And keep it dry.
I live in the great northwet. You leave a window open here, to air the place out, and everything inside becomes damp.
My shop is wet inside. Roof leaks make matters worse, of course, but I’ll take care of those.
The air itself is wet. I hung a wet cloth up in there, to dry. A week and a half it’s been hanging there, and it’s still wet !!
I would like some suggestions on how to cheaply dry the space out. Emphasis on the word cheaply.
Replies
Luka,
Was going to suggest backing up a huge jet engine and flipping the on switch for a few moments then you go and say its got to be cheap.....
Luka-
Unless there is air movement/exchange, nothin's gonna be dryin' out.
Ken Hill
Stating the obvious:
If the area is going to dry out more water must leave than enters.
Dehumidifier/s either mechanical ones or chemical ones, perhaps in conjunction with a space heater and a fan or two, might work. The mechanical ones move more water than the chemical ones but they use power. The chemical ones can be recharged but are best in small areas and limited amounts of moisture.
I suspect that until you get the roof fixed and otherwise prevent water from getting in your going to be bailing a leaky boat. You could expend a lot of effort and, in the end, accomplish nothing.
How is your shop constructed? Wood floor or concrete? Insulated or not? Vented attic or not?
You don't have to answer the last one if you don't want to..............(-:
If your brain itched, could you scratch it by thinking about sandpaper?
I'd suggest installing a small woodstove. Heats / dehumidifies the shop and is a handy way to dispose of scrap. In our (8 x 12) shop, we have a little upright stove, and when there's a good fire going in it, you can take a log from frozen to dry and warm in a couple hours, just sitting next to it. That might be helpful with your dampness problem.
Until you fix your leeks there is not much you can do.
Just a few fans set up and moving air will dry out a place faster then a dehumidifier will if you have dry air out side of the building.
I live in the NW too. My shop humidity improved alot when I recently added gutters - do you have them on your shop?
I think having all the roof water falling around the shop perimeter, plus what seeped under the garage door, was the big source of this humidity.
A local continuous-gutter outfit did it in a few hours, for not much money.
Cag, I think that a half a gallon of gasoline, and a match would do just as well.
; )
Everyone...
I do think that the bottom line is down to two things. Removal of water sources, and... it is simply going to cost something to really dry it out.
You are all correct. Air movement, a bit of heat, and more water going out, than coming in.
My first priority will be to actualy get the thing finished. I am working on that now. I built it too big. I have to cut it in half to meet county regs.
(Yeah, yeah, I know. I STILL haven't gotten it done. Can you blame me for not really wanting to tear down, or otherwise cut up a structure that I built in the circumstances under which I built that thing... Fully intending to live in it, when I built it ??? Since I have begun to think of it as a shop, I have gotten a lot closer to actualy getting the major work done. Matter of fact, that is one of the things that I have been working on the past couple of days. Thinking of using it as a shop, and actualy getting closer to doing so, lead me to come here with this request for advice on drying the place out once finished.)
Once it has passed inspection, I will close it back up again. ...Legaly... I have already devised a plan whereby I can close it all back in again, (tight, secure, and weatherproof), without having anything between the two halves that would be considered "structural".
Once finished, I will be looking at a combination of the woodstove, and a box fan. I think that will be the cheapest way to dry it out and keep it dry. I have considerd using an old gas furnace, which I would convert to propane, and set it to about 50-55 degrees. Doesn't have to be real warm out there, just warm enough to keep the glue, caulk, paint, etc, from freezing. Biggest thing about the furnace would have been the air movement.
I still may end up doing that, just to keep it at a constant temp, (and drier), even though I would use the woodstove and a box fan during the day.
The roof leaks are paramount in the removal of water. Next would be gutters, (I hadn't even thought of that yet. Thanks for the suggestion, BarryO.), and a system to take the water away from the building.
The air outside is much more wet than the air inside. Unfortunately, the air inside this structure has become as wet as that outside. LOL
Another problem is that hundreds of gallons of water come pouring down off the ridge, and wash under this structure constantly. I will re-route that water as well.
The building is built out of whatever scrap I could find, plus some new/er materials donated by friends. Pole barn type structure, but built on a platform that is sitting on the steep hillside on varying height piers. 16x17. No 'attic', all open. Tallest point reaches 15 feet.
There is no insulation yet. That stuff costs a lot of money.
Interesting point... Jim Blodgett, Bob Simonson (Pro-Dek), Nathan Wegemer, Art Brockschmidt, and Scott Carpenter, came out here a while back, and built a couple of 120 sq ft storage sheds for me. Those sheds remain dry as a bone. Really gives me pause about my own building skills...
Also gives me guidance. The roofs don't leak. There is tarpaper over the entire sides of the structures. (Jim lectured me like a nagging wife, until I got that and the roofing finished. hahaha) They are sitting in places where the water doesn't rush under them, like it does with the big structure. Etc.
Geez, now I gotta get out there and find my staple gun. Wonder where I can fenagle a couple of rolls of tarpaper ? LOL
Also note... the leaks in the roof of the big structure are from alder limbs that have come down in windstorms here. Simple shed roof. Total roof size about 20x21. Roll roofing. It's all I could afford. The roof sheeting is pallet boards, laid in tight like flooring. Two layers of tarpaper under the roofing.
Quittin' Time
Hate those falling limbs. I've got a 3" hole in my metal roof for a hickory limb that fell from a now deceased (cut down) tree. Fortunately I found a matching color duct tape, and it has held up all winter. Hey, if it works for NASCAR....:-)
ROFLMFAO
Hint... for a 3 inch hole in metal roof, all you need is a 5 inch patch and some lexel.
The lexel will stick to the roof and the patch, even if they are wet. just smear a bunch around the hole, and press the patch on. It will never ever come off of there. And will not leak again, either.
Clean the surfaces the best you can, of course, but it is not going to hurt if they are a bit wet when you put the patch on.
Now you'll have to clean the duct tape residue off of there before you can patch it. Use brake cleaner spray. It will clean it extremely fast. Spray a final rinsing spray, and let dry. It will not leave any residue of any sort when dry.
Ken Kearney sent me some Lexel once. I used it to patch up the metal side of the trailer. Also ran a bead of it around the lip of the windows when I put them back in. It is fantastic stuff.
Quittin' Time
Luka, gasoline fire spreads to fast. Could be dangerous. I'd recommend deisel.
Yeah, but the jet engine would be MUCH cooler to watch :)... anyway enough joking around, good luck keeping dryView ImageGo Jayhawks
Put a fan in the room. Keep it on low speed.
I have a wet basement, water comes,water goes.......and it goes faster with the fan on.
bob