More help needed w/ pole building humidity

jmc · Oct 13, 2003

That seems like a good approach. You may be in luck afterall...

Have you considered spreading a cheap plastic cover over part of the floor for a couple of days to get a feel for how much moisture is working its way up?

jsduke · Oct 13, 2003

Hello Junkman,

A clarification please.

Are you saying to put the plastic down first (on my CR base) then the dust and finally the topcoat?

Thanks.

duke.

Junkman · Oct 13, 2003

put down a stone dust base and then the plastic. The plastic doesn't care which level it is on because the moisture will always be below it. I suggest the stone dust because it will compact well and give you a smooth base for the cement floor. I did my garage floor that way because it faces a hillside about 10 feet away. I also put in a French drain on the side wall at the base of the footing with a 4" PVC pipe to carry the water away. I have seen the water pool 6" high on the side of the building, but the floor has always stayed dry. I have cardboard under some things that I store in there and when I remove the cardboard, there is no moisture under it. Just try to keep the cement people from cutting slits in the plastic. They will do this when you are not looking so the water content of the cement can get below the plastic and they can finish the floor sooner. I caught them doing this on my floor, and I just put down another layer of plastic and told the guy that did it that if I caught him doing it again, that I would throw him off the property and charge him with malicious damage to the property! Many years ago, a worker said that he wouldn't see the problems from his house and I replied that he could leave then. I never let the contractor bring him back on my job because of the poor attitude. Some people just don't care unless it is for themselves.

jsduke · Oct 14, 2003

Junkman,

I'm not putting in a slab. I'm topcoating with a dust/aggregate product which compacts pretty well. Should I put some straight dust on top of the plastic as well as under and then my topcoat on the dust?

I too need drainage, front and right side are downslope. Problem is my underground utilities (power/phone) are approx. 3 ft in front of the building. I've got ample room on the right side but only the 36" in front. Gotta trench between the utilities and the front in order to dump the water downhill and away from my house.

What exactly was done to create your drain and how deep/wide did you go?

Thanks.

duke.

ps. It's become a rarity to contract a service or buy a product and not have problems. Several years back I had a tile hearth built for a woodstove. The guy they sent didn't build it symetrically... nearly an inch wider on one side as compared to the same tile on the wall behind. It was very noticeable. When I flagged the owner on it he told me it wouldn't be seen after they installed the trim (which I requested). I insisted that it be made right which he did...but not without a pi** fit. The trim they were going to install turned out to be crap (looked like it had been salvaged) and I told them to skip it. I could go on for days about this kind of stuff /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif.

Junkman · Oct 14, 2003

OK.... now I understand the problem more clearly...... if you put plastic down and then put another layer of stone dust on top, the plastic is going to hold the moisture below it, but if the top layer of stone dust gets wet, it will not dry very quickly and you will have another problem. If I were in your predicament, I would reconsider the concrete floor.....
As for the drain that I installed, it is a 4" perforated pipe that has a "sock" over it to prevent fines from getting into the holes. That is covered with 3/4" crushed trap rock and then there is a layer of "cloth" that prevents the top soil from migrating into the crushed stone. The total depth is about 24" with about 18" of it being stone & 6" being top soil. The water will pool on top, but it will also dissipate rapidly. Almost forgot to mention that I put down a thin... 3" layer of sand/stone dust to cushion the 4" perforated pipe first...
It is about 12" wide and has a 1/4" per foot pitch.. The idea is to get as much water away from the area as fast as you can.
If you are careful, the 3 feet in front is enough to work in. I would also put a drain in this area rather than just using a solid pipe here...... might as well keep everything as dry as possible.....
If you know someone that has a Kubota BX22, it is the perfect size for a trenching project such as this... I know, because I have a BX22 with a 12" hoe bucket.....
the Junkman

jsduke · Oct 14, 2003

No $ for the slab at this time /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif.

I guess I've got to minimize the amount of water that reaches the 'above the plastic' layer. Outside of some snow melt from plowing and if the tractor gets wet and dries inside I don't expect a lot of new moisture except migration from below and from the sides (rc wicks a bit). The front and right side drainage will keep major ground flow at bay so all I need to address is proximity rainfall/snow melt and roof runoff.

If I can isolate the 'above the plastic' layer from side migration it's gotta help. What if I allow for an additional 2 ft. in width and length when I size the plastic so I can turn the edges up vertically to block from the sides and ends?

I wish I could get a 'Mulligan' on this structure /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif.

duke.