How to deal with condensation in a hangar

[algonquin]

Hi Guys, I'm building a new hangar and was wondering what is the best way to deal with hangar rain. The humidity in the northeast is very high, I rented a hangar once that would just drip to the point it looked like indoor rain. I'm not going to heat it so I'm open to trying anything reasonable in cost. Thanks, Tom

 

[algonquin]

You would believe how hard it was to build it upside down like that!

 

[skywagon8a]

What are you planning to cover it with? If it is metal it will condense and rain unless it is insulated. If it is plywood and shingle there is less of an issue.

 

[algonquin]

I have steel roofing and siding for it. I've seen some reflective roll insulation, I'm not too crazy about fiberglass and the chance of mice getting into it. This is out in a wooded area and critters are abundant.

 

[Paul Heinrich]

The floor and inside of the building must always be warmer than the dewpoint of the outside air. Otherwise when warm humid air flows over cold surfaces condensation forms leading to wet floors and indoor rain. Insulate it, heat the floor, and keep the door closed whenever possible.

 

[stewartb]

Air flow and ventilation. You can have a greenhouse-style fan with louvers turn on automatically with a humidity sensor. You'll need a makeup air source. Add some interior fans to move air.

 

[cubdriver2]

Our friend put black plastic sheeting on the roof perlins before putting the steel down. Seemed to work

Glenn

 

[180Marty]

My hangar drips since it is just wood rafters and metal roof. I have a clear ridge cap that lets sunlight in and that helps. Spray on insulation on the roof would solve the problem----I have a smaller cattle shed that has yellow insulation board under the metal and it doesn't drip.

 

[1934A]

Jeez....around here, we try to figure out ways to make it rain OUTSIDE...meanwhile you guys are trying to figure out how to stop it from raining INSIDE! Try planting alfalfa on the hanger floor, that usually works to stop any form of precipitation!

 

[barbwire]

I have spray on insulation but I still keep a large de-humidifyer running 24/7. Run the hose in the floor drain and keep the setting on 45% humidity. Never any problems.

 

[cruiser]

2 options, drip stop, Google it. Or there is a plastic product that is nailed to the rafters and makes a belly pan under the sheeting. Once again the condensation drips off the end. I would guess the building supply stores know what it is called. FWIW, Jim

 

[skywagon8a]

I would return the sheet metal to the supplier and get some plywood. Shingle it just like your house. I built a hangar just like yours covered with sheet metal and with a cement floor. It made water until it was insulated.

 

[cubdriver2]

I would return the sheet metal to the supplier and get some plywood. Shingle it just like your house. .

Too much work with our snowload around here. If I did my house again it would have a standing seam metal roof. Let the breeze blow thru your hangar and don't do a cement floor, mine hardly ever sweats

Glenn

 

[Bill.Brine]

Insulation is key. Keep the door closed on high humidity days and run a dehumidifier 24/7 is how I keep things dry in my hangar. My airport was built by the Navy in WWII to train pilots to land Corsairs in the fog. We get fog.


Sent from my iPhone using SuperCub.Org

 

[algonquin]

It seems like insulation is the way to go. I've been searching and I found a bubble in foil insulation so it won't be a nesting area for mice. I didn't think of a dehumidifier, I'm going to put one in and insulate the roof.
I'm going to buy a door this fall when I get back from Alaska and will need to have the insulation done before I close it up. Thank you for the in-put everybody good infro.

 

[texmex]

I get only one month a year prone to dripping condensation in hangars.

But when I built my hangar a friend told me to make sure the roof had a pitch well over 20 degrees. Unfortunately most of the prefabbed ones don't in my part of the world.

With roof sisilation any condensation falls onto it and runs down into the gutters. On those foggy mornings I can hear my gutters flowing, and never any drips in my hangar.

With a shallower roof, over the years the sisilation sags and allows the water to leak.

For following traffic really, as your've already got yours built by the looks of it. I love those wooden structures.

Cheers,
Denis.

 

[Scouter]

Cruiser Jim has it right,Drip stop works nothing ever falls from the roof in my hangars but does drip out The eaves some. We have a surprising amount of ground water vapor pressure here is the in the Northeast. I always have to have the chat with my concrete guy about at least a 6 mil poly vapor barrier underslab and please don't poke holes in it. Got poly underneath?
The old school concrete guys won't do it unless you make them

jim

 

[stewartb]

Managing condensation in a wood structure is about more than inconvenient drips.

It snows there? What is that, 4/12 pitch? That won't shed snow very well. Are you going to sheath it for shear?

 

[slowjunk]

My Cub is in a hangar with a condensation issue. Does anyone use one of the engine dehumidifiers to deal with the high level of moisture potentially affecting the engine? I have seen the desiccant version but I recently saw a real dehumidifier. Does anyone have an opinion?

http://www.enginedryingsystem.com/?page_id=201

 

[skywagon8a]

My Cub is in a hangar with a condensation issue. Does anyone use one of the engine dehumidifiers to deal with the high level of moisture potentially affecting the engine? I have seen the desiccant version but I recently saw a real dehumidifier. Does anyone have an opinion?

http://www.enginedryingsystem.com/?page_id=201

Under those conditions I have noticed slight loss of compression due to (I think) small amounts of rust forming on the exhaust valve faces. After running the engine it clears up. Then I started stuffing the exhaust stack with an oily rag right after shutting down the engine. The issue went away. When a hot engine cools down after flight it draws in moisture laden air in humid conditions through the exhaust, breather and carburetor intake openings. The oily rag filters the moisture out of the air.

 

[King Brown]

Whatever the covering, make sure the fasteners (nails etc) don't penetrate through the covering. I used wood, no problems.

 

[NDRII]

My Cub is in a hangar with a condensation issue. Does anyone use one of the engine dehumidifiers to deal with the high level of moisture potentially affecting the engine? I have seen the desiccant version but I recently saw a real dehumidifier. Does anyone have an opinion?

http://www.enginedryingsystem.com/?page_id=201

Being back in Virginia, I see all sorts of condensation issues. The very system on that web site is used by 2 Cardinals at my airport. I bought one last summer. Starting to see the numbers from oil analysis decrease, but not enough data to identify a trend. I don't know that it will be the end all, but sure seems to get very wet air out of the engine. Maybe just makes me feel better.

 

[algonquin]

Stewart it is a 4/12 pitch, engineer for heavy snow and wind loads. We get lots of both, it's snowing tonight . It won't stick but when we get a real winter snow starts in nov. thru now, but the snow is melting off By April. We are in the snow plume off Lake Ontario.
Scooter, there was a 30x50' pad there when we bought the place so unknown how it was put down. I'm going to put down another 20x50 and a apron in the front this fall. This spring has been wet around here for sure.
Thanks guys for the input.

 

[stewartb]

I have a building in TX where the warehouse is uninsulated metal on walls and roof. We can get humidity that makes puddles on covered porches but the warehouse has never had any issue at all. Perhaps you won't have a problem. Plan for the worst and hope for the best?