My roommates and I have been gifted a brand new treadmill. We have absolutely no place indoors to put it. My roommates are handy, they can frame, insulate, etc. How would we go about building an adequate shelter for it outside? The manual is very clear that it can't simply be kept outside. We have room for a small building in the back yard. We aren't concerned about any heating / cooling or electricity. If we buy a small metal or plastic tool shed and insulate it, will that be good enough? I'm assuming that the primary (or only) issue is the humidity damaging the display electronics or rusting the rollers. We are in Seattle so humidity is absolutely our favorite thing. Thanks for your advice!
How to build adequate outdoor shelter for treadmill
- Thread starter dwdanby
- Start date
Great questions.
The biggest enemy of anything electronic is high humidity.
And a key element of any air conditioning system is the movement of air.
The #1 rule of any HVAC system is that you cannot heat, cool, filter, humidify, dehumidify, or exchange stale air if you are not moving it.
I would not be so concerned about heating and cooling as I would be about de-humidification.
You can install a window-type AC. But, that will only go part of the way to managing the high humidity.
A simple solution would be a stand-alone dehumidifier. The size that would work for this would one that removes 15-20 pints of water out of the air per day. Use the drain hose to route the condensate out of the space through the wall and it can run into a flower bed.
Another key component is moving air. This can be a simple 12" oscillating fan that runs 24/365 to keep air moving.
Plus that air movement will be welcome when you are on the treadmill.
If you move air and dehumidify it, you will go a long way to preserving the life of your new toy.
Don't cover the treadmill when not in use. Let the air move around it to get the humidity removed.
Happy health.
The biggest enemy of anything electronic is high humidity.
And a key element of any air conditioning system is the movement of air.
The #1 rule of any HVAC system is that you cannot heat, cool, filter, humidify, dehumidify, or exchange stale air if you are not moving it.
I would not be so concerned about heating and cooling as I would be about de-humidification.
You can install a window-type AC. But, that will only go part of the way to managing the high humidity.
A simple solution would be a stand-alone dehumidifier. The size that would work for this would one that removes 15-20 pints of water out of the air per day. Use the drain hose to route the condensate out of the space through the wall and it can run into a flower bed.
Another key component is moving air. This can be a simple 12" oscillating fan that runs 24/365 to keep air moving.
Plus that air movement will be welcome when you are on the treadmill.
If you move air and dehumidify it, you will go a long way to preserving the life of your new toy.
Don't cover the treadmill when not in use. Let the air move around it to get the humidity removed.
Happy health.