O/T Damp Garage

[Bozz]

I know this has been done before but I was wondering whether anyone had an opinion on this....

 

My 7 lives in a prefabricated garage with asbestos sheeted roof. The floor has no damproofing and the wall panel joints leak in heavy rain although I've done my best to seal them with silicone.

 

The floor is partly carpet tiled.

 

The roof drips water especially on frosty mornings and so I'm not sure if its condensation or porous roof sheets (they only get damp in heavy rain).

 

I've added some ventilation louvres in the walls.

 

Still seeing lots of condensation on cold surfaces though (engine exhaust etc)

 

Should I insulate the roof sheets next or get one of these...

 

here

 

Bozz

 

 

 

McLaren Orange and Black 1.6SS 6 Speed here

 

Edited by - bozz on 27 Nov 2006 13:43:41

 

Edited by - bozz on 27 Nov 2006 13:52:31

[I.Mupferit]

They are very difficult to keep dry Tim. I had a prefabricated concrete garage with asbestos sheet roof in a previous house and it was impossible to keep anything free of condensation. At that time I had a 1600E I had restored and after just 1 winter stored in the garage unused and under a dust sheet, the calipers were seized, the discs covered in thick rust and the clutch wouldn't release. ☹️

 

I think you might have better luck with a Carcoon inside the garage rather than fight a losing battle trying to keep the garage itself dry. I tried all manner of things with no success, including a dehumidifier which just couldn't cope. Ventilation is the key, and plenty of it but not really practical to have a reasonable size fan blowing 24 hrs a day.

 

In the end I sold the car rather than risk having it deteriorate any further. My ordinary tintop fared better outside in the open.

 

Not much help I know but I would definitely look at a Carcoon.

 

Brent

 

2.3 DURATEC SV Reassuringly Expensive

R 417.39 😬

[Bozz]

Thanks Brent

 

Problem with the Carcoon of course is you can't work on the car whilst it's inside.

 

Bozz

 

 

 

McLaren Orange and Black 1.6SS 6 Speed here

[I.Mupferit]

The other thing I meant to ask is how old is the roof? Those corrugated asbestos roof sheets can become porous after many years thus leak like a sieve and you also get capillary action where one sheet overlaps another and water can creep between them, dropping out on to your pride and joy leaving white marks as it dries. Is it your garage or rented?

 

The expensive option, of course, is to knock it down and put up a brick built garage with a tile pitched roof. Then you can install heating, decent lighting, insulation, carpeting, sound system, TV, proper racking................oh I could go on forever! 😬

 

Brent

 

2.3 DURATEC SV Reassuringly Expensive

R 417.39 😬

[Bozz]

Brent

 

Yes I suspect that the sheets are porous and am contemplating either replacing them or coating them.

 

Problem is SWMBO can't bear for me to spend any money on the thing as she'd like to knock it down and have an extension to the house but without any garage *eek*

 

 

Bozz

 

 

 

 

McLaren Orange and Black 1.6SS 6 Speed here

[I.Mupferit]

Ah ok, I see the problem now of conflicting interests. Sorry but I can't help on that one!

 

On the practical side though, I would look at replacing the roof rather than sealing it, albeit you would need to get a specialist asbestos removal contractor in to do it. In the long run that would be preferable and you can replace it with pre-insulated double skin plastic coated aluminium profiled roof sheets. The walls are slightly easier to deal with by an internal skin but it will obviously reduce the internal space by a few cms.

 

There is no cheap solution I'm afraid.

 

Brent

 

2.3 DURATEC SV Reassuringly Expensive

R 417.39 😬

[Dickie Normuss]

Would removing the carpet tiles help 🤔

 

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[TomB]

Mine is in a car port in my back yard under one of the bulk buy car covers from a couple of years ago. Admittedly it will be its forst winter like this, so far, I havnt seen any moisture/ condensation. I guessing as its open on one side, there is good ventilation, so although in heavy rain one side of the cover can get wet, it quickly dries. The air moves under the car, so the only place where damp could be a problem is under the tonneux/ footwells.

[Tim Renshaw]

My shed is similar construction and I replaced the roof myself last summer with corrugated bitumen sheeting (from Wickes). Took advice from specialist asbestos contractors first who were doing some work at work for us, they assured me that the concrete asbestos sheets do not pose a risk unless broken and therefore the job could be done by me with sensible precautions (suitable mask, don't break/saw/drill the boards and dispose of the sheets at your local council tip in their asbestos skip). Bitumen roof sheets have helped with most of the water ingress which makes me think the asbestos must have been porous but there is still the occasional drip of condensation on some very cold days. Shed is generally about 200% better than it was and stores bikes, lawnmowers etc quite happily. Bitumen sheets are obviously not insulated but they were easy to work with, I used clear corrugated panels in some areas to allow light in and Wickes also sell foam eaves fillers in the same profile which stops the wind/water/insects etc coming through the gaps where the roof sits on the walls. A final word of warning if you do it yourself - the roof sheets are REALLY heavy and there is a danger of dropping them which would then break them and cause danger re the asbestos, so get a friend to help! Hope this is of some use?

