oil for tools

[JHZR2]

Hi,

My new house is in an area where the water table is pretty high. Fortunately, my house is nt one that has a wet basement, and doesnt even have a sump hole, but the basement is very humid.

I run two dehumidifiers, but haveno good way to pump the water out, so they only run as long as it takes to fill the bucket - I'm working on this...

That said, Ive noticed that some of my drill bits, one chuck on my makita drill, and some other tools - nothng particularly old, are getting a light coat of surface rust!

Im very upset about this, and so would like reccomendations of what I should use to coat tools and stuff with to make them protected from the humid basement.

I was thinking either 30wt ND oil or some sort of gun oil - maybe even eezox, which has good corrosion resistance and dries, so there is no film. What do you use and what do you suggest???

Thanks!

JMH

 

[dima]

You can use WD40.

 

[Razl]

Not an answer to your primary question but sounds like you need a condensation pump for your dehumidifier(s). Basically, it's a mini-sump pump that your unit drains into, then when it fills, the pump forces water thru plastic tubing that you can pipe to the exterior or existing drain, such as laundry, utility sink, etc. If you have central air, you may already have a condensation pump that you can tap into...that's what I did.

If you have a utility sink, another option would be to put the dehumidifier higher than the sink and drain directly into that. If one of you dehumidifiers dies, I'd consider getting a single large unit that can handle the whole basement. One large unit would be more efficient to run that 2 smaller ones. I would also buy a hydrometer so you know you are keeping your basement at or below 65% RH.

I use Break Free CLP gun oil to clean and protect my tools. It works well for me.

Good luck!

 

[NJC]

I'd use air tool oil.

 

[drm7]

I second what Razl said re: the mini-sump idea. My FIL has one of these on the airconditioner indoor unit. He moved the unit away from the floor drain when he finished his basement. He put the pump on it to get the water out of the basement. Works great for the 3 years or so it has been going.

 

[JHZR2]

thanks!

for now I have the dehumidifier on a shelf and it drins into the sink. I hadn gotten it et up this way because I hadnt gotten out to HD yet to get my tubing.

I think I know what you mean - its about $169, has a 1/4hp flowtc pump that sucks water out of a black plastic basin that is maybe 5 gallons in volume with a cover, right???

JMH

 

[Tree Hugger]

I thought you were going to offer to trade your stash for socket sets, and torque wrenches...

 

[Razl]

My condensation pump that handles the central A/C for the whole house is black plastic brick shaped and around a 1/2 gallon sump. You can get one for under $100.

I guess if you are pulling a lot of water from the air, a bigger sump would cycle less often but 5 gallons sounds really big to me?

 

[Amkeer]

I would place the stuff in large ziploc baggies until you get humidity under control. You can also place these in charcoal drawer. I second RAZl on the draining of condensation. Fans do help so you may want to get a fan to circulate the air.

 

[Papa Bear]

No sump or floor drain ??
What happens if you get water in the basement ?? I just let my de-humidifier drain into the floor drain in my basement.

P.B.

 

[simple_gifts]

"Oil for tools"

Thought this was a new UN program.

 

[JHZR2]

PB - fortunately we dont get water in there, just extra humidity and mustiness down there.

Razl - Ill have to look in the HVAC type section of HD. I was looking at sump and utility type pumps. Where did you get yours and what is the brand?

Thanks!

JMH

 

[Papa Bear]

I don't think I've seen a basement that didn't have some form of drainage.
I know some folks around here that drilled a hole in their cement floor and ran the furnace a/c drain into it. You may be able to do the same.

P.B.

 

[1sttruck]

I use WD40 on a lot of tools, and it works ok for short term protection. In a shop that I worked at we had a lot of machined tools and fixtures which were prone to rusting, and the LPS that they were using wasn't working very well. I suggested BreakFree and they found it to work much better. Later on they found that Ezzox worked better yet, and it's what I use on my carbon steel pocket knives. Tubberware / Rubbermaid containers with the special paper to prevent rusting would probably work well for some items too.

 

[04SpecV]

rust reaper.

 

[Clyde65]

I know exactly what you're talking about. Pliers and drill chucks will be the first ones to start rusting under those conditions.

My recommendations:

Lay your tools on a piece of cardboard, and spray them down with WD-40.
DO NOT WIPE THEM OFF - LET THEM ABSORB THE OIL.

 

[Razl]

PBear, not all basements have drainage, mine doesn't. Newer homes that require full french drainage around the foundation perimeter as part of code will usually not have a sump pumps.

JMH, my cond. pump is a Beckett model #CB151LSUL. It came with the HVAC system so I just tapped into the free 3rd hole in the sump for the dehumidifier. I remember HDepot having a similiar model for $80 but this site has the same size pumps for under $50. Good luck.

 

[JHZR2]

thanks!

JMH

 

[milwaukee]

Breakfree CLP is the best easily obtained rust preventative.

If you garage has that much moisture in the air I don't think any oil type product will protect your tools for more than a few days or weeks with out being refreshed.

You could gain a higher level of protection with a proper long term storage grease but your tools would need to be cleaned before use and that would be a real pain IMO.

First thing would be to try to reduce moisture which you seem to be working on already.

Are you familiar with corrosion inhibitor paper? It is the cats butt for gun storage and would leave your tools ready for use at any time without being covered in greasy or oil film.