I am trying to determine whether to store my household items (e.g.,
piano, furniture, books, clothes, kitchen things, appliances) in an
air conditioned warehouse. I just moved to Sarasota, Florida from
Atlanta, Georgia. I have 16,200 pounds of household items and my
things are temporarily in an non-air conditioned warehouse managed by
an Atlas agent. If I leave my items in the current location, they will
be vaulted (i.e., moved into large wooden crates) and held until I
need them, which I estimate to be 3 - 6 months. My wife is convinced
that the
items need to be in an air conditioned warehouse (presumably to avoid
mildew damage). What is the science on this issue? Should I move all
of my stuff out
of the non-air conditioned facility? Why? Is there a risk of a
condensation issue in the air conditioned warehouse?

After my father's death in Miami, Florida, we discovered that he had
stored some household goods belonging to his mother in a warehouse
that was not air conditioned. The stuff had been there for several
years, and we fully expected it to be damaged by the extreme heat and
humidity of Miami's summers. However, everything turned out to be
fine, with the exception of some boxes of books.

If you're seriously talking about 3-6 months (not the proverbial 3-6
months that turns into 3-6 years), you're probably OK with not having
it air conditioned.

But figure this:

For a 10 x 20 unit in Sarasota, FL, at the Public Storage on Tamiami
Trail, expect to pay the following rates:

Non A/C:  $182/mo
A/C    :  $237/mo
(estimates obtained from publicstorage.com)

Over 3 months, that's a savings of $165 if you go with the non A/C facility.

Is that worth 1) peace of mind, 2) even the slightest potential that
something gets mildewey, 3) your wife telling you, "I told you so" if
something does go wrong, 4) not getting into an argument with your
wife over something so trivial,  and so on?

For me, I'd probably just bite the bullet; pay the cash; have peace of
mind; forget about it.