Hi all.
I use the turbo trainer in the outside garage. It is single skin brick with a tin roof with internal felt, roof is just over a year old.
When using the turbo during the colder months, I put a blow heater on for 15 mins before I am due on a workout. This goes off after another 15 mins or so once on the turbo, don’t use a fan and no windows or doors are open.
The garage roof slopes down from one end to the other, which is where I turbo. I noticed around a couple of months ago that the felt roof is damp where it meets the end wall. Also, the whole of the wall at the end where the roof slopes to, is very damp.
l’m just after some advice really, is this me that is causing the condensation and if so, what can I do to solve this issue?
Leave a window open.
I get the same in the conservatory, I use a fan as I run hot. After I’m finished I leave the fan running with a window open.
Same with mine. I’ve done quite a bit of digging putting in new drainage and channel drains to combat flooding into the garage.
Its still damp, I think I need some brick sealer on the outside as driving rain seems to come through the two exposed walls, and I might put some air bricks in as suspect it no longer has enough ventilation since I replaced the metal door with a roller door and the corrugated asbestos roof with insulated panels.
Get a dehumidifier and run it for a couple of hours after your workout.
Windows and doors open during the workout, the closed after while the dehumidifier is on.
Single skin brick garage here also, we put 4" dia holes in the wall a few years back to help ventilate...two in the dampest end (which has the garden backing onto it at about half height, one in the opposite end.
Not exactly a habitable space, but it's been much better ever since.
I train in there very regular over winter but don't do anything else special - door remains closed, fan is constantly on except when it's particularly cold when I use the remote to toggle on/off as needed.
I leave the window or door open a bit plus have a dehumidifier that cranks up when needed - have loads of tools etc in there too and don't want anything going rusty!
I'm no expert, but is the blow heater needed? Isn't this just adding to the issue? ie, you'll sweat more cos you're starting from warm. I go out wearing a hoody and take if off once warm and then get the cooling fan on.
I assume the cooling fan helps cos it'll draw in the cold air from outside and be pushing out the air inside the garage.
Cheers guys for the advice.
I’ve got no windows to open at the mo and I’ve got to have the garage door either fully open or closed, the motor ain’t working as it should. So with the door facing the street, I tend to have it closed for now.
With regards to the blow heater, I found that the magnets on the turbo would “stick’ (if that is correct), with a hell of a lot of resistance if not warmed up during the colder months. That’s my excuse for the heater and I’m sticking to it…. 😛
Looks like my only option is a dehumidifier and see how that goes with the condensation build up.
Do a little research before buying a dehumidifier. I’ve got one that is rated for 7L a day, normally use it in the house but whenever I’ve put it in the cold garage or campervan it struggles to collect much moisture (even when the floor has been flooded) and sometimes it just shuts off. Not during freezing weather though, and it’s a desiccant model which is generally better for unheated rooms. It’s got an integrated heater but it might just not be big enough to warm cold air.
If you can knock out a couple of bricks and replace with air bricks, I reckon that would be more effective, permanent 24-7 solution.
A metal roof exposed to the sky will always be really cold. Chances are it's condensing even when you're not in there punishing yourself, as night sky radiation will cool it below the air's dewpoint. Ventilation is your best option...that or add exterior insulation to keep the roof warm, but that's a bit redundant.
normally use it in the house but whenever I’ve put it in the cold garage or campervan it struggles to collect much moisture (even when the floor has been flooded) and sometimes it just shuts off.
Cold air has a much smaller capacity for holding moisture, and when it's cold there much less energy available for evaporation, so it's not your dehumidifier that's crap, it's the stupid air being cold and weak.
Yep I realise that, dehumidifier can make an internal room quite warm when left running but it just doesn’t have the oomph to warm up the air circulating through itself. I’ve even had a fan heater pointed at it to help but it still doesn’t achieve much.
I've noticed some condensation in mine a couple of times, conditions seem to need to be just right (wrong?) for it to happen. I always have the back door open and a fan on, and I usually leave it that way for a while when I've finished. That seems to mostly do the trick for me.
You are taking a poorly insulated structure, blowing hot air into it, making the air more moist. Then it meets the cold air on the outside and immediately condenses
Simple answer, dont use the heater, its only a minute or 2 feeling chilly before you are hot anyhow from the workout. If you can open a window, put an air brick in or a gap under the eaves of the roof.
My turbo is in the conservatory now. Weve put a dehumidifier in there as the glass started going moldy around the edges. Its amazing how much water you generate into the tank. This gets more so with temperature difference inside to out
Would insulating the garage roof internally with something like Kingspan insulation board help out at all?