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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1032
 
Location: IL | So spin off of the barn thread, I'm interested in what everyone did for preventing condensation on their barn roof.
I've been researching condensation blankets and vapor barriers but seems like a lot of people had problems with them becoming brittle after a couple years. Once becoming brittle, they began to leak and were essentially useless. So I'm worried about paying for one for our barn and basically throwing the money out the window in a year or two. BUT, I also don't want to end up with a ceiling that is constantly dripping.
So those of you who have had barns built or built them yourself, what did you do (if anything) for condensation?
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 Take a Picture
Posts: 12842
   
| I have two metal buildings. One is insulated and I never have a condensation problem. The insulation was put in when it was built and they just come that way -- it was not extra. The other building is not insulated and one time in 35 years it had condensation in it. I am in NE TX and we have a lot of humidity. The uninsulated building will get up to about 140 degrees in the summer. That sucker is hot. |
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 Expert
Posts: 4121
Location: SE Louisiana | What kind of metal? I saw some folks put one down on thin wooden slats to create an air-space between the metal and the tar paper. I don't remember if or how it was ventilated. |
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| You need to ventilate the barn .. with roof peak vent strips and some vents along your walls rafter high ... so air movement will come thru the vents at the rafters and leave thru the peak of the roof ... this takes the hottest summer air from your barn created by metal roofs heated by UV and IR sunlight rays ... and will cool hot humid air inside the barn when the roof is colder than the heated? air inside the barn creating the condensation ... body heat and breathing by horses in a closed tight barn can create the condensation and it is healthier for everyone to have good ventilation and it be cold in the barn ...
You need the peak vents so the humid air does not accumulate in the peak area of the barn ...
Or you can make you some end vents with fans at each end of the barn to create air movement in the upper peak areas of the barn ... one should suck air into the barn and the other end push air out of the barn ...
And do not put in ceiling fans to fix this problem and then use them in the summer too ... I see so many idiots pulling the 150 degree air from the heated metal roof and blowing it directly on their horses to "cool" them off .... dehydrate would be a better term ... lol
example of a peak/ridge vent ..
http://www.plyco.com/P/SeriesMWELowProfileRidgeVentilator/98
Edited by BARRELHORSE USA 2015-08-13 1:53 AM
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1032
Location: IL | komet. - 2015-08-12 11:44 PM What kind of metal? I saw some folks put one down on thin wooden slats to create an air-space between the metal and the tar paper. I don't remember if or how it was ventilated.
I'm not sure what kind it is exactly. My husband ordered it from Menards. |
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 Guys Just Wanna Have Fun
Posts: 5530
Location: OH | I put Tuff-R insulation sheets down and then put the metal down---have had no issues except birds pecking at the insulation. |
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  Champ
Posts: 19623
Location: Peg-Leg Julia Grimm | The only thing I've run into with the barns I have had built or bought over the years is when they have vapor barrier or any kind of insulation between the roof and the trusses is the birds want to nest in it. So they pick, pick, pick at it until they tear it, make holes in it and basically destroy it. In the barns I have that don't have any kind of vapor barrier, they sometimes will sweat when the air temp is very cold. But it's not bad. I have one one building with stalls and no VB that doesn't sweat. One building (arena) that doesn't have VB and it will sweat in the winter if it's very cold. Another building has the most horses in it, has VB but it's torn and tattered where the birds have picked at it. It doesn't sweat but there are places where it leaks in the rain. I sometimes think they (builders) want to put VB up so you don't know they put holes in the roof and didn't fix them before they packed up and left. I know around here the industrial buildings have 1/4" plywood between the trusses and the roof metal. That's probably more expensive but would last longer and be bird-proof.
If they leak in the rain it's not sweat, someone didn't hit where they should have with the screw. They left a hole in the roof. That (of course) will leak. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1032
Location: IL | OregonBR - 2015-08-13 10:42 AM The only thing I've run into with the barns I have had built or bought over the years is when they have vapor barrier or any kind of insulation between the roof and the trusses is the birds want to nest in it. So they pick, pick, pick at it until they tear it, make holes in it and basically destroy it. In the barns I have that don't have any kind of vapor barrier, they sometimes will sweat when the air temp is very cold. But it's not bad. I have one one building with stalls and no VB that doesn't sweat. One building (arena) that doesn't have VB and it will sweat in the winter if it's very cold. Another building has the most horses in it, has VB but it's torn and tattered where the birds have picked at it. It doesn't sweat but there are places where it leaks in the rain. I sometimes think they (builders) want to put VB up so you don't know they put holes in the roof and didn't fix them before they packed up and left. I know around here the industrial buildings have 1/4" plywood between the trusses and the roof metal. That's probably more expensive but would last longer and be bird-proof.
If they leak in the rain it's not sweat, someone didn't hit where they should have with the screw. They left a hole in the roof. That (of course) will leak.
Thanks for all the info! I really appreciate it!
The birds are a big concern for me too. Seems like the sparrows and starlings get into everything around here.
Well my husband is building our barn, so if he leaves a hole in our roof and it leaks rain, he'll have to hear about it from me every single time it rains. I'm sure he doesn't want to experience that so he best make sure he puts those screws exactly where they need to be. Haha
Ill pass the info onto my husband and see what he says! Thanks again! |
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Expert
Posts: 1690
| Never go with anything other than the standing seam metal roofing! It is what is on the Arby's and McDonalds. Never any exposed screw holes to leak! You can use styrofoam or not to insulate. It has to have a solid decking to be put on! Love it! |
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Ms. Dr. Phil
Location: My happy place | We just replaced our roof & used this, http://www.ecofoil.com/All-Products/Double-Bubble-Foil-Insulation-Foil-White/Double-Bubble-Foil-Insulation-White-Foil-4x125-500-sq-ft-?gclid=CPTVn9bbp8cCFYU6aQodcoQKCA No problems with birds. |
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