Water condenses/freezes in attic

Al Nardizzi

Home has hot-air ,oil fired system..2 story colonial with unfinished attic...with temps in the single digits..water is condensing /freezing inside the unfinished attic

Any suggestions?

Al Nardizzi

scrook_2

find where it comes from

Does bathroom vent into the attic (BAD!) not outside (or did vent pipe come apart)?

Does the electric dryer vent into the house not outside, "to save heat"? NEVER EVER vent a gas dryer into the house due to Carbon Monoxide!

Are you running a humidifier?

How much ventilation does the attic have -- end windows (open them some) end louvers only, ridge vent, soffet vent?
YOu may need better ventilation up there.

Ventlation and moisture control are the names of the game.

heretic

air leaks

Odds are there are simply big air leaks through the attic plane.
Or, hot air ducts are leaking into attic space.

Warm moist air hits cold surfaces and condenses. If it snows, there will be ice dams too.

Very common problems. Very cold weather just makes a bad situation worse. The BEST solution for finding air leaks (in structure) is a blower door test, but most of the big leaks can generally be found just by poking around.

Look for open stud bays, loose fitting hatch, mechanical protrusions, pot lights, bath fans with crushed ductwork...

Gaps around masonry chimneys are another common leak source. This gap should be sealed with sheetmetal and RTV silicone for safety.

Best of luck. Stay warm.

Dave DeFord

An easy way to find leaks...

sometimes is to go up in the attic during the day, cover any windows tightly with cardboard or some other opaque covering and then turn out the lights and look for light coming into the attic. Sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't but it's easy and worth a shot. If you do this and don't have flooring in you attic watch your step so you don't put a foot through your ceiling.

Al Nardizzi

Thank You

Thanks for helpful suggestions...will try all of them
Al