Storing videogames in an attic?

o1s1n

Okay so I know this is probably a silly question as some people have games and consoles in attics for years, but is it safe?

It looks like I'm going to have to store away the majority of my game for about a year. I'll be taking the rarer stuff and the consoles with me, so it'll just be the bulk of my bog standard games. My grandparents have been nice enough to offer me their attic space (it's bloody huge!)

However I'm pretty sure its a non converted attic. So you're talking just cross beams, insulation and the roof.

It usually gets pretty cold in attics like that during the winter and hot during the summer. I think the worst possible thing that could happen is to go up a year later to find the storage conditions has damaged stuff.

I have a feeling I'm being crazy..but any tips? Everything is in Tesco crates. So I'll probably have to cover the top in plastic.

Myrddin

It's the moisture in the air during the cold months which used to terrify me having my stuff in the attic. The as you mentioned, going from one extreme to the other is a concern too.

Not sure how to alleviate it, my stuff survived unscathed & I had it all tightly packed away in cardbox boxes. I wonder would it be worth buying some of those large plastic storage containers (for clothes etc) & throwing some of those dampness attractor packets in (the small packs you get that are full of little crystals)?

Once you have it all contained & protected from moisture I think it'll be grand. Paper etc suffers a lot from it.

o1s1n

I was thinking about those storage crates..but there's literally so much stuff that it would cost me a fortune to buy enough to store it all!

Good call on the silica gel packets. Might be able to get them in a camera shop. Maybe I could wrap the inside of the crates in paper, then in plastic bags and have some packets of silica gel in there too.

I'll work on trying to convince them to let me use one of the bedrooms instead...surely an elderly couple don't need four bedrooms?!

Myrddin

o1s1n wrote: »

I was thinking about those storage crates..but there's literally so much stuff that it would cost me a fortune to buy enough to store it all!

Good call on the silica gel packets. Might be able to get them in a camera shop. Maybe I could wrap the inside of the crates in paper, then in plastic bags and have some packets of silica gel in there too.

I'll work on trying to convince them to let me use one of the bedrooms instead...surely an elderly couple don't need four bedrooms?!

A spare bedroom really would be a lot better, I'd press them on that one Plus the silica packs are only of any use if the container is sealed afaik, in an exposed attic they'd be pretty useless.

"Hey, I'm going to love these crates in the spare bedroom as I've one or two more to bring over & I'll put them all in the attic together"

*The extra one or two mentioned crates are fictional & never arrive.

Optimus Prime

Dont forget that you might get mice up in the attic in some house and they will eat through boxes!

ondafly

Alot of my stuff is in the large thick plastic storage boxes with lids. You can get them in BandQ, and they come in all sizes. They were cheap enough too, I think 10 euro for the biggest size. I would also throw in silica gel bags as suggested, but also dehumidifier satchels into the attic (tesco sell them).

CiDeRmAn

It daylight rather than darkness that causes gaming heartbreak.
My stuff is in the attic for years, even before it was converted, no ill effects bar the one or two games that were beneath the lonely Velux and hence had their covers bleached!
Re: Mice, the tesco crates should be fine, just pop some sort of cover over the top.
Re: Silica Gel, great for it, but a perforated boil-in-the-bag rice portion, uncooked of course, is pretty good at absorbing moisture.
Or, you could just sell them on adverts or donate them to me!

Jack burton

Yeah sell them on adverts, dont take the risk

purplec

Buy a good few plastic containers from ikea, put individual carts in sandwich bags and bubble wrap.

Store them in the container with some large silica gel bags, you can buy them I've seen them around that should help stop the moisture issue.

Hope this helps.

ted1

silica packs and vacumn bag back them.

DickyC

i have to keep games in the attic due to lack of space. i find a good suitcase is the right job for this,i got a few old plastic ones for free with seals on them. nobody seems to use the old heavy plastic cases anymore due to all the weight restrictions on luggage,hope you get sorted out.

