condensation in potting shed

[Joanna Pocock]

how can I insulate my clear corrugated plastic roof as I have a LOT of water droplets on the inside. I was thinking of putting polystyrene on the inside of the roof would this work?

[Andrew]

In this weather, shed condensation is to be expected if you have a metal, or single layer plastic roof.

Maybe open the door and ventilate it ?

[David]

People certainly used to use bubble wrap as a kind of secondary double glazing for greenhouses.

Cheap and easy to apply.

Cheers

Dave R

[Brian Gaff (Sofa]

But then you would surely lose the daylight. I suspect myself that it might stop it dropping on your head but get into the material you covered it with. In my experience so called clear corrugated sheets only a few years till they go brittle and crack or go milky white and are not really much good.

What sort of heating do you use? Is it gas or paraffin perhaps? Those do create a lot of moisture that on a cold morning added to your breath tend to turn the inside into a rain forest. I guess you could create a kind of loft space that was well insulated but depending on the height you have in there, it might be so narrow as to not do much good, we used to just put up with it in them old days, stick a plastic bag and elastic band over the hair. Brian

[Brian Gaff (Sofa]

Yes but it does tend to break down over a couple of years, and you also get green slime in between it and the roof. Brian

[Tricky Dicky]

To prevent condensation collecting on the underside of the roof you need to prevent moisture getting there in the first place insulation alone will not help, moisture will get through cracks and joins. Whatever insulation you put up there will need a vapour barrier on the warm side, polythene sheet or if you use foam insulation like Celotex or Kingspan with the foil backings taping the joins will do. To stop moisture building up in the shed requires ventilation which if you have plants and soil in the shed will always be an issue unless you rig out your shed like the illegal Cannabis growers do.

Richard

[Chris Hogg]

Unless you are over-wintering tender plants in there, you need it to be as cold on the underside of the plastic roof as it is on the topside, so that there's no reason for moisture to condense. Keep a window open if it has one, or the door ajar if there's no security risk that someone will nick your tools.