Condensation above cooler

[brewbush]

Posting some pictures to see if anyone has encountered this. Noticed a large water spot near the ceiling above the cooler. After opening up the drywall, the joist space directly above the cooler shows condensation on top of the closed cell foam insulation. One joist space over it is completely dry.

It appears that (my guess) the area above the cooler where the intake is, is creating a temperature differential and causing the condensation in that area in the ceiling.

In the picture, the far hole above the cooler has the condensation, the closer hole does not have any.

It is an outside wall, but everything is sealed with the spray foam.

Is this what is occurring? If so, how to solve it?

 

[stickman]

Humid outside air is probably leaking into the space above the drywall. I would be looking for spots where the spray foam is not perfectly sealed along the outside wall surfaces. If you find any any areas not completely covered, you may be able to touch it up with a can of spray foam.

 

[Johnd]

Posting some pictures to see if anyone has encountered this. Noticed a large water spot near the ceiling above the cooler. After opening up the drywall, the joist space directly above the cooler shows condensation on top of the closed cell foam insulation. One joist space over it is completely dry.

It appears that (my guess) the area above the cooler where the intake is, is creating a temperature differential and causing the condensation in that area in the ceiling.

In the picture, the far hole above the cooler has the condensation, the closer hole does not have any. View attachment 55781 View attachment 55782 View attachment 55783

It is an outside wall, but everything is sealed with the spray foam.

Is this what is occurring? If so, how to solve it?

Is there a roof above or a second floor?

 

[ibglowin]

Don't you still need a vapor barrier? Not seeing one.

It is an outside wall, but everything is sealed with the spray foam.

 

[Johnd]

Don't you still need a vapor barrier? Not seeing one.

Yes, VB on all sides, top and maybe the bottom (depending upon configuration). If there’s an air conditioned floor above, it may not be so important, I was on the same trail as you.

 

[stickman]

I was assuming he's using the closed cell foam as the warm side vapor barrier, which should be ok, but it has to be applied carefully to ensure no leaks at the outside wall surfaces, joist ends etc. What is the dark spot at the end of the joist space in photo 2?

 

[brewbush]

That dark spot I think is just a shadow from the insulation around a stud. The entire room is encased with closed cell insulation.
Above this floor is a bedroom, but like I mentioned, the entire ceiling is coated with the insulation which acts as the vapor barrier.

The next ceiling joist space into the room is completely dry

I am having the foam insulators come by today to check out the area

 

[brewbush]

just an update.
The joist space against the outside wall is dry. This is a 4-6 inch space outside the wet area. Drilled a hole through the joist and that area was dry.
Everything dried easily with it open and a fan going. We packed the ends of the joist space with rockwool.
To the right of the cooler is a dropdown which contained a duct. This was spray foamed but could have a small air leak causing the issue. We will monitor that drop down area over the next few weeks to see if moisture develops there since rockwool is sealing the airflow to the rest of the area.

If that is not the source, the only other idea we can think of is that the intake area above the cooler was warmer then the joist air space causing the humidity. The distance from the ceiling is just at 7-8inches, maybe the intake takes in a larger portion of the warm air that rises in the room causing the differential.

We shall see over the next few weeks.
Thanks for the help!