Getting a Container Through a Mackay Wet Season

A container will shrug off a wet season most sheds won't survive. That's only true if it's set up before the rain arrives, not during it.

Between December and March this region does things to stored goods that people from down south simply don't plan for. A sealed steel box is the right answer — but the difference between a container that comes through a wet untouched and one that ruins everything inside it is decided on the day it lands, not the day the low forms.

Height matters more than anything else

Before you think about tie-downs, think about water. Know the flood history of the spot you're putting it — the Pioneer has a long memory, and plenty of low-lying blocks around Marian, Mirani and the northern beaches go under in a serious event. Put the container on the high point of the property, not the convenient corner near the driveway.

Then lift it. Corners on concrete blocks, sleepers or pavers, minimum. That does two jobs at once: it gets the floor above sheet water, and it lets air move underneath so the underside cross-members dry out between downpours. A container sitting flat in wet grass through five wet seasons will rot from below, and you won't see it until the floor goes soft.

Tie-downs, and being honest about them

An empty 20ft weighs about 2.2 tonnes. That sounds immovable until you consider it's also a 15-square-metre sail. Empty or lightly loaded containers do move in cyclonic winds, and they've been known to roll.

If it's staying put through a season, anchor it — ground anchors or screw piles at the corner castings, rated properly. If a genuine cyclone is forecast and the unit is light, the cheapest insurance is weight: load it low and heavy, or fill the bottom tier with something dense. A full container is a very stubborn object.

Container rain: the damage nobody expects

Here's what catches people out. Their container never leaks, and their gear still comes out mouldy.

The culprit is condensation. Warm humid air gets sealed inside, night temperature drops, moisture condenses on the cold steel roof and rains back down on your things. In a Mackay February that cycle runs every single night.

Three things fix it. Vents at both ends so air can cross rather than sit. Desiccant — proper hanging tubs, not a couple of sachets; budget one tub per end and check them monthly through the wet. And a moisture barrier under everything, because the slab or ground underneath sweats too.

Before the season, twenty minutes

Clear the roof of leaf litter and check nothing is ponding. Wire-brush and paint any scratch that's started browning. Grease the door gear so you can actually open it when it's swollen and you're in a hurry. Do the daylight test — climb in, shut the doors, wait a minute, look for pinholes.

Not sure whether your spot is a problem, or what a unit needs to survive out where you are? Ring (07) 4944 2211. We deliver into this weather every year and we'll tell you straight.