James Howlett

I'm going to have to throw a load of my stuff up into the attic as well until I get a propoer space for them to be displayed. Reading up on the sun-light damage you guys talk about has me spooked

On a related note I picked up these Chests from McCabes Pharmacy a little while ago and they're pretty handy for storing loose carts.



I have the boxes for each cart stored in a wooden crate in the attic and just keep the carts downstairs for when I want to play any of them.




Where else would you store old treasure then a treasure chest eh?

ghostchant

If you could rig it up so that the zelda sound effect goes off every time you open it or take something from it, that would be amazing!

Myrddin

ghostchant wrote: »

If you could rig it up so that the zelda sound effect goes off every time you open it or take something from it, that would be amazing!

:D He'd just need a green tunic!

o1s1n, homestores in the fonthill complex had big 75 Litre clear plastic units with lids for half price I seen yesterday, can I remember the price? Alas no...but they were half price! Big things too

o1s1n

Cheers for the heads up. Is that the big shopping area around Kylemore?

DickyC

don't forget the hat:)

Myrddin

o1s1n wrote: »

Cheers for the heads up. Is that the big shopping area around Kylemore?

No its up past Liffey Valley, fonthill retail park (there's a Smyths & Power City etc in it)

There could be a chain of stores though, so check around. Homestores

ondafly

75 litre storage box on argos

http://www.argos.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Search?storeId=10152&catalogId=13352&langId=111&searchTerms=STORAGE+BOX+75+LITRE&authToken=

17.49

pdbhp

@ O1s1n, how old is the house you are going to be storing these games in?
If the house is old then the roof may not have felt underneath the tiles and that will lead to dampness very quickly.

Myrddin

pdbhp wrote: »

@ O1s1n, how old is the house you are going to be storing these games in?
If the house is old then the roof may not have felt underneath the tiles and that will lead to dampness very quickly.

Dampness is the number 1 baddie

Myrddin

Those 75L containers are €7.50 in homestores o1s1n, very well priced.

o1s1n

pdbhp wrote: »

@ O1s1n, how old is the house you are going to be storing these games in?
If the house is old then the roof may not have felt underneath the tiles and that will lead to dampness very quickly.

I think it's from the 50s or 60s. Will take a look when I get up there.

Something that just occurred to me, most of the games are in clamshell cases. So that should protect them from the dampness a bit.

EnterNow wrote: »

Those 75L containers are €7.50 in homestores o1s1n, very well priced.

I'll definitely look into that when I'm out your direction. Can't pass them up if they're going that cheap!

Do you reckon 75L would fit through a standard attic door? I have no concept of how big that container is!

Myrddin

o1s1n wrote: »

I think it's from the 50s or 60s. Will take a look when I get up there.

Something that just occurred to me, most of the games are in clamshell cases. So that should protect them from the dampness a bit.



I'll definitely look into that when I'm out your direction. Can't pass them up if they're going that cheap!

Do you reckon 75L would fit through a standard attic door? I have no concept of how big that container is!

Found their site, actually they do 94L boxes too - http://www.homestoreandmore.ie/containers/rolling-storage-container-94l/invt/042461/

and the 75l ones I seen - http://www.homestoreandmore.ie/containers/storage-box+lid-75l/invt/046503/

I'd pick up a load of them man at that price, I'd imagine they'd fit through an attid door alright.

the_syco

ondafly wrote: »

75 litre storage box on argos

http://www.argos.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Search?storeId=10152&catalogId=13352&langId=111&searchTerms=STORAGE+BOX+75+LITRE&authToken=

17.49

o1s1n wrote: »

Do you reckon 75L would fit through a standard attic door? I have no concept of how big that container is!

To give an idea of how big the box is, think of it this way: a "standard" keyboard is about 45cm in length, and the measurements of the box is H57, W47, D39cm. So I'd say it'd fit easy enough.