Condensation on walls

[muddy tires]

Not really a garage question, but you guys are the best I know at this stuff.

We are having what appears to be a condensation problem in one of the bedrooms in our house. The walls are sweating to the point that you can see the stain from the water running down. I've not measured it with my infrared temperature gun, but the walls are noticeably colder than the others. It's an older house and this problem first appeared to us last winter, which was the coldest since we moved in. And now it's coming back again this winter.

What could be the root cause? Inadequate insulation? Lack of vapour barrier? What would you do to fix it? Tear out drywall and fix the insulation? I think we probably need to get into the wall to make sure that there is no mold problem.

Thanks for your help.

 

[JunkYardDawg]

Not really a garage question, but you guys are the best I know at this stuff.

We are having what appears to be a condensation problem in one of the bedrooms in our house. The walls are sweating to the point that you can see the stain from the water running down. I've not measured it with my infrared temperature gun, but the walls are noticeably colder than the others. It's an older house and this problem first appeared to us last winter, which was the coldest since we moved in. And now it's coming back again this winter.

What could be the root cause? Inadequate insulation? Lack of vapour barrier? What would you do to fix it? Tear out drywall and fix the insulation? I think we probably need to get into the wall to make sure that there is no mold problem.

Thanks for your help.

I think you will need to pull the drywall and re-insulate. Probably the quickest and easiest will be the spray-in foam. I would:

1. pull the sheetrock
2. pull the insulation
3. spray with moldicide
4. spray foam
5. re-wall it and mud it
6. kick back with a beer while you decide what color to paint it.

 

[RPH]

Insulation can help but can be a pain in the **** to install in old homes. I have a +100 year old farm house up here in th Michigan thumb. Same problem in my closet. Easier fix is to make sure that nothing blocks air circulation at the walls and leave the door opened a bit for air to get in. So long as I do that no condensation issues.

 

[Jazz1]

Just on the walls..sounds more like a issue with high humidity.. and moisture collects on cold spot..What is humidity in house?
My first house,,a turn of the century 2 storey had no insulation in the plaster and lath walls and never had moisture on walls..

 

[Catadj78]

Do you have snow on the roof? Could it be ice damming?

Is the bedroom under a valley?

 

[buddyboy]

more than likely you don't have enough insulation in that wall.

the wall gets cold then warm air in the room hits the cold wall and the water in the air condenses on that cold wall.

get rid of the cold wall or get rid of the warm air.

look outside for anyway the cold air can get in, also you can cut a small hole in your drywall in a spot that can easily be patched and look inside the wall for insulation ( i bet when you cut that hole you'll feel cold air blowing in and no insulation)

 

[muddy tires]

Good questions. This condensation is in one bedroom only. It's at the top of the walls, near the ceiling so no problem with air circulation. My daughter generally leaves her door open.

We don't have ice damming. It's a steel roof, facing south and the snow slides right off.

Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[Richard Cranium]

Have some insulation blown into the wall, or tear it down and put in your own.

 

[Jess]

My house had issues with humidity being very high that was not disclosed at purchase. After the first summer, we started to have mold in closets and spaces without much air movement. Some consultation with my realtor and we discovered the previous owner ran a dehumidifier full time due to the tight construction. I installed a HRV unit and has been fine since. In your case, if its only one room, there are likely insulation issues. Check the humidity in the house and consider going to Canadian Tire for a dehumidifier as an immediate term solution and then look at insufficient or damaged insulation. If the vapour barrier was damaged or missing, the condensation would be in the insulation inside the wall but its likely just poor insulation. The easiest fix is to take down the drywall on the exterior walls only, remove whatever insulation is there and go back with Roxul batts, new vapour barrier and be sure to caulk and voids to eliminate air movement in in the wall. If you can access an infrared camera, turn up the heat in that room and on a cold night, have pics taken from outside to see if there are heat loss areas before you tear into it.

 

[R6 Racer]

I think you will need to pull the drywall and re-insulate. Probably the quickest and easiest will be the spray-in foam. I would:

1. pull the sheetrock
2. pull the insulation
3. spray with moldicide
4. spray foam
5. re-wall it and mud it
6. kick back with a beer while you decide what color to paint it.

JunkYardDawg Hit the nail on the head! Kinda simple description, but it covers all the bases.

Explores
Findes
Fixes
Rebuilds
Enjoys.

Much short of JYD description is kinda guessin & takin your chances

Let us know how it goes. Now that the cold is here, I don't think simple air circulation is going to do to much for you.

Steve