A habitat house has been wrapped in Tyvek. I think it was done prematurely. It was done to help protect the house during this winter weather (New England) The roof is not complete so a lot of rain drips between the wrap and the sheathing. In some areas, the walls are saturated between the wrap and sheathing.
Will this moisture dissapate over time?
I would of have left the house unwrapped until such time that it could be wrapped to fully enclose the building. In my mind, no water would be trapped and the house would remain dryer in the long run.
I look forward to your opinions. Thank you
Replies
Interior work?
Is there any insulation or interior finishes? I'd be more worried if there were. And I certainly wouldn't side the house until the OSB dries out. Which would happen faster without the Tyvek in place.
If there is a significant drying cycle, sure, it'll all dry out.
There is a UV exposure limit to housewraps though. If the Tyvek is going to be exposed all winter, it might need to be replaced come spring.
Moisture can "transpire"
Moisture can "transpire" through the Tyvek fairly easily, so it will dry out, if the weather is halfway cooperative.
The thing I'd wonder about is how the moisture got in there in the first place -- if the Tyvek was properly installed and flashed and taped then the amount of moisture getting behind it should have been negligible. Liquid water does not readily pass thorugh Tyvek. Did someone leave the top edge of the Tyvek flapping?
I wouldn't worry about the captured water. It will dry out one way or the other. But, as Mongo pointed out, I would be concerned about the UV exposure.
An obviously expensive new house was built up the street from me. They left the tyvek exposed for about six months, including our late summer and early fall when the sun beats down on our western exposure pretty hard. I figured they'd either replace it or cover it over with another layer. Nope. Crazy.