While your attic is sure to be warmer than the outside temperature on a cold winter day (if it’s working right), this doesn’t mean an attic is truly warm. Anyone who’s lived in places with heavy winters remembers how chilly an attic can be, and this was immortalized in the film Christmas Vacation quite famously.
As a result, you may have noticed the formation of frost in your attic. While very minute bits of frost may just be inevitable if it’s really, really cold, a large amount of frost can cause problems and can be a sign of other problems.
Today, we’re going to take a look at what can cause frost to form in your attic, things to address to reduce the problem, and the potential problems frost itself can bring about. But first, how does frost form as a whole?
How Frost Works
Humidity is water vapor in the air, and there are very, very few places in the world where the air is completely free of this moisture – even the driest deserts have some tiny amount of water in the air, albeit imperceptibly.
When the temperature drops, this water condenses on many surfaces. If it’s not cold enough for water to freeze, dew and condensation occur (much like on cold glasses). If it’s cold enough for ice to form, it becomes frost – a delicate, slightly crystalline lace of thin whitish ice. It can be beautiful, but it can also be a problem.
That said, frost is a sign of a certain amount of humidity in your attic – likely more than you should have – and it also means it may be getting a little too cold up there.
Dangers of Frost
If you’ve ever experienced a leaky roof when it’s not raining, this is often the symptom of frost melting in the attic, and this should be investigated before worrying about getting on the roof to examine seals and shingles.
Frost can also warp the wood in your attic, cause shorts in electrical infrastructure, and damage anything you may be storing up there.
Humidity is the biggest contributor to this, and like your basement, you want to keep it pretty dehumidified. This can be done with your HVAC system, or by a localized dehumidifier, and use of things like talcum powder or baking soda to absorb and control humidity from the start.
Check for pinhole leaks on the roof itself if you can’t figure out where most of this moisture is originating.
Ventilation is critical to helping prevent too much accumulation of moisture as well. Being sure that the vents are unobstructed, and that the seal around the vents is flush and in good shape, will go a long way towards making sure unwelcome moisture isn’t getting in, and that moisture present can also escape.
Ventilation is also important to let some amount of heat into your attic. You don’t want it to be below 30 up there if you can avoid it, and this usually just means letting some of the cooled air being taken back in by HVAC, is diverted to the attic to keep it in the high 30s at least. This will keep the frost itself from forming.
Insulation and Seals
Being sure that your insulation is up to snuff will also help keep it from getting too cold up there, and the same can be said for all seals and joints along the top of your house. This also reduces humidity and other things getting in.
Finally, be aware of air leakage, which can let humidity in, and let it get too cold up there. Putting barrier plates on electrical fixtures (and sealing/caulking them), goes a long way to abate this. Check doors, hatches, windows, skylights and other things too.
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