by Roofer911 - 1 Comments |
"Condensation is water that collects as droplets on a cold surface when humid air is in contact with it. The conversion of a vapor or gas to a liquid."
Your home has many components that work together in order to create the perfect atmosphere for your comfort and too much humidity is not part of this perfection.
Weather proofing, sealing your windows and doors, all work together to build homeostasis within your home. The roof, exhaust and intake vents, heating and air conditioning units, air flow, insulation; all should be expelling moisture and fumes out of your attic.
When you perform your home inspection this winter, you may find that you have significant ice build-up on your roof edges. You can assume that your attic also has condensation problems.
Warm, moist air, which leaks into the attic from the living area below, can raise the relative humidity in the attic to a level that promotes mold growth. Elevated humidity in the attic encourages mold and increases the moisture content in the wood framing to a level that triggers fungal growth and rotting. If the warm, moist air in the attic comes in contact with attic surfaces, which have been cooled to the dew point temperature by colder outside temperatures, condensation will form. This condensation damages the surfaces on which it forms and on the surfaces onto which it drips. If the warm, moist air in the attic comes in contact with attic surfaces which are at or below the freezing temperature of 32 degrees Fahrenheit (32° F), frost will form. When the temperature of the attic surfaces rises above 32° F, the frost will melt, and now you have water damage issues.
Your condensation problems are most often blamed on the roof, when in fact, it may be the intake vents or fans not functioning properly, closed or blocked. Just because you have a fan in the bathroom and kitchen that makes a noise when you turn it on, don’t assume that it is actually drawing air out of the house. The fact is, your kitchen and bathroom fans must be operating correctly. They must be drawing air out of the rooms where they are located.
Your bathroom fans should be exhausting warm moist air out into the atmosphere and not allowing it to remain in your attic. Bathroom fans should remain on during showering, and for at least 15 minutes afterwards. Also, clothes dryers have built-in exhaust fans that are designed to vent the hot moist air extracted from clothing. Dryers should always be vented to the outdoors, even in the coldest weather. Your attic needs to have a balanced ventilation system consisting of an intake and an exhaust. This allows the attic to breathe properly, circulating the air and expelling the moisture.
Roof soffit vents can be obstructed if they are covered with attic insulation. Rafter baffles are commonly used to hold back the insulation from the edge of the roof eave to maintain an unobstructed airway for the soffit vent. The soffits work as the intake and roof vents or ridge vents work as the exhaust. To help with ventilation you should clear away any insulation at the soffit intake vents to allow the attic to breathe properly. It is recommended that you replace your static vent with a shutter vent. Repair or replace any damaged roof shingles once any vent has been removed. Cut wood sheathing underneath so that there is a total 3 inch open air space to prevent further condensation buildup. Seal underneath roof shingles with polyurethane, flash and reseal once again.
These are some of the recommended repairs to help stop your condensation problem, therefore preventing issues like ice dams and mold that may arise during the colder winter months.
Correcting these condensation issues in your home can also create cleaner, more breathable air.
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1 Responses to "Leaks From Attic Condensation"
Nancy Jorden says:
February 11, 2015 at 6:39 AM
In my home I have an attic. I have realized some condensation that is around it. I do not know what to do. I would really like someone to come in and look at it. It would be helpful for me to have a professional around to see what the problems might be.
Immediate Response!
