Spray Foam Fixed Condensation in Cookeville RV Garage

This RV Garage in Cookeville Wouldn’t Stop Sweating

We were out on a job in Cookeville, TN working on an RV garage that had a moisture problem the owner just couldn’t get ahead of anymore. Nothing crazy at first. Just condensation showing up on the inside of the metal building, then puddles on the floor, then industrial dehumidifiers running almost nonstop.

Honestly, we see this a lot with metal buildings around Cookeville and Baxter.

The building already had insulation

That’s the part people usually get frustrated about.

The building had MBI installed when it was built about five years ago, and from what we could tell, it actually wasn’t installed badly. It was tight. Looked decent from the outside. But metal buildings are kind of one of those things where if moisture starts getting trapped, it doesn’t take much before it snowballs into a bigger problem.

Inside the building it felt damp almost immediately. You could smell it too. That stale, humid smell that hits you when you first open the overhead door in the morning.

Not great.

Once we started pulling the MBI down

We originally thought maybe there was a small roof leak somewhere. That happens sometimes. But once we started removing sections of the MBI, you could tell pretty quick the issue was bigger than that.
There was moisture trapped behind the insulation in multiple spots. Dead insects too. Some areas actually felt cool and wet to the touch even though it hadn’t rained recently. Kind of like pulling up an old tarp that’s been sitting outside too long.

That was it.

Why this keeps happening in metal buildings

Metal buildings sweat. Especially here in Tennessee where temperatures bounce around and humidity sticks around longer than people expect.

And sometimes people assume if insulation is present, the problem should already be solved. That’s usually how it goes. But insulation type matters just as much as having insulation in the first place.
MBI can help in certain situations, but once moisture starts forming behind it, the system can work against itself. We see similar issues on shops and garages from Cookeville over toward Sparta too.

We sprayed 2 inches of closed cell

We ended up installing 2 inches of closed cell spray foam throughout the RV garage. Took us most of the day because we wanted to make sure everything behind the old material was cleaned up correctly first.
The difference inside the building was noticeable pretty fast. Less humidity in the air. Less temperature swing. The owner actually mentioned it already felt quieter inside while we were wrapping up.
And honestly that makes sense. Closed cell seals everything up tight and stops warm moist air from hitting that metal surface and condensing.

The floor puddles were the biggest warning sign

A lot of people focus on the walls sweating, but the puddles on the concrete floor were probably the biggest clue here.

Because by that point the moisture load inside the building was already getting out of control.
Which sounds dramatic. But it’s true.

One weird thing we noticed

There were way more dead insects behind the insulation than we expected. Not really related to the main issue, but it told us moisture had probably been building up back there for a long time without anyone realizing it.

Kind of makes you wonder how many buildings out there are dealing with the same thing quietly.

If you’re dealing with condensation, sweating metal panels, or humidity problems in your garage or shop, check out our spray foam insulation services to see what actually works long term.

By the time we finished the job, the owner was already talking about finally being able to use the RV garage without constantly emptying dehumidifiers every day.

Call us or visit our website for a FREE evaluation.