Why does a concrete slab sweat

Do not be fooled by the density of concrete, within it are small capillaries that act as an absorbent hence dampening the affected rooms mostly in the basement. It is easy to determine whether a sweating floor is as a result of humid air from outside or absorption of moisture from underneath with this practical approach. All you need is a inch piece of square shaped plastic and tape.

Tape the plastic on the floor slab when dry ensuring the edges are completely sealed and wait until the floor shows signs of wetness. Remove the taped plastic and assess the nature of wetness. If the concrete patch that was sealed is completely dry and the rest of the floor is wet, it is an indication of a sweating floor caused by humid air outside but if the patch is wet and the rest of the floor dry, it is an indication of a moisture problem.

Eliminating the factors responsible for sweating is the only effective way to keep your floor dry. Such can be achieved by applying the following techniques:.

Sealing all openings reduces the draft which results in condensation on the floor. The vents should not be sealed as this would go against construction legal codes. You may also opt for a dehumidifier device to minimize humidity.

Vinyl mats, interlocking floor tiles, and specialized carpets are also effective in keeping floors dry. Another practical option is enhancing aeration for floors with fans because if humid air does not get adequate time to settle condensation will not be achieved.

Lastly, heating the affected rooms maintains floor temperature at room temperature hence humid air is not cooled down on the floor surface. The most recommendable option however is changing flooring material as it is inexpensive and serves you best in the long run. Our problem is wetness accumulating under anything we place on the floor.

I have a waterproof sealed laminated floating wood floor directly on top of OSB board exposed to the outside. So far on the inside I have used vapor barrier tape on OSB seams before installing the wood floor and the floating floor hassome sections of thin layer of acoustic foam that allows air between the floor and osb.

The only no n expert solution I can think of is to make floor warmer somehow with some kind of insulation underneath the osb board and if that would even work?

Or would a dehumidifier with a fan be enough to keep condensation from forming underneath items on the floor? Or if you have any other completely different thoughts? Thank you ahead of time! I have a similar problem, in that I have a very cold floor but heat the room.

So things that are directly on the floor get condensation underneath them. Have you found a fix yet? See our response below, but condensation is caused when the dew point falls. The only solution is to remove the humidity with air circulation or dehumidification, or having items on the floor slightly raised with spacers to allow air flow. Sometimes we face this problem. Like floor cold but heat the room. The only solution is to remove the humidity with air circulation or dehumidification.

Our house is 3 years old in the basement under the carpet pad is moist and under my PVC flooring it like its wet, im being told it will dry out in time, i talked to another person whos house is 5 years said they told them the same thing and the glue is still coming up, we pulled a piece of our flooring up and the glue just smears because of it being damp, i do not have a leake and its been cold outside.

You most likely have a moisture issue coming up from the slab as when the house was built they did not put down a vapor barrier plastic layer before pouring the concrete. There are two reasons why concrete sweats. The first and most common reason why concrete sweats is that the concrete is cold and the air is warm. When the concrete is cold and the air is warm, the moisture in the air hits the cold concrete and condensation forms on the surface.

Have you ever taken an ice cold soda and left it on the counter? The entire outside of the soda can will be dripping wet with water because the soda is cold and the air is warm. The same exact thing happens with concrete. Sealers can't stop condensation. Sealers can reduce the absorption of water on the surface, but they can't stop condensation from forming. In order to stop concrete sweating caused by condensation, you need to either warm up the concrete or cool down the air temperature.

The second cause of concrete sweating is sub surface moisture. It is directly related to the dew point. Concrete sweating make concrete slippery and can be dangerous on larger concrete slabs with a lot of traffic. It is important to use a penetrating concrete sealer as soon as possible so that you do not have to deal with mold or mildew issues which are a result of concrete sweating.

One of the best solutions to combat concrete sweating is to use a chemically reactive concrete densifier followed by an impregnating, penetrating sealer. You can help reduce humidity on your concrete floors and metal surfaces by creating more airflow throughout the building to create a more even temperature with thermal equalization. Combating sweaty slab and their impact on a valuable product is a very important issue. Many industries and companies have concrete flooring, and most everyone has experienced sweating concrete floor slabs.

Adequately combating slab moisture with HVLS fans will help protect your machinery, product, and building, by minimizing mold and mildew on a concrete floor slab, and, most importantly, addressing the safety of your employees in a cost-effective way. An expert with high volume, low-speed fans, Jason has spent more than 22 years focused on cooling solutions for industrial facilities that increase employee comfort and decrease energy consumption.

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