Condensation Issue

[Rmack941]

I’m new to the forum, lots of good info here. I did a search but could not an answere to my specific problem. I have single car garage that I converted into a shop. The space is not heated or cooled. There is insulation in the walls but not the ceiling. The interior walls are finished with 1/4 inch plywood and the ceiling is finished with 3/4 inch rough cut pine. There is a ridge vent and soffits. The windows and doors are double pane. I’m in western NC and it’s been cold 3-9° at night. But it warmed up yesterday high of 58° and warm last night. This morning I went into the shop and the ceiling, and walls are dripping water. I have one window partially cracked to run an extension cord out side for a trickle charger. I understand how condensation is formed but don’t know the remedy.
I apologize for the long post.

 

[zmaxmotorsports]

Insulate the garage and put some heat out there.

 

[Aroberson77]

I am in NC and have a similar issue, but with attached 2 car garage. My walls arent dripping but my floor is soaked and car is soaked too. I think going from 20 to 60 deg in a few days has a lot to do with it, but I am gonna check to see how my garage is ventilated as well

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

 

[Firebrick43]

Temp swings are to blame. Slab is cold, air temp realitively warm. The warm moist air contacts the cold concrete and cools the air past the dew point causing the water to precipitate out.

As zmax said, insulate, and do it well. It may not eliminate it entirely but will eliminate it most of the time and mitigate it when it does happen.

Heating to 50~+ all the time should eliminate it entirely.

 

[Climatecreator]

A dehumidifier would work as well....

 

[z28ke]

NC as well with same issue in detached shop. I bought an exhaust fan to mount in the wall and a humidity “stat” that plugs into a wall outlet (and the fan plugs into it) that turns on at a set humidity level (adjustable). Installing it unfortunately hasn’t made it to the top of my to-do list yet, so I cannot report on how well it works, but something to consider.

 

[Showkey]

A dehumidifier would work as well....

Only if the building is some what sealed ( air exchange) and insulated...........other wise it’s nearly impossible to control humidity.

The other factor is some temperature control before trying to control humidity.

 

[Climatecreator]

Only if the building is some what sealed ( air exchange) and insulated...........other wise it’s nearly impossible to control humidity.

The other factor is some temperature control before trying to control humidity.

I agree. As a normal course of action. I was just saying to dry it out now. That's a lot of wood...

 

[DC73]

Insulated AND air seal. The less outdoor air that can infiltrate the space, the better.

DC

 

[Rmack941]

Heat and insulation aren’t an option at this time $$$! In the meantime am I better off leaving the windows open to allow the temperature to balance inside and outside?

 

[Firebrick43]

No. The point of insulation is that you want to slow/delay temp changes ao the slab can slowly warm with the air above it, not be 3o degrees different. Opening doors and windows is the worst thing you can do.

Really nothing you can do without insulation.