Causes of Attic Moisture
Attic moisture generally starts from within the home. Everyday living creates so many sources of moisture in the attic in ways that we never think about. Many sources from within our homes are hard to avoid, such as cooking, showers, baths and cleaning clothes. Other behaviors can be adjusted more easily, such as unvented heaters, overuse of humidifiers, unmanaged moisture in a basement or improper ventilation of exhaust fans. For example, many homes have these exhaust fans in the kitchen and bathrooms to remove moisture from these areas. When working properly, these fans are great for removing excess moisture from within the home. However, the fans create new problems if they are not properly venting to the outdoors. It is not uncommon to see improper installations with these fans blowing all of that moisture directly into the attic space instead of outside.
All of the moisture created in the home seeps up into the attic. As you may remember learning in your school science class, warm air rises and acts as a transport for the moisture. As a result, most moisture in the attic comes from the warm moist air in the living space. The moisture transfers into the attic because of poor sealing of cavities and gaps and poor insulation between the attic and conditioned space. By sealing and insulating attic properly, a barrier is created between the two spaces. These steps are necessary to reduce the warm moist air from rising and escaping into the attic where it then gets trapped.
Effects of Attic Moisture
This moisture generated from the home along with improper venting can cause not only moisture in your attic, but if left unresolved can lead to mold, mildew, and wood rot. According to HGTV, “the chief cause of attic mold is poor ventilation.” Fortunately, the issues that arise from the excessive moisture buildup are often easy to detect.
Visible Signs of Moisture Issues
Look for any of the following to indicate moisture issues in the attic:
- Widespread water droplets, or if cold, frost along the ceiling of attic
- Water stains indicating condensation was present
- Mold or fungal growth covering wide areas
- Signs of any wood rot or decay
- Peeling exterior paint
- Roofing deterioration
- Pests such as carpenter ants or termites
Solving Attic Moisture with ATMOX
A properly ventilated, sealed and insulated attic is important to avoid issues such as mold growth, wood damage, damage to roof shingles while bringing additional energy efficiency to your home.
ATMOX products provide the ventilation component of an attic moisture solution. The ATMOX Attic Controller has a unique focus on reducing attic moisture. No other attic solution is quite like it. The logic activates beneficial ventilation based on dew point comparisons and temperature. The controller uses sensors inside the attic and outside to measure temperature and humidity, and then uses this information to calculate dew point. Therefore, the controller knows the conditions and determines whether fans should run to exchange the air in the attic.
ATMOX uses multiple fans to avoid an oversized and noisy attic fan. The fans exhaust air using the available intake airflow from the outside to avoid pulling air from the living space. These energy efficient fans spread out the airflow, which is especially important in addressing moisture concerns to avoid winter condensation.
Learn more about an ATMOXsphere for your attic and how ATMOX products address attic moisture issues.
