What causes attic rain, what is it and how can I stop it from happening to me?
Amity Environmental is a local restoration company and all too often we respond to flooding calls or a fire call or even a sewer back up call. When responding to these calls we often can see the impact that attic rain has already made on a home. When the temperature starts to plummet and things start to get cold, we start to see signs of potential attic rain and other high humidity signs in the home.
What is Attic Rain?
What is attic rain? Attics are meant to remain dry and arid. When ice, frost or even snow forms inside an attic space that is the starting point for attic rain. You may also see clues that you have an issue with humidity if you see frost on attic hatches, frost in your closet and in corners of ceilings and walls. Frost on windows and in window sills is also another possible indicator. All of the frost is caused by high humidity in the home. Warm moist air is attracted to cold and dry air. As this humid warm air rises it likes to find its way into the cracks of light fixtures, ceiling fans, pot lights, and ceiling holes. When the nice warm air meets the frigid cold air it turns into FROST! This is fine until such time as the weather warms up again and that frost melts. The sublimated water then rains down on the attic insulation and ceilings below. Homeowners will then notice yellowish brown moisture stains on ceilings and even moisture streaking down the walls. The pooling water could also then become a breeding ground for mold or mildew in the attic.
How can I stop the reign?
I have heard it said that all you need to do is add more insulation to your attic and or increase the air circulation in your attic space. These are great band aide solutions and sadly they are quite costly. If humidity inside the home isn’t addressed, these measures won’t stop the rain. So lets put our focus on what we can have an impact on here: HUMIDITY IN THE HOME.
Alberta is a dry and arid space, so where does all of this humidity come from? Most homes have built in humidifiers, but that is not the ONLY source of humidity in the home.
Here is a list of potential sources in the home:
- Our beloved pets
- Humans in the home
- House plants and watering cans used to maintain them
- The simple act of taking a shower
- Maintaining hygiene through brushing your teeth
- Flushing the toilet
- Cooking a meal on your stove top
- Baking in the oven
- Doing your laundry and hanging wet items up to dry
- Using the dishwasher
- Having a sauna in your home
- The use of gas appliances
- Turning on and using your fire place
- Mopping your floor
- Painting your walls
- Adding new drywall to your home(its the wet mud)
- Portable humidifiers
Generally speaking you can help control relative humidity in your home by doing the following:
- Turn on your exterior vented hood fan over your stove when you are cooking and allow it to run for 30 mins after you are done cooking
- Run your bathroom fans or HRV system for a minimum of 30 minutes after showering or bathing
- Run your heat a little cooler in the home
- Don’t hang dry clothing in your home in a cold snap
- When possible open a window or door for a short time when cooking or having guests over to circulate the air
- Reduce the number of house plants you have in your home
- Turn the humidifier down 10%-15% in the colder months of the year
- Crack a window when having a real wood fire place burning
- Double check that your bathroom vents and dryer vents are properly vented outside and not into your attic space(yes, we have seen this)
- Insulate and add weather stripping to your attic hatch
- Avoid the use of small humidifiers in the colder months
- Last resort, purchase a dehumidifier
All of these above mentioned recommendations will begin to decrease humidity in your home.
The humidity in your home should land somewhere between 25%-30%. If you have concerns about an elevated humidity in your home consider purchasing a humidity meter and monitor it for a period of time to gain an understanding of the levels present.
We are here to help
Amity Environmental cares and can help you if you find that you have high humidity levels leading to attic rain. Contact us today and we can come have a check for you and help you remediate your situation. Call us today at (403) 667-8264
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