To insulate or not to insulate?

[TNhobbyfarmer]

I'm getting close to completion of a 24X27 pole type storage building. It is on some property I own, not at my permanent residence. I am building it to store my tractor and miscellaneous tools and "stuff." The roof and walls are metal. Since it is not a workshop that I will spend much time in, I had decided not to insulate it. Now I'm having second thoughts for the following reason. I know how that metal tends to sweat and have a lot of condensation. Do you guys think I should insulate for the purpose of keeping my stuff dry and avoid the likelihood of rust and all the other problems associated with moisture?

 

[beenthere]

Will you have a slab? Will it be enclosed, pretty much?

 

[TNhobbyfarmer]

No slaab. Totally enclosed.

 

[BB_TX]

I have a 30'x40' metal building, also on some land I don't live on yet. I insulated mine, but I have a concrete slab floor. Like you, I keep my tractor there along with tools, etc. I insulated mine when I built it, so I don't know if I would have a moisture problem on the metal or not. But my floor does sweat some in real high humidity, even though it has a plastic liner under it and is painted with floor paint. Not sure what effect having no slab would have. But one advantage of the insulation is less temperature swings. On the hottest day of summer it is much cooler inside, and on the coldest day of winter it is much warmer inside.

 

[SnowRidge]

I have a 30 x 40 uninsulated metal shop building on a slab. I see no more than minor rusting of unprotected bare steel. The building does not sweat. I am near Knoxville.

 

[EddieWalker]

I've heard people mentions metal buildings "sweating" but have yet to see this for myself. We have pretty high humidity here in East Texas, so I'd have thought it would be common, but it's never happened in my buildings or sheds and when I've asked about it, nobody will admit to having seen it happen either.

Insulate if you want to reduce tempature fluxuations, but for moisture and "sweating" I'd wonder how it would help.

Eddie

 

[BB_TX]

Our deer hunting cabin is made from corrogated steel panels. With high humidity and cold temps, the roof would sweat to the point it may start dripping. But. That is a relatively small cabin with 4 men staying inside. Our breathing and heating the inside of the cabin I am sure contributed to that. A couple years ago the land owner wanted to put a new roof on it. We didn't remove the old panels. We just layed a layer of roofing paper and put new corrogated panels over that. The new panels did not exactly match the 40 year old panels, so the result was 2 dead air spaces separated by a layer of paper. That pretty much stopped the sweating inside.

 

[TNhobbyfarmer]

Thanks for the responses so far. I guess I am possibly over reacting to the possibllity of condensation. I think I'll not insulate for the time being. If I encounter anything in the future that changes my mind, I can always go back and insulate at that time. Again, thanks for the respopnses. I respect you guys opinions.

 

[Farwell]

Eddie,
I have a heavy duty fiberglass 14'x20' lean to on the side of a small barn, when it is hot out and a breeze is blowing you would not believe the amount of moisture that falls from the ceiling. It looks like rain. The barn side of the lean to has metal siding and it has a thick moisture film on it. I store my steel stock in the lean to and it has rust spots all over it. I am going to have the spray foam done on the ceiling and that should take care of the moisture.
Living in Michigan and having lived in Northern California I am a firm believer in putting as much insulation as will fit and afford. I usually go to the extreme.
Farwell

 

[slowrev]

If the building is not on a slab, the floor/dirt will be your main source of moisture. I do get more tool rusting in my sheds with dirt floors than those with slabs. You might want to consider some heavy poly on the floor and cover with small gravel. Not perfect but it helps to keep the moisture down.
Ben