Inspect your attic and look for signs of improper ventilation such as black wood from years of moisture buildup or frost visible on the underside of the roof deck.
Frost in attic ottawa.
Most of the moisture that finds its way into the roof space will condense out of the air when it comes in contact with the cold sheathing.
When the outside temperature rises again the frost thaws water collects and can leak into your house.
High humidity is likely to blame along with the excessive cold weather.
During winter conditions attic frost is a problem associated with attic bypasses.
Cold air in the attic is not effective in removing condensation because of its low moisture storage capacity.
Frost in the attic water infiltration that could damage your ceiling accelerated degradation of materials moreover the national building code requires adequate attic ventilation.
The straight forward answer is that a little frost seen in a canadian attic in the dead of winter is nothing to panic about.
Lack of intake ventilation can cause serious condensation problems which will eventually rot the wooden roofdeck making your roof structurally unsafe.
Frost will form therefore on the underside of the deck.
Attic frost condensation q.
It is usually the result of improperly vented bath fans or dryers that terminate into the attic or living space improperly adjusted humidistats on a furnace water problems in a crawlspace or basement the use of an unvented propane gas or kerosene combustion heater or fireplace excess cooking and bathing etc.
Sticking my head into hundreds of attics every year i see lots where.
We are noticing excessive frost build up in attics on the underside of the roof sheathing.
Is the condensation in my attic a problem.
When warm air from inside the house escapes traveling up through the bypasses the moisture condenses on the roof boards and rafters where the frost can form.
Ceiling water leaks are one of the classic signs of air leakage into the attic.
A very wet summer season followed by an early deep freeze that lasted over three weeks has caught some of our homes by surprise.