Moisture in Attic / Crawl Space

[jeffporfirio]

So today I noticed some moisture around the access to the attic / crawl space, after removing the panel, I noticed frost and moisture in the roof plywood.
Don't know if after the wind a couple nights ago some shingles might have flown off or what.
Can you recommend a reputable roof person or company to come take a look?
Is this something that can be claimed through insurance.
BTW 2013 Jagger built home
I apologize if these are dumb questions.
Picture in spoilers for size

Thanks in advance

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[Barnes]

It's most likely because hot, moist air is getting into your attic from the house. Check the attic access panel and make sure it's good and sealed tight and any fans aren't venting into the attic or have come disconnected.

This happened to me and when we got a chinnok, the ice melted and ran through door casings, bathroom fans, and filled light fixtures.

I was up in the attic in the summer and jammed the hatch in the opening at an angle and forgot to fix it in time.

[Fuzz]

I sure hope that cardboard isn't structural :/

[OMG!WTF!]

It's probably attic rain...

http://www.qualistat.com/Attic-Rain.html

Newer homes tend to be sealed up better than older ones. But the air that does get through is typically warm from your house to cold in your upper attic. So you get moisture because there is not enough circulation. And during huge temperature changes like we've recently had, it melts and leaks. You may need to add vents to your attic, a ridge vent if possible. And make sure air I circulating through the soffits. It's a sucky problem but google it and you can find out more if you think that is the issue.

But one thing for sure is that it is probably not the shingles. You might waste time and money if you start replacing shingles that are not obviously ponked.

[ricosuave]

Just went through something similar.

Very common, unfortunately, especially when we have really cold temps like we have, and with the furnace on high to beat it.

As stated before, there seems to be a leak of warm air up into the attic, may be from the hatch, or possibly ventilation fans in bathroom or kitchen, etc.

Best to ID the source of where the warm air is getting in and seal it to prevent it from re-occurring. Another thing I was told was to not go into the attic, open the hatch any longer than you have to, especially in colder weather, as you're just introducing a warm air source right there.

You can call roofers, and see how they handle it, but I had heard to put poly down over the insulation should it melt and leak, and then be ready with a shop vac to collect it. But, I honestly don't know if that's the best way to approach it. I'm sure a roofer or possibly an insulation company would be able to advise.

Good luck, let us know how it turns out.

[OMG!WTF!]

Sealing the air flow into the attic can be really hard. A pin hole in the vapour barrier can cause a cup of water condensation over a season. And there are literally hundreds of holes in it just from the staples used to put it up. Plus any unsealed corners or random tears. Sealing the attic hatch, light boxes, speakers etc is pretty easy and might help. But the real fix is getting air flowing throughout the attic. Soffit flow is particularly important as it is sometimes clogged with insulation. Just as important though is proper venting on the roof deck to create a flow.

[FlamesKickAss]

And generally this is not something covered under insurance. Been doing some reading on this as our house has this as well and vents are necessarily the issue. I turned the humdifier down more. The cold came pretty quick and then got warm quick

[jeffporfirio]

Thanks for all the advice. Called a friend who works as a home inspector.

You guys are bang on, he mentioned that it is actually quite common with large temp swings, and that most likely warm air is getting into the attic. I need to get ventilation in there and make sure attic hatches, speakers, fans, potlights, etc are well sealed.

Now the questions;
what type or kind of sealant should I usre?
And how or who does attic ventilation installs?

Again thanks, I was freaking out.

Merry Christmas.

[OMG!WTF!]

Sealing the lights, speakers etc is pretty difficult actually. There should be vapor hats on all that stuff...little plastic hats that are sealed to the vapor barrier in the attic. Check those from above and tape them to the vapor barrier if needed. So it's not really anything like caulking or sealant. That'd be too easy. An electrician or anybody willing to muck around in your attic can do it.

The hatch is just a strip of closed cell weather stripping around the perimeter. No biggie.

The thing to do first is the venting. Any roofing contractor should know what to do. But make sure you get one that knows what attic rain is. It will involve clearing insulation from the soffits and adding something to improve circulation. Depending on your roof type, a ridge vent would be great. Whirly Birds are good. Or a strip of venting along the lower part of the roof if no soffit venting is possible...that one is expensive though. A last resort would be a mechanical fan installation, like a mini furnace for circulation in the attic. Ultimately what you want is air coming in at the top and flowing out the bottom, opposite in the summer,,,high and low openings.

Actually you may want to contact your builder about the problem. They won't fix it I'm sure but I'm also sure they've had this problem before. They probably know exactly how to fix it. Jayman has dealt with it before...

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgar...mare-1.2931916

[burn_this_city]

Make sure to run bathroom fans after showering. Sealing it up will be difficult, the home inspector I used in October told me the water vapor can pass through the ceiling so it's important to remove moist air before it finds a home in your attic.

[Barnes]

You can use acoustical sealant to seal poly together.

[me_dennis]

I have this problem every time the temperature drops to -20 or colder.

It's usually due to the humidity from bathrooms after you shower. It's a good idea to let the bathroom fans run for at least 30 minutes after a shower. If not, the warm, humid air that gets pulled up the exhaust vents gets trapped and condensates in the attic.

[Northendzone]

Originally Posted by OMG!WTF!

Actually you may want to contact your builder about the problem. They won't fix it I'm sure but I'm also sure they've had this problem before. They probably know exactly how to fix it. Jayman has dealt with it before...

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgar...mare-1.2931916

have you stood in or on your attic?

[jeffporfirio]

Managed to find out who installed my roof through Jager.
According to the gentleman I talked to, they have been inundated by concerns such as mine.
Same explanation as you guys. With long cold spells, air does not flow out and if there is a huge temperature swing like we have seen, moisture collects in the attic. It is especially bad around the attic hatch as it not only is the lowest point, but also the greatest warm/humid air leak.
Should dry out by itself, but ventilation is the long term solution.

Again, many thanks.
I wish you guys a Merry Christmas, a happier and more peaceful 2017, and stable 80 $/bbl oil.

[Mass_nerder]

The cardboard is probably a "rafter baffle" there to separate the insulation from the soffit opening, so just make sure that insulation isn't pushing that cardboard up into the underside of the sheathing.

[Fuzz]

Is that standard material to use? Cardboard? The ones I have seen are plastic.

[Mass_nerder]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

Is that standard material to use? Cardboard? The ones I have seen are plastic.

Plastic might be more common, but I don't think cardboard is uncommon.
As long as the soffit is vented and not left open, there's no real reason that cardboard couldn't be used, as it should be protected from any rain/snow.

[Ducay]

Cardboard is pretty standard practice.

I would imagine it could likely be your bathroom vents. Often (most times) they end up not physically vented into the atmosphere, but just into the roof cap cover, so some of that really hot, really moist air ends up back in the attic.

As long as you've got decently clear soffit ventilation and one or 2 attic vents, you should be fine. Weather like we had causes all kinds of building issues.