the hallways were clean and brightly lit, the unit had a decent light inside but a strong musty smell permeated the building, not just in the unit or on one floor, but from the time I entered to the time I left. Those AC units were working hard to keep the air cool, but they weren’t keeping the air dry and the humidity was probably high enough to support mold and mildew growth (above 50% RH they flourish).

My second stop took me to the furthest location with no free truck, but second best monthly rate and cheapest move-in out of pocket costs, but it was like the first. The moldy smell was not as bad and only caught a few whiffs, but again the air in the halls felt cold and clammy on the skin. Another sign of high RH.

My final stop was to the most expensive per month, but also had a truck and was the closest facility to our new townhouse. This facility, aside from colors, looked identical on the inside to the other two, but felt totally different and did not smell. The air was warmer, but drier. The store manager giving the tour stated that their approach of climate control utilized dehumidification alongside HVAC. Music to my ears. When I commented about the warmer temperature, the manager said something like “they don’t have to keep stuff cool to keep it dry.” I was sold on this facility, although it was a bit more expensive and rented a storage unit on the spot.

Why did we not look further? Because they got it! To paraphrase the manager, “STUFF DOESN’T HAVE TO BE COOL TO BE DRY!” and she was right, my couch doesn’t care if it is 70 or 80 degrees. I did tell the manager that they needed to drive this point to callers and should probably call this difference out on their website to differentiate and sing the praises of to what Logis-Tech now refers to as True Climate Control ™.

When it came down to it, we selected our Self Storage unit, initially online by price and truck option, but in the end, chose the highest monthly rental for a real Climate Controlled Facility that will preserve our possessions in the same condition as which they are stored (and they had a truck).

Our move did not go off as planned. Instead of keeping all our stuff in storage for a few months, it remained in storage for over 6 months. But when brought home, aside from a ding or two, all was good!

Brian W.

“STUFF DOESN’T HAVE TO BE COOL TO BE DRY!”

Your self-storage facility may already have what the industry loosely calls “climate control,” but wouldn’t having a real edge against your competition be awesome? 

Adding dehumidification can be what differentiates you from the competition. YOU protect your client’s belongings; they rest just keep them cold.

Logis-Tech’s True Climate Control™ is:

  • A Market Differential Tool to Rise Above Your Local Competition
  • A Method for Controlling Mold, Mildew and Corrosion
  • A Premium Upcharge Item
  • A Way to Reduce Energy Consumption and Costs

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