Garage condensation - help and advise desperately needed
Discussion
You'll be pleased to know you're not alone. Blame the weather.
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Good air circulation will help - however the only way to stop it completely is to heat your garage to a constant temperature, to reduce the differential between the outside temperature (as it warms up) and the cold items in the garage. Especially at this time of year where there are big temperature fluctuations.
If you do decide to use a heater, don't use a gas-fired one as they produce a lot of moisture as the gas burns.
If you do decide to use a heater, don't use a gas-fired one as they produce a lot of moisture as the gas burns.
Gro8885 said:
I did tape over the vents and push some plastic wrap under the garage door to try to reduce pulling in outside air where possible
Reducing fresh air will make it worse. Remove this tape and have a good look to see if there are any blockages in the gutters that could be causing water to run down the outside walls. What's the construction of your garage? If it's got a metal roof or sides it will likely sweat like a b
h. You could get some polystyrene boards for the roof, as a cheap and easy starter for 10. The insulation will help maintain a more constant temperature (it won't be warm but it will be stable).
h. You could get some polystyrene boards for the roof, as a cheap and easy starter for 10. The insulation will help maintain a more constant temperature (it won't be warm but it will be stable). Thanks for the photos
Depends how far you want to go - if you insulated between the flat roof joists you would then need to ensure ventilation above the insulation - you could potentially cut in some air bricks. You could use the existing felt (from here it looks more like felt - could be wrong) as your Vapour control layer and insulate over with a new roof covering - forming a "warm" roof.
You could line the inside face of the walls with insulation backed plasterboard, or (because you wouldn't be able to fix things to the wall without really long screws!) you could form a studwork frame, say 50 x 75mm studs turned sideways, insulated between with insulation board, staple fix a polythene vapour barrier over, and line with ply to give you something to fix to. I appreciate that takes away a bit of floor space, so on the piers perhaps go quite thin. For best results you would need to "link" the wall insulation to the roof insulation (i.e. line all the way up the walls to the underside of the flat roof.) Get some heat in there with background ventilation, and run the dehumidifier again to get the moisture levels down. After that, you could install a mechanical extractor fan with humidistat function on it.
As I say, it's how far you want to go with things!
Depends how far you want to go - if you insulated between the flat roof joists you would then need to ensure ventilation above the insulation - you could potentially cut in some air bricks. You could use the existing felt (from here it looks more like felt - could be wrong) as your Vapour control layer and insulate over with a new roof covering - forming a "warm" roof.
You could line the inside face of the walls with insulation backed plasterboard, or (because you wouldn't be able to fix things to the wall without really long screws!) you could form a studwork frame, say 50 x 75mm studs turned sideways, insulated between with insulation board, staple fix a polythene vapour barrier over, and line with ply to give you something to fix to. I appreciate that takes away a bit of floor space, so on the piers perhaps go quite thin. For best results you would need to "link" the wall insulation to the roof insulation (i.e. line all the way up the walls to the underside of the flat roof.) Get some heat in there with background ventilation, and run the dehumidifier again to get the moisture levels down. After that, you could install a mechanical extractor fan with humidistat function on it.
As I say, it's how far you want to go with things!
That's annoying!
I had something somewhat similar in my 70s built single garage which used to be attached to next door's garage. They knocked it down and rebuilt 6 inches away a 2 story extension. This exposed my single brick wall of garage to rain and spray which came down between thir extension and it. I resolved it by using some waterproof slurry stuff along the bottom 12 inches of wall and onto the floor by similar distance.
But as almost all garages are single brick I'd imagine my problem was specifically due to the rain being driven between the walls, and no drainage at ground level in that gap either (concrete :/).
Someone clever might correct me here but I'm sure I was using a damp meter probe thing - used primarily to test how dry wood is - when trying to diagnose damp bricks.
Internal floor being below outside never sounds good. But my solution above I imagine would work for that too, as this stuff is used to coat basements.
I had something somewhat similar in my 70s built single garage which used to be attached to next door's garage. They knocked it down and rebuilt 6 inches away a 2 story extension. This exposed my single brick wall of garage to rain and spray which came down between thir extension and it. I resolved it by using some waterproof slurry stuff along the bottom 12 inches of wall and onto the floor by similar distance.
But as almost all garages are single brick I'd imagine my problem was specifically due to the rain being driven between the walls, and no drainage at ground level in that gap either (concrete :/).
Someone clever might correct me here but I'm sure I was using a damp meter probe thing - used primarily to test how dry wood is - when trying to diagnose damp bricks.
Internal floor being below outside never sounds good. But my solution above I imagine would work for that too, as this stuff is used to coat basements.
gro8885 said:
Hi all
I’m in desperate need of some help, and am suffering full blown anxiety attack over my garage, which has just broken out in pretty extreme condensation for the first time.
Appreciate any help and advise, I’m getting seriously stressed out by it,
I’m in desperate need of some help, and am suffering full blown anxiety attack over my garage, which has just broken out in pretty extreme condensation for the first time.
Appreciate any help and advise, I’m getting seriously stressed out by it,
You're seriously allowing a bit of damp in your garage to stress you out to a level where it's triggered a full blown anxiety attack?
The only advise I can offer is ask any reasonably bright 12 year old to explain all about the dew point and what occurs when it's reached to you and listen very carefully if they suggest you open the doors to allow some air to circulate and have some counseling to help you improve your perspective and coping strategies before something that really matters goes horribly wrong in your life...
Yes. Some very odd sights yesterday around the house.
Stone slabs ‘sweating’ and interior water pipes covered in beads of water with odd pools of water about.
All due to a massive temperature swing.
Very unusual circs.
I’d just mop it up and wait for structures to warm up to air temperature.
Stone slabs ‘sweating’ and interior water pipes covered in beads of water with odd pools of water about.
All due to a massive temperature swing.
Very unusual circs.
I’d just mop it up and wait for structures to warm up to air temperature.
Just been out to open my garage doors and windows for the second day in a row. My now-soggy Mazda 787B poster has curled up in protest!
As has been said it's simply the power of Mother Nature at work, with a 20 degree air temperature rise in just a few hours. Metal, concrete and containers containing liquids will take a few days to re-equilibrate.
Unless your garage is airtight with a dehumidifier then get all doors and windows open and ventilate, ventilate, ventilate.
The wind has dropped off today so I have a desk fan going full speed in there.
As has been said it's simply the power of Mother Nature at work, with a 20 degree air temperature rise in just a few hours. Metal, concrete and containers containing liquids will take a few days to re-equilibrate.
Unless your garage is airtight with a dehumidifier then get all doors and windows open and ventilate, ventilate, ventilate.
The wind has dropped off today so I have a desk fan going full speed in there.
Another vote for "it's the weather". I had the same with my loft; extremely cold roof, warm moist air getting in from below, condensation forming. I've lived here years and never had that before as the weather hasn't been cold enough for long enough.
In your case it's because we suddenly had nice warm moist air coming up from the south to replace the very dry, very cold air that had chilled everything down.
Get air circulating in there and it'll dry out.
In your case it's because we suddenly had nice warm moist air coming up from the south to replace the very dry, very cold air that had chilled everything down.
Get air circulating in there and it'll dry out.
Chubbyross said:
Yep, it’s the weather. My cars are damp when it’s like this. They’re under a cover in a well circulated garage. Throw open the doors and any windows and let the air blow through. It’ll take a few days but everything will dry out eventually.
Exactly! Tthe answer is ventilation, ventilation, and ventilation. Opening doors and windows is easier than spending a fortune on a de humidifier, and then a fortune on running it!
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