Attic condensation issues...
We are still dealing with the attic condensation issues. The 7 new roof vents did very little to fix the problem. It is possible that this is because the weather has been miserable - freezing cold and low humidity, meaning the condensation freezes at night in the low 20 degree range. Daytime temperatures have been 31 degrees for three days, which means it has not unfrozen.
Richard placed wireless temperature and humidity gauges on both sides the attic. We also have a weather station wired to the outside. He has created a spreadsheet and chart and is monitoring the whole thing. The humidity in the attic is between 80-100% at any given time, despite outside gauge reading in the 40% range. The temperature in the attic is hovering at the high 60 degree range, a good 30 degrees higher than the outside temps. From what I understand, attic temp and humidity and outside temp and humidity should be within a few degrees of each other if the circulation from soffits and vents is well-placed. This is not happening.
We were advised that the problem might be the crawlspace foundation leaching moisture through the outer walls to the attic. We bought a dehumidifier and it has been running for two days. The pan is half full of water after a 24 hour period, and relative humidity in the crawlspace has improved.
However, the attic remains the same. Today the temps went to the 40s so we are trying something different. We opened all the doors and windows and have turned on the whole house fan. Within a few minutes, the humidity in the attic dropped to 60% (from a high today of 82%). It has remained steady for the last 3 hours.
We are currently bundled up in our winter jackets while the attic dries out.
Richard has gone into the attic to check the status and says the condensation on the baffles is gone.
We will leave the whole house fan on for a few more hours and then shut it off.
Tomorrow, we will repeat the process and see what transpires with the condensation.
What we do know is that this is a bandaid, not a fix. We will be doing some other remediation recommendations until the problem is solved.
Richard placed wireless temperature and humidity gauges on both sides the attic. We also have a weather station wired to the outside. He has created a spreadsheet and chart and is monitoring the whole thing. The humidity in the attic is between 80-100% at any given time, despite outside gauge reading in the 40% range. The temperature in the attic is hovering at the high 60 degree range, a good 30 degrees higher than the outside temps. From what I understand, attic temp and humidity and outside temp and humidity should be within a few degrees of each other if the circulation from soffits and vents is well-placed. This is not happening.
We were advised that the problem might be the crawlspace foundation leaching moisture through the outer walls to the attic. We bought a dehumidifier and it has been running for two days. The pan is half full of water after a 24 hour period, and relative humidity in the crawlspace has improved.
However, the attic remains the same. Today the temps went to the 40s so we are trying something different. We opened all the doors and windows and have turned on the whole house fan. Within a few minutes, the humidity in the attic dropped to 60% (from a high today of 82%). It has remained steady for the last 3 hours.
We are currently bundled up in our winter jackets while the attic dries out.
Richard has gone into the attic to check the status and says the condensation on the baffles is gone.
We will leave the whole house fan on for a few more hours and then shut it off.
Tomorrow, we will repeat the process and see what transpires with the condensation.
What we do know is that this is a bandaid, not a fix. We will be doing some other remediation recommendations until the problem is solved.
posted by Merry | 1:01 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home