Frosty Attic & Ceiling water leakage

Einsiedler

I recently found water leaking thru the bathroom light fixture and immediatley inspected the attic.

I found the underside of the roof completly covered in frost with a major amount of ice built up where the bathroom is located.

After some web-research, I think that i have a major heat/moisture leak thru the ceiling into the attic.
I will be spending my friday night going over the whole ceiling to try & find/patch the leak/culprit.

My question pertains to the existing ice/frost buildup.

Should I be concerned with placing heaters in the attic to "dry" up the frost/ice. (I will chip out what I can to avoid more ceiling damage) or once the leak is corrected, will the frost dry up on it's own?.

It's funny how 2 weeks after paying off the mortgage, I'm seeing these problems. (kinda like the builtin failure timer on most equipment that causes problems only after the warranty is up).

TIA.
Einsiedler

Earthfire

Ice

first thing I would look for is proper attic ventilation (Ridge Vent), next thing would be to install a powered exhaust vent in that bath ducted to the outside of the house and wired to the light switch so it runs when ever that bathroom is in use.

Larry (from OSHA)

attic moisture

ventilation is one of the areas you need to address, but most important is closing up the attic bypasses. do a google search for attic bypass. you will find lots of good info. if you have fiberglass insulation sometimes you can see hidden bypasses by looking for darker areas of insulation. it comes from dirt being carried up by the thermal currents. also be concerned about mold. (thats a whole separate topic) you definitely want to make sure that any exhaust fans are vented directly outside with no leaks in ductwork in the attic space. make sure that any air being vented from roof vents is replaced by incoming air from soffit vents. you also want to keep the attic as cold as possible so the roof stays cold and doesn't melt snow forming ice dams. good luck. the joys of home ownership are endless...

larry

Steve Eayrs

The frost is a result of high moisture and condensation, due to not enough insulation, or lack of a vapor barrier, beween the heated area and what you don't want to heat.

Before you heat the attic, is there any way you can put down something like poly to try to catch the majority of the water. I would also agree with the ventilation comments made,a nd start with this before heating the attic.

Also make sure your bath fans and dryer vents, or similar are all sealed and venting outside, and NOT into the attic.

Steve

Mark Hunt

Stack effect


What you are seeing is the result of stack effect.

Cold, dry air enters a building near the bottom. It picks up BTU's and moisture and begins to rise.

Once it hits the cold surface of the bottom of the roof, it condenses.

Find a contractor in your area that can perform a blower door test.

You should also look for mold. You will most likely find the mold, if there is any, on the south facing portion of the roof.

DO NOT put heat in the attic!!

It sounds to me like you have high air infiltration and not enough attic ventilation.

I would suggest that you consider having cellulose insulation blown in the attic as well.

Mark H

To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Contractor"

Einsiedler

thanks

good idea on the poly.. thanks!...

I'm clear on the why's & what to look for..
I just wasn't sure if it is ok to heat the attic to get rid of the frost/ice.. or if I should wait till spring and let it dry out on it's own.

But the poly - now thats an idea.. that'll save a whole bunch of cleanup after the fact... thanks steve!

EIN

rob

A couple of suggestions...

1. If you have forced air duct work for an air conditioning system, make that it is sealed completely with mastic at every joint and very well insulated R-8 or better I use thermo-foil and R-6 fiberglass applied on exterior
2. Ventilate attic- make sure you have ample intake for attic fan. I normally install an intermatic timer T-3101 with 115 clock and one NO contact wired parallel to the attic fan thermostat. Cycles 3 times a day (+-)
3. Seal any passages that can bypass the vapor barrier and make sure all vent fans are vented to exterior. Also check for open chase ducts.
Hope this will help solve your problem. BTDT...

Dale

Blower door

All attics get a little humid air, you have way too much. The sources into the attic from the rest of the house can be hard to find without a blower door test. I would start with that to find the input sources and then plug them up, then insulate. Your whole house may have too much moisture for the temp difference, the blower door guys usually understand moisture sources and will recommend fixes, perhaps and air to air heat exchanger.

Einsiedler

wasn't as bad

Thanks for all the reponses & good advice/info.

I spent my friday evening doing the belly crawl, inspecting each of the cavities.. and to my surprise.. I found an opening running directly into my basement via "dead" space in the bathroom wall. talk about stack effect...

I cleaned up the ice (wasn't that much, 1 pail), sealed the bypass, and then, as advised by many, I did not throw any heat into the attic to dry up the remaining frost. I will let this dry up on its own.

Thanks once again. "Saved by the wall"

regards,
Einsiedler