In cool months the north side of the roof boards in the attic would be covered with water frost or even ice.
Frost in attic north side.
Obviously the frost is caused by moisture in the attic air.
Why is there ice in my roof.
Left unchecked frost in an attic can lead to serious mold and decay.
When the moisture gets into the attic it condenses on the roof.
The worst frost was on the other side though.
That s about it pretty simple.
We discovered that the two underpowered bathroom fans were venting on top of the soffit that had perforations.
But anything more than an occasional patch is.
When the outside temperature rises again the frost thaws water collects and can leak into.
Buckled or damaged roof sheathing.
Frost in attic north side.
When warm air from inside the house escapes traveling up through the bypasses the moisture condenses on the roof boards and rafters where the frost can form.
Water or drip marks scattered on the attic floor.
Frost accumulates in attics when moisture laden air from the house gets up there when it s cold.
You can t fully eliminate that moisture but you can try to limit it.
Our dryer vents up through the attic to the roof.
A patch of frost here and there on the tips of roofing nails poking through the sheathing for instance probably isn t a cause for alarm.
The frost is on the north side since the south side receives more sunlight over the course of the day during winter in the northern hemisphere.
There was also frost on the west wall on the north side of the dormer where the sun doesn t get to it this time of year.
How does condensation get in the attic.
When the weather warms up the frost will become water droplets and evaporate harmlessly.
What causes this type of moisture problem in the attic.
The insulation wasn t great.
We have a 20 year old two story house with a full basement.
These signs can vary contingent on the catalyst of the problem and are generally worse on north facing or shady sides of roofs.
As to the frost there are a few things you can check.
Moist or wet insulation.
When a warm sunny day arrives after a long cold stretch and it seems like you have a roof leak when there isn t a cloud in the sky it s probably attic icing otherwise known as ice dams or ice damming and the surprising thing is that it s very unlikely that the roof covering itself is the problem.
During winter conditions attic frost is a problem associated with attic bypasses.