Water condensation on basement ceiling problem...

[Verizon User]

Hi all,

I have a storage room underneath my front porch (4 x 38) which is adjacent to a full basement. The room is framed with cinderblock and the ceiling is corrugated steel with the concrete porch cast on top of it.

I noticed today that there way water drops on the steel... I've never noticed bofore, but have noticed that some boxes that were in there were musty - which was a mystery because the walls and floor are bone dry.

I think it has to do with the cold weather outside & the warm basement inside... anyone know how to solve the problem? Should I just glue some sheets of insulation to the steel, or is something more involved necessary?

Thanks!

[David Efflandt]

That is quite normal for an underground vault when the ceiling becomes colder that the vault (talking about city water valve vaults, not burial vaults), because cold air does not hold as much moisture as warm air. Insulating the metal ceiling would help reduce heat loss, but a dehumidifier would reduce the moisture accumulation. So you may want to go both ways.