There are several reasons that condensation forms in your attic. These four tips will help you prevent attic condensation and resulting moisture damage to your home.

1. CHECK YOUR ROOF AND SOFFIT VENTS.
Your vents and exhaust fans should remove the warm, moist air from your bathrooms, stove, and clothes dryer and release it outside your home. Check where your vent exhaust exits your home. You do not want humid air sealed inside your home during the winter! Some vent systems can lead to the attic or another area inside your home; these need to be rerouted to lead outside instead. Other times, ventilation hoses or tubes may become unsealed or shift out of place. Make sure your dryer vent hose and your other home ventilation systems are securely sealed and venting safely outside of your home.

2. ENSURE YOU HAVE ENOUGH ATTIC INSULATION.
One of the best ways to prevent warm, humid air from reaching your attic is to make sure it has enough insulation. If it does not, or if your current insulation is old and worn, you may need to add more. An insulation professional can check for and seal any air leaks and add additional high quality, water resistant insulation, like blown-in insulation, described here by Bob Vila. Preventing warm air from getting into your attic will prevent condensation from forming in the first place.

3. USE HUMIDIFIERS MINIMALLY DURING THE WINTER.
Winter air can be dry and uncomfortable, causing respiratory discomfort and static electricity buildup in your home. It is understandable to want to add some extra humidity to your home during cold, dry winters. However, humidifiers can create major problems! The added humidity contributes attic condensation problems. If you must use a humidifier, see the Missouri Department of natural post “How Moisture Acts in your Home” can help you figure out how much humidity you can safely add to your home. If you already have an attic condensation problem, refrain from running your humidifier until you get it under control.

4. MAKE SURE YOUR ATTIC is VENTED ADEQUATELY
The US Department of Energy recommends augmenting the natural ventilation of your home with spot or whole-house ventilation to control moisture. Humid air that reaches the attic needs to be blown out through a good ventilation system and replaced with cool, dry air from outside via a quality soffit system.  Poor ventilation can be a hidden but serious drain on your budget; a poorly ventilated home can cost you nearly $10,000 over a 20-year period (the life of a typical asphalt roof).

Good insulation, proper venting, limited use of humidifiers, and a quality ventilation system can help you prevent moisture damage that can lead to rust, mold, insulation damage, and ice dams as described here by the University of Minnesota. These tips will help you extend the life of your roof, insulation, and drywall as well as preventing water damage and rot. They will also help you increase your home’s energy efficiency (and save money)!  For more information on preparing your home for the warmer weather, here is an article by the National Center for Environmental Health about preparing yourself for the unpredictable Spring weather and Storm Season.

Soffit & ROOF REPAIRS IN Missouri and Kansas

Check out our website for information on our Soffit and Ventilation products, and give us a call if you think you have a roof leak or condensation problem. We’ll figure out the source of your water issues and give you a free repair estimate to replace your roof, insulate your attic, or improve your attic ventilation system. We are a Gladstone, MO based company serving the entire metro Kansas City area including Clay County, Platte County, Ray County. Jackson County, Johnson County, Wyandotte County and many more.  Contact us today!.