As a builder or building owner, you may have received a call that began with: “It’s raining inside my building!”

It’s probably condensation. Once the building is up, the remedies are fewer, less effective, and more expensive. The key is to install panels with a condensation control membrane like Dripstop® during construction. 

The reason you might not think about condensation until it is too late is… You can’t see, touch, or feel it, until it’s already a problem. Understanding what causes condensation and the solutions can be confusing. However, builders who educate their customers about condensation before starting the job can avoid angry phone calls and problems after the build.

It is a simple scientific fact that just as a glass of ice water sweats on a hot day, bare metal roofing sweats under similar conditions. When warm, wet air meets a cold surface, condensation forms water droplets.

Condensation Control

In most parts of the country, dripping is almost unavoidable due to seasonal climate changes. There are two different ways builders have typically combatted moisture inside metal buildings. Historically, a layer of insulation has been used to minimize the change in temperature—this helps stop humidity from forming water droplets. More recently, builders have found a new, more efficient way to “control” condensation using a felt membrane to “catch” the moisture as it forms overnight, then “release it” as the sun and air move across the metal roofing panels during the day. Dripstop® is the world’s most trusted and used condensation control membrane.

When insulation is installed to specifications, it can be an effective solution. A condensation control membrane like Dripstop® offers numerous advantages for both the builders and building owners. As the building is erected, Dripstop® arrives already installed on the metal panels. Therefore, there is no time spent installing insulation. This increases job site safety for the builder by eliminating blind steps to purlins covered with insulation. It also saves labor typically spent tacking that insulation down and taping the seams. Since no insulation is being used, windy days become much less of a challenge. 

Our membrane will not require cleaning or maintenance. Birds will not peck holes in it and it will not sag or fall off. Dripstop® is virtually worry-free. 

Most condensation control membranes like Dripstop® offer noise reduction to cut down on both impact noise and echoes from inside the building. 

Dripstop®’s specially designed adhesive barrier also helps protect the steel from corrosion. Dripstop® on a properly installed and vented metal roof will perform exceptionally 20-plus years down the road! 

Ventilation

There are many potential sources of moisture in a metal building:

• Fill dirt/gravel

• Concrete

• Livestock

• Poor drainage

• High ground water table

• Use of heaters, propane, kerosene, etc.

• Snow melt from vehicles, or moisture 

from washing vehicles

• Washing down floor areas

• Storage of firewood, green lumber, or 

fresh-cut timber

• Hay storage or other farm commodities

Whatever condensation control option you choose, ensure proper ventilation. 

We want to thank our partners and customers for their continued trust and service. Dripstop® has served our customers for over 25 years and we look forward to serving for another 25. MOH