Condensation on garage floor....

20 years ago

Does anyone else have the problem that when its been cold out and you get a warmer/humid day (even in the winter), that the floor of the garage is soaked in condensation? Short of ripping up the old slab and insulating underneath it is there anything that can be done?

Featured Answer

rjoh878646

20 years ago

There is an easy way to tell if the water on your slab is condensation from the air or water working up through the slab. Get a piece of clear plastic, clean an area of the slab so tape will stick and tape the plastic on all four sides to the slab. Wait a day or so and see if any water is under the plastic. If there is you have moisture coming from below the slab. If it's on top of the plastic then it is condensation from the air.

Most likely it is moisture working it's way up through the slab. No easy fix to that problem.

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Comments (6)

davidandkasie
20 years ago
yep, i have the same problem in my garage. of course it does not help that we stay at about 10000% humidity here!

best way i have found to decrease it is to maintain a steady temp in the area. not as much condensation then. if that is not feasible, you can either seal teh concrete or tile over it. either one cuts down on condensation to a degree.
steveinboston
Original Author
20 years ago
Will sealing it prevent condensation or won't it just condense on top of that sealant? Its an uninsulated garage so climate control isn't feasible.
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davidandkasie
20 years ago
if it is uninsulated you will still have some condensation.

instead of insulating under the slab, i would insulate the walls and ceiling. this will help even out the temp.

short of that, get a good fan and keep it blowing ont he floor any time water starts condensing, this will dry it off quicker.

as long as any surface is cooler than the air temp, water will condense on it in some amount. the trick is to keep that condensation amount down by evening out the temp differential.

painting or tiling may help some, but not much. i don't think i was clear on that in my previous post. i was at work and rushed to type it. they will help with floor sweating, but not true condensation.
vstech
20 years ago
make sure it is condensation, not water wicking up from below.
John
unoloco
20 years ago
I have a similar problem. I purchased a home a couple of months ago and it has rained several times since then(quite heavy). Well this weekend we warmed up to about 70 Deg F and it got pretty humid and rained. After the first rain (which was rather light) I noticed little droplets of water on the floor. As it got warmer (and rained again) I found much more water on the floor. You could see moisture almost everywhere. The temperature dropped like a rock today and the water dried up.

How can I tell if this is condensation or if the water is wicking up from below? There are several cracks in the floor (it's a 35 year-old house). The water, however, was not really coming from the cracks.