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justins7
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# Posted: 18 Feb 2020 12:04pm
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I have a cabin with open rafters that needs finishing. I recently had spray foam done on the ceiling, but it is still open with now ceiling finishing yet.
I've been thinking of doing a DIY tin ceiling to cover the beams, but I am wondering about condensation and cold conduction, since I am in an area that gets quite cold in the winter. Does a metal ceiling conduct the cold more than wood? (But then does it hold the heat in better?)
Can it cause moisture problems?
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SCSJeff
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# Posted: 18 Feb 2020 12:12pm
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I'm also debating this. (At least for over the wood stove area). However, I could imagine it starting to rain over the woodstove when first starting it up in a cold cabin (due to condensation...)
Although, my windows don't get wet, so maybe it wouldn't be a problem??
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justins7
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# Posted: 18 Feb 2020 12:22pm
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I was thinking the same thing about the "rain over the woodstove." In a cold cabin, as I'm sure you know, metal is MUCH colder than wood, so I can see this possibly being a bad match.
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Aklogcabin
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# Posted: 19 Feb 2020 09:20am
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I would think that the metal will settle in at ambient room temperature. Although metal conducts heat better. Question maybe would it be attracted to the metal somehow? My thoughts are how is the moisture going to evaluate your cabin with the lid sealed. Or if it may not be needed. Gets pretty dry in the winter and those of us with woodstoves have a pot of water to add moisture into the air. Maybe as simple as having a vent 4-6†in a side wall that is closable. I think I’ve seen them for homes so there not too tight.
You could regulate it as needed. You will also be opening the door regularly? This will transfer a considerable amount of air. Hope this gives you something to chew on. Good luck. N Great dreams !
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justins7
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# Posted: 19 Feb 2020 10:16am
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My cabin is pretty drafty and the door is constantly open for getting wood, etc.
It's really hard to tell how the metal would react. As a side note, I have two trailers and I notice that the aluminum walls seem to attract moisture in the winter.
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ICC
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# Posted: 19 Feb 2020 10:52am
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Quoting: justins7 metal is MUCH colder than wood
No a metal surface may feel colder to the touch but it will be the same actual temperature as the adjacent wood surface. The metal surface feels colder because it conducts heat better than wood. That's why your tongue will free to a metal surface but not to a wood surface. I learned that as a kid.
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Cowracer
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# Posted: 19 Feb 2020 02:18pm
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Quoting: justins7 I have two trailers and I notice that the aluminum walls seem to attract moisture in the winter.
Are you sure that's not because of propane heating? Burning propane puts quite a bit of water vapor in the air. I am a longtime RV camper, and this is a subject a lot of people (newbies) complain about in their first cold-weather camping trip.
If its cold enough to run the furnace, I open a roof vent about halfway to let the moisture out.
Tim
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ICC
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# Posted: 19 Feb 2020 02:31pm
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Burning propane does produce a lot of water vapor. However, that is only a concern with a non-vented propane heater. In an RV that has the usual RV furnace, the moisture that condenses inside is from breathing and maybe cooking. An RV furnace is much like the direct vent wall heaters that are built for homes. They both exhaust all the products of combustion to the outside. The RV furnaces have those, stacked, exhaust above the inlet air, vent things in a wall.
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Cowracer
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# Posted: 19 Feb 2020 05:20pm
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Quoting: ICC Burning propane does produce a lot of water vapor. However, that is only a concern with a non-vented propane heater. In an RV that has the usual RV furnace, the moisture that condenses inside is from breathing and maybe cooking. An RV furnace is much like the direct vent wall heaters that are built for homes. They both exhaust all the products of combustion to the outside. The RV furnaces have those, stacked, exhaust above the inlet air, vent things in a wall.
That is all true. However, some water vapor gets into the mix somehow. I have a 50Amp camper with an electric fireplace and a heat strip in the front A/C. I also use a 1350watt quartz heater. On nights where I only use the electric for heat, its never a problem. But if I kick on the furnace, I'll get condensation pretty quick.
It's a pretty new camper (2017) and the CO2 detector never triggers, so it's not like i got a leaky combustion chamber. Now you got me curious. I wonder if there is an outside air intake for the furnace...
Tim
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ICC
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# Posted: 19 Feb 2020 05:44pm - Edited by: ICC
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There is an outside air intake for a RV furnace. The lower of those 2 ports is supposed to be the air intake. That air is drawn into the combustion chamber by the burner fan and pushed through the combustion chamber and out the top port. When the burner is on, you can feel hot exhaust from the top port.
The same fan motor in the furnace spins a second fan that draws air from the RV interior, passes the air over the combustion chamber heat exchanger and returns the heated air to the interior. Larger RV's will have a distribution duct system.
No air is drawn into the furnace combustion chamber from the RV interior and the exhaust all goes out a metal pipe thru that top port. As long as everything is properly installed.
The condensation you have is on windows? Or? The outside temperature is about the same when you run the furnace instead of, or in addition to the electric heat?
That is a strange thing you have going on.
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skootamattaschmidty
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# Posted: 23 Feb 2020 02:15pm
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We have a tim ceiling over the kitchen area of the cabin which is heated by a wood stove. We have never had an issue with condensation on the ceiling at all. The metal heats up as the room heats up. This area is below the loft. The rest of the area is cathedral ceiling. Not sure it does much in the way of keeping it warmer or not but like I said...no issues with moisture condensing on it.
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justins7
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# Posted: 24 Feb 2020 11:19am
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That's good information. I was looking to hear people's experiences. Thanks.
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Aklogcabin
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# Posted: 26 Feb 2020 10:47am
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I suspect that the extra condensation that happens with a propane furnace may be just physics. When the recirculated air that is drawn in and then back over the hot combustion chamber it heats this air. Allowing it to expand and collect more moisture. When this now warmer wetter air cools back down as it touches the window it looses that extra heat energy that allowed it to hold more moisture. Dropping it on the window. Where it turns from a vapor back to moisture form.
Been 30 years since I’ve been to school but energy still moves from a greater to a lesser.
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