NV5 was asked to opine on discoloration and condensation concerns along the exterior side of an office wall located within a newly built warehouse. NV5 determined that the condensation and discoloration that formed along the office wall (warehouse side) was the result of conductive heat transfer. The design drawings of the existing steel studded wall of the conditioned office lacked a thermal break between the external wallboard sheathing (warehouse side) and the steel support studs of the office wall. Any surface at or below the dew point temperature within the warehouse would result in condensation. In the scenario we were concentrating on was the wall portion with the metal studs. The discolored vertical lines or shadows in the wall (steel support studs) photograph and review of the design drawings supported NV5’s opinion of the wall that had reached at or below the dew point temperature during certain periods of the year.