[Bozz]

Yes, thanks Tim.

 

Bozz

 

McLaren Orange and Black 1.6SS 6 Speed here

[MonkeyBoy]

Great post! I have exactly the same setup as Bozz by sounds of things, and i have tried silicone sealant etc to no avail. I was going to try something very similar to Tim's solution - i see you can buy plastic corrugated roof sheets from B&Q but i guess a more solid bitumen sheet would be better

 

Alistair

[Tim Renshaw]

I think B&Q did exactly the same sheets as Wickes, either black or dark green. If you get 'clear' ones be careful to check the colours carefully as we have three clear and one with a slight blue tinge - very obvious from the upstairs windows!

[Brucey]

Bozz,

 

If it helps, I had my asbestos roof replaced with corregated (translucent) glassfibre sheets about 5 years ago. It cured all my damp problems

 

You may have to put some 4 x 2 timbers up (or 2 x 2 if you don't want to load it) to support the sheets, but very worthwhile and a lot brighter.

 

Bruce.

[grumpy the 7th]

I've got the same set up.

 

I leave a window half open and have pop riveted a couple of ali air vents to the up& over door with suitable holes cut out to try and increase ventilation

 

I also have built a biscuit tin heater

 

Under the sump I've placed on the floor a tin with a lamp holder fixed inside with a couple of holes drilled in the lid & side. I run a 40 watt bulb. This causes a slight convection effect and keeps the once very damp engine bay (rocker cover & primaries etc) dry. I've actually put the lamp on a timer to switch off every five or six hours for the minimum 15 minutes because the bulb used to overheat and blow if I didn't let it cool down every so often.

 

It seems to work for me

 

rog

C7 TNT - it's Dynamite!(Honda Irish Green and Peugeot Graphite grey)

 

[roger7]

I've never used plastic sheets, but I have used bitumen sheets on stables and field shelters. The brand was 'Onduline'.

Bitumen sheets are fine BUT they need plenty of support underneath because they tend to sag over time (don't we all?) Ideally, put a layer of exterior ply across the joists and the bitumen sheets on top of that - the ply provides support and insulation.

Try to avoid having to cut the bitumen sheets to size - cutting them is a real bugger because the bitumen melts with friction from the saw and glues up the saw (doesn't matter if you use a hand saw or a circular saw, the same thing happens). It is much better to buy more sheets and overlap them more.

Whether you use plastic or bitumen, go for the largest sensible overhang to help keep the walls dry.

 

 

If you want a really, really cheap solution (cos of 'er indoors) use two layers of second hand corrugated iron with several layers of used plastic feed/fertilizer sacks as the filling in the sandwich. This is waterproof and avoids condensation. Even if you plan never to use this 'agricultural' solution, it might help your negotiations with the good lady for a prettier roof option.

 

Good luck.

 

Good luck!

[Midas]

On a different 'carcoon type' note, there are two similar products available - one from a company called Hamilton Classics and another from a company called Airflow. They provide bubbles for the car, but use a rigid framework so you can drive the car in and out, and also work on it.

[Rob Walker]

I had the same problem with a porous asbestos roof. I coated it with product called Acrapol. Not sure about the spelling. Its a thick grey coating with strands of fibre glass in the mix. Has lasted more than 10 years.

[RiF]

Used an Airflow bubble for years

 

RiF Flying even faster in my very bright yellow 226bhp Duratec 7, with internal kevlar/carbon panels and pushrod suspension 😬 😬 😬.for pictures of 7 and carbon

[Bricol]

I've got a corrugated steel roof on my pre-fab garage - loads of condensation on the inside and lots of blown water around the door.

 

Various filler pieces and pieces of metal on the door to overlap the frame and lower sill as required cured the blown watewr problem.

 

Where previous owner installed the roof, water-proofing wasn't help as he used the lower part of the corrugation to stick the fixing screws thro' - dimpling the sheet so it collected water anyway. Didn't help when he missed the supporting beam so simply removed the screw and put in somewhere else - leaving the hole . . . a morning with a tin of mastic roof sealant cured all that.

 

Insulation in the roof - simple flat sheets cured the overhead damp problem - stop the damp air getting to the cold roof and it doesn't condense - or at least, reduce the amount of damp air getting there.

 

Scraped out all the wall panel joints and resealed with mastic (not silicon) and sealed joints to roof.

 

First winter tools went rusty, condensation on the vice, steel bench etc - now fine.

 

One amusing thing - it's a shared construction with next door - and the dividing wall is of the same type as the other walls - so I have nice smooth interior walls - and he has the pebble dashed side of the center wall!

 

Bri