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balrog7333

04:29AM | 01/24/01
Member Since: 01/23/01
4 lifetime posts
Bvhvac
Buying a new bungalow in New Brunswick, Canada, and this is a second problem that the inspector I hired found that the inside attic roof was all frosted over, and he said that it's not normal. He checked the insulation and venting, and it looked fine. He concluded that since attic hatch had no insulation, the heat and humidity coming up the attick trap door were caking the roof with frost, and would make the wood rot. The contractor, on the other hand, says that frost on the inside attic roof is normal, and won't have any adverse effects. A friend at work suggested that since it's a new house, and the summer was especially damp and humid, that the whole house is sweating the excess humidity, and it is all collecting on the roof.
He said that it should eventually fade away.
Since it can get really cold up here, I wasn't too concerned about the frost, but if it can rot my roof...

Should I insulate the attic hatch? The inspector wants at least 6" of hard insulation.

Note: I have an air exchanger to circulate the air in the house.

Any help would be appreciated.

J. Allen Crowl

12:02PM | 01/24/01
Member Since: 12/30/00
4 lifetime posts
Insulating the attic hatch should help solve your problem. However, the other probelm may be that you don't have good ventilation in the attic to begin with? How well does the attic stay dry in the spring and fall during temperature shifts? Is there condensation in the attic at during those times?

rpxlpx

02:45AM | 01/25/01
Member Since: 03/13/00
1678 lifetime posts
If it's not too difficult or expensive to insulate the attic hatch, I'd say it's worth the peace of mind to go ahead and do it. You might want to wait until weather is better and the surface is dry.

balrog7333

02:49AM | 01/25/01
Member Since: 01/23/01
4 lifetime posts
The inspector said that the ventilation is more than adequate. There are two big vents, one at each end of the house. Also, there are lots of those metal plates with holes that they put at the top of your walls outside to ventilate. (Darn, that must have sounded stupid...)


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