Pole Barn Question?

[wraiths]

I finally had a 30 x 30 pole barn built. It is insulated with a 4 inch slab and has a shed on each side. Now the question is after they poured the floor the concrete was putting alot of water in the air, the builder told me to leave the doors open to let it breathe that after it cured it would be nice and dry. Well its been about a 6 weeks and because of the amount of rain we have had I havent been able to leave the doors open every day because didnt want rain to blow in. Anyway when I do get to open it up there is still alot of humidity in the building and was wondering how long does it take for this to stop. I noticed today there was some mold spots on one of the wall purlins, I sure dont want my building full of mold. So my questions are long should this last, how can I eliminate the mold thats starting and how can I keep it out of my building. Its sad I have a new building and cant even put my stuff in it yet... Thanks in advance.

 

[gumshu]

I finally had a 30 x 30 pole barn built. It is insulated with a 4 inch slab and has a shed on each side. Now the question is after they poured the floor the concrete was putting alot of water in the air, the builder told me to leave the doors open to let it breathe that after it cured it would be nice and dry. Well its been about a 6 weeks and because of the amount of rain we have had I havent been able to leave the doors open every day because didnt want rain to blow in. Anyway when I do get to open it up there is still alot of humidity in the building and was wondering how long does it take for this to stop. I noticed today there was some mold spots on one of the wall purlins, I sure dont want my building full of mold. So my questions are long should this last, how can I eliminate the mold thats starting and how can I keep it out of my building. Its sad I have a new building and cant even put my stuff in it yet... Thanks in advance.

I'm curious to know how your contractor prepared the base prior to pouring the concrete. Concrete will reatin water and will also absorbe water. If the contractor used a proper aggregate base, you should be ok. It also sounds as though you may need more ventilation than what you have. I've heard that a 1:5 ratio of bleach to water mix will help control the mold problem. You may want to google mold control. Spraying the concrete with a curing solution will also help it cure. Good luck

 

[wraiths]

He used a gravel base and a vapor barrier. Should I have to have some type of ventilation because right now with the doors shut there is no ventialtion.

 

[boomer1025]

Yes you'll need ventilation, a big fan would work to keep the air moving around.

 

[Rustyiron]

Open her up! THe rain can't hurt the concrete now, in fact the slower it cures the better. Just watch dragging in a bunch of mud, some can stain new concrete.

 

[wraiths]

Would a couple of ceiling fans be enough to circulate the air? Will this still help even though there are no vents in the building?

 

[SSdoxie]

Rain or no rain, open the doors and let it breathe. An insulated roof is great to prevent condensation from forming on underside of steel and having it "rain" on inside, but it also keeps inside cooler so in worm humid temps the entire building has some condensation. For now open the doors, treat existing mold with mixture of bleach and water. For future, yaou may wan to add an exhaust fan with a humidistat switch to turn on when humidity inside reachs a certain level. You could also wire this fan to a manual switch to use it to exahust fumes if running engines inside with doors closed.

 

[wraiths]

RustyIron, is it normal for the concrete to take this long to fully cure. I have been to friends pole barns and they are shut up with no ventalation and when you go in it will be hot in summer but not humid and they have no mold. I just want to make sure that this is going to go away and I'm not going to have to fight mold the entire time in the building.

 

[Rustyiron]

I don't know where you are, but humidity, rain, and the poly under the 'crete will all slow things down. I believe that youre floor is fine and you mignt be confusing the wood issue and the curing of your floor, I doubt that they are related.

 

[rswyan]

Would a couple of ceiling fans be enough to circulate the air? Will this still help even though there are no vents in the building?

Where exacty do you think the moisture is going to go, if the building is closed up and un-ventilated ?