Ventilating a shed

My friend bought a cheap shed off t'internet a couple of years ago. Given the appalling weather of 2012, followed by the lousy wet spells we've had ever since, the shed hasn't stood up to things very well.

It's crammed with "stuff" (not rubbish: kit and materials for which there's no room in her garage) and the stuff is all mildewed, along with some of the timbers of the shed itself. The roof has been permanently damp (or even dripping wet) *inside* for almost a year now: it's almost as though the roofing felt supplied is porous!

I've now built a second, industrial quality, roof on top of the original, the weather (and space available) not at present being conducive to emptying the shed and removing the old roof.

I'd like to ventilate the shed to assist in getting rid of damp which builds up. I was thinking of making a few 1" holes in the apex of each end of the shed, and making a few more near the bottom of the walls, allowing a steady flow of air at all times.

Any comments, or suggestions of a better way to ventilate it, please?

Cheers John

Reply to
Another John
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If you have power out there I think I would be inclined to apply forced ventilation. I've used fans salvaged from computers and similar electronics in the past, you probably don't need the flow given by a standard kitchen or bathroom fan.

Reply to
newshound

I'm not sure that most wooden sheds need any more ventilation than they get from the gaps between the planks. My wooden shed has a dehumidifier, on an extension lead from an outside socket, running inside almost constantly at present. I get about a litre of water a day out of it.

Colin Bignell

Reply to
Nightjar

Sounds like you need a dehumidifier to me. Brian

Reply to
Brian Gaff

I had just this problem with a shed that was very well made and thus had no unintentional ventilation. I fitted 12" square louvre-type vents in the two opposite ends, just below roof level. This gave a complete cure. The difference was remarkable. The shed is in a place where the wind will often blow through it.

Bill

Reply to
Bill Wright

Another John wrote on 19/02/2014 :

We have an 8 x 10 heavy shed made from green rough sawn timber, overlapped. The gaps in the floor, where the floor timbers are just butted up I have covered with an old carpet. Idea was to both draft proof the floor and prevent moisture rising. It is just laid on soil, but on brick piers. It has been there 20 years, with never any mildew on anything. The only exception was a few years ago, when the roof ripped and rain got in, but that soon dried out.

The only ventilation is the door, which is a poor fit and like the floor, made from timbers butted up where the gaps have expanded as the timber has seasoned.

Reply to
Harry Bloomfield

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