Hi all and thanks for any assistance. We put up a nice metal roof over my 2 cemented kennel runs -- living in Eastern Washington we have experienced pretty severe sweating issues due to temperatures here (we get plenty of snow, ice and sub-freezing temperatures during the winter). Never realized how bad this would sweat, and as a result, my runs stay wet in spite of having a roof. We've had lots of off-the-cuff suggestions including spray foam the underside -- but nobody seems to know if that will really keep it from sweating on the inside surface of the spray foam. Any suggestions you might have would be greatly appreciated -- this is an approximately a 16' x 24' area -- I've used snow-coat (sp?) on top of the metal to seal the screw holes and such, so at least effectively blocked moisture from the top side -- now to do something about the underside! Thanks in advance.
About the metal roof, Is it flat or is it pitched (having a slope to it line a home only less)? More information is needed to truly offer assistance.
Can you take a picture of the roof from several angles showing it front on showing the dog run and from the side and post back with these photos. It may also allow others to see how you have attached the roof to the dog run.
It will allow others to have a better understanding of your problem and offer some suggestions on how to overcome the problem.
Sweating is due to the condensation that occurs when the temperature differential between the air and a solid surface (such as the kennel roof) is significant enough to cause the water vapor in the air to condense on the colder steel roof surface. Think of your roof as a dehumidifier. The colder the roof is compared to the temperature and relative humidity of the air, the more condensation you will get as warm air can hold more water vapor than cold air. Since your dogs give off water vapor and heat (like all living things) this raises the relative humidity within the kennel. Once the water vapor comes in contact with the cold steel roof and condenses, it has to go somewhere. Steel will not absorb the condensate, so it just starts to collect on the surface. Then gravity takes over and you get a mini rain shower under the roof.
You can reduce the amount of sweating by applying an insulating barrier on the underside of the roof. You can also place a vapor barrier between the insulation and the underside of the roof to help keep the water vapor away from the steel surface. This should significantly reduce the problem.
Posts: 509 | Location: Rogers City, MI | Registered: Sep 25, 2007
