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Will excessive humidity destroy your roof this winter?

By Kim Cox:

You may not know this… Even in the dead of our Maryland winters, normal activities such as cooking, showering, and laundry send large amounts of humid, moisture-laden air escaping right into your attic.

But too much moisture in your attic is a very bad thing.

Water drops on underside of roof sheathing indicate a serious ventilation problem
Water drops on underside of roof sheathing indicate a serious ventilation problem

And if you ignore it too long, (which you hopefully don’t do) the resulting condensation will rot the underside of your roof, sheathing, framing, and can even cause dangerous ice dams.

Excessive moisture and humidity also promotes the spread of mold and mildew, which is known to cause serious health problems for many people.

Mold mitigation and subsequent preventive measures are costly, but absolