What to Do to Prevent Attic Condensation
Attics aren’t somewhere most of us go often. You probably have insulation in your attic, so you can’t really use it. Or, maybe you just store items from your childhood up there, which you rarely have a need to access. For whatever reason, the attic goes unchecked, and the attic can build up condensation.
This can have negative effects on your home. First off, moisture can build up in the attic and cause structural damage to the attic itself. If this happens, beams can be weakened and the house’s value can decrease. It will also cost a good deal of money to fix the problems.
In addition to causing structural damage, your insulation will not work as well. If the insulation is full of moisture, it’s not going to be able to work as well to prevent heat from escaping through the roof.
Attic condensation can lead to ice build up on the edges of your roof. Why would this cause a problem? Ice damming can occur. This occurs because snow melts on the roof because it is warmed by the attic’s increased temperature from attic condensation. This then leads to water building up right above the ice dam in the spouting along your roof’s edge. Water can then enter the home and cause water damage to the home’s interior.
There are a few different causes of attic condensation. One core reason for the buildup of attic condensation is moisture getting into the attic from the rest of the home, and not having a way to escape once it reaches the attic. Think about how many things you do in your home that cause moisture. You wash dishes, you take showers, you wash and dry your clothes. The wet air drifts upward to the attic, and stays there because it can’t escape through the roof.
Attic condensation can also come from leaks in the plumbing of a house and from humidifiers that add moisture to the air. There may even be ground moisture in the home from the crawl space in the basement.
So what can a homeowner do to prevent attic condensation?
1. Avoid using a humidifier in the home. This is going to cause moisture in the home that will end up drifting upward and reaching the attic.
2. Make sure the dryer doesn’t allow the air to escape into the house. Have it go outside, through a vent. Be sure there is a hose attached to the dryer that leads the moist air to a window and lets it escape.
3. Keep wood outside of the home. Wood stored inside the home can contain moisture, which could flow upwards to the attic.
4. Keep ground moisture from reaching the attic. If rainwater gets into the basement through the crawl space, the air will move upwards and reach the attic.
5. Use a dehumidifier anywhere there is excess moisture to help dry up the wet air.
6. Have an outlet for all sources of moisture to get outside of the home. For example, if you have a kerosene heater, attach a hose to it to get the vapors to vent outside of the home.
There are ways to tell that you have attic condensation. The best thing to do is to check your attic regularly to see if there is condensation built up in the attic. You can learn how to do this yourself or let a professional do it for you. Watch for the buildup of icicles around the edge of your home. This is a sign of ice damming caused by attic condensation. Look for mold in the attic, which shows that the air is moist in the attic and that condensation has built up.
