attic condensation,out of ideas

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jackievolks
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Joined: Wed Dec 31, 2014 10:13 am

ok so i have a 1985 fleetwood manufactured home. Noticed a major amount of condensation in the attic. The house has the original flat soldered seamed metal roof .been kool sealed several times over the years. After reading the articles here in the forum i realised there was no ventilation on the roof. i've since installed gable vents and 2 turbine vents. still having major condensation. I also put a thermostat in the attic in the am and the temp inside was 48,outside 44,humidity was the same 88 both in and out. ps i live in central florida does anyone have any ideas to solve my problem. I'm concerned about mold and ceiling damage.would putting a metal roof over with the sheet Styrofoam insulation solve it? I've also read about some type of dehumidifier that can be installed, anyone know about this?
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Greg
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I think there could be a few possibilities here. The first is that over the years the moisture has accumulated and it just plain has to dry out. A dehumidifier run for a week or two may help, But I have no idea how to place one up there.
If you can get some type of forced ventilation like a fan to keep the air moving that may be the easiest. Turbines only work with a wind, and I really don't know how much air they really move.
A more extreme solution would be a roof over.
I am sure others will have more ideas.

Greg
"If I can't fix it, I can screw it up so bad no one else can either."
ponch37300
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Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2008 6:12 pm
Location: wisconsin

Another consideration is how the insulation is installed. What kind of insulation is it? Are there any spots that the insulation is touching the bottom of the roof? You need an air gap between the insulation and roof. There are lots of things that can cause moisture. How about your bath fan venting? These fans pull conditioned air(warm or cold) from inside the house and if there is a temp difference with the outside air then it can create moisture and drip down.
jackievolks
Posts: 5
Joined: Wed Dec 31, 2014 10:13 am

answer to a few of your questions. The bathroom fans vent to the outside of the house through the roof. The insulation is the original rolled fiberglass insulation and it seems like there's quite a bit of space maybe not all on the edges but definitely 3 or 4 feet in the centre. It would be tricky getting dehumidifier up there but i've been known to accomplish a lot of difficult things. I can definitely get a fan up there but would i want it to be pulling air out of the attic or blowing it across from gable to gabel ?a roof over is not out of the question if i know for sure it will solve the condensation issue.it's hard to crawl all the way through the attic because of the cross beams but it doesn't seem like the insulation is all that wet but the original vapor barrier made out of cardboard is soaked and falling in different areas.I have been testing the humidity in all the rooms in my house today to see if the humidity is extremely high. The average humidity seems to be about 68 percent throughout the house. The humidity outside today is about 79 percent.i have read that the humidity level inside a home should be from 25 percent of 50 percent is this correct?i'm just trying to cover all my bases before i call in it contractor.
jackievolks
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Joined: Wed Dec 31, 2014 10:13 am

Greg,would you suggest removing the turbine vents and replacing them with a different kind vent or fan?
ponch37300
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Location: wisconsin

What state do you live in? I'm guessing by the humidity level this time of the year you are down south somewhere?
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Greg
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I'm not sure about replacing the turbine vents, as I said I'm not sure how much air they really move. I think that I would try to figure out a way to get some type of positive air movement up there.
I had a moisture problem a few years ago and I ended up bringing a large De hu ( 10 gal/day) home from work and ran it for a week to dry things out.

Greg
"If I can't fix it, I can screw it up so bad no one else can either."
jackievolks
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Joined: Wed Dec 31, 2014 10:13 am

Ponch I live in central fla. If I put a fan up there on one gabel end should I blow the air threw to the other gabel or suck the air out?
jackievolks
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Joined: Wed Dec 31, 2014 10:13 am

I'm waiting for a professional to contact me but here in Florida people showing up when they say is a rarity.I am willing to try anything so a dehumidifier is probably next.
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JD
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Replacing the turbine vents with these powered vents might take care of the problem. Like others have said, it would depend on how much open space there is over the insulation. http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ventamatic-1 ... 5yc1vZc4kv
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All information and advice given is for entertainment and informational purposes only. The person doing the work is solely responsible to insure that their work complies with their local building code and OSHA safety regulations.
Norm Frechette
Posts: 193
Joined: Fri Aug 05, 2011 7:34 am
Location: Norwich, CT

Image

i had roof leakage because the rubber boot on the vent stack looked like the cracked one shown above.

have you checked all of your vents?
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