Storing wine in a crawl space mold on outside of carboys

[Sammyk]

So we pulled out 30 1-gallon carboys out from under the house in a crawl space that have been there since March. Put new sterilized clean air locks filled with Ever Clear. Add scant amount of k-meta to each carboy. There was slight mold on the outside of the carboys even though they are in heavy duty Rubber Maid containers with lids.

Wiped down the outside of each carboy with a Clorox wipe. Replaced them in the containers with lids and back into the crawl space.

Even though it is in the upper 80s and low 90's here in NC, the temperature via my remote thermometer is staying in the mid 60's.

Looks like the storage in the crawl space will work well.

I plan to get some, I think it is called Damp X or something similar and put one in each Rubber Maid container to keep the humidity down and hopefully the mold on the outside of the carboys. Each tote holds 6 1-gallon carboys.

Most will be done aging 1 year in October or within 3 months of October and I will bring them back into the home as we should be cooled down enough in mid to late October.

Anything I over looked? I will re-check in mid September and add more k-meta to each carboy.

 

[TJsBasement]

What if you added a few gallons of kmeta mix or similar to the bottom of the tote. Have to see what others say cause maybe that would just cause a huge problem.

 

[Runningwolf]

Sammy I think using something like Damp Rid sounds like a good idea. My only concern is would it suck the moisture from your air locks? Maybe this is where vodka or glycerin would come into play for the air locks.

 

[Sammyk]

I had the same thought so I used Ever Clear in the air locks. Do you think it would suck that out too?

I am concerned about mice and rats so the lids are tight fitting.

 

[Manimal]

I assume that Clorox wipes are chlorine-based, which is a big no no for use on winemaking equipment. Chlorine can react with mold constituents to form TCA which results in the musty, moldy characteristics commonly associated with cork taint. TCA can taint wine in the ppt range, and can become airborne and contaminate your entire work area.

 

[JohnT]

I would sugget the following..

Damp a rag with k-meta solution and clean off the mold. Place the jug back into its container and add some k-meta powder to the bottom and seal.

The site of mold is actually a good thing. It is a good sign that the environment is good for wine storage.

In fact, back in the old days, most corkscrews came with a brush attached. This was to be used to brush off mold and dust from the bottle prior to opening. The sight of a moldy label was actually preferred.

 

[Brew and Wine Supply]

mold on the outside of the bottle is ok, on the inside= bad. it just means the humidity is up. If you want to get rid of it, use a sponge or cloth with some k-meta on it and lay it in the bottom of the container, maybe in a glass or jar. The damp rid will keep things dry but will also dry out your airlocks faster, more so with everclear as the alcohol will evaporate faster.

 

[Wade E]

There is also such thing S too much humidity here! I would get a measure of how much on average we are talking about here and work ftom there. I know my basement in thr summer gets way too high and I have to run z dehum. In there or my labels anx corks would get destroyed in a few days worth!

 

[Sammyk]

None on the inside of the bottles. I use masking tape for labels and they were fine and each has an airlock. Way too much space over 2,000 square feet for a humidifier and no electricity there.