Condensation Nightmare

DamonH

Hi Folks!
I am not a contractor. Just a simple homeowner who is a DIY.
A few years ago I purchased a get away up in the mountains. The original owner created a closed in "living" area off of the place. The used a vinyl awning to do this. Unfortunately, in the winter time this creates a horrible condensation issue. I wanted to put in a drop ceiling to cover the vinyl, but that would lead to more issues with mold etc due to the condensation.

I thought about putting in a large amount of insulation between the awning and drop ceiling, but am not sure if that will help.

So, I am hoping you good folks here have some suggestions. It would be appreciated since we have to cover everything during the winter with plastic drop cloths.

Cheers!
Damon

Scuba_Dave

Do you have a pic of this setup ?

DamonH

Heh... I thought about it when I sat down this morning and started searching for a forum. Unfortunately I do not and will not be going back to the place until this coming weekend.

Sorry about that. As soon as I do have a pic I will post it.

Bud Cline

Propane heat?

DamonH

Hey Bud. Yes sir it is propane.

Bud Cline

THERE'S YOUR PROBLEM!
Any insulation you can poke anywhere will help but a dehumidifier is what you really need. Burning propane releases a tremendous amount of moisture into the environment.

DamonH

Thanks for the input. I will then plan on putting in the drop ceiling with the insulation. Unfortunately having a dehumidifier running when I am not there is not an option. I do not like the idea of running anything electrical except for the fridge and water heater while I am gone for a week or two at a time.

I usually unplug everything when we shut things down to leave.
I will let y'all know what happens and I will get pics in a couple of weeks as well.

Cheers!

Bud Cline

Only run a dehimidifier when you run the heat. Does the heat run when you aren't there?

minidriver8

propane produces huge amounts of water as one of it's combustion by-products, but my questions is....why is this propane furnace venting into the interior and not vented outside like it's supposed to?.....my guess is that cooking, showers, and human exhailation are more to blame than the furnace and that is condensing on the un-insulated space. i like the dehumidifier idea and i would add to that one simple thing. keep the air moving with either a fan or the furnace fan. another thing would be to install a 75-100 cfm exhaust fan in the bathroom and a 500 cfm exhaust fan in the kitchen area.

if any of these things reduce the moisture problem, at least you've got a handle on the cause ..... then i'd say drop ceiling and insulate to reduce the cold area for moisture to condense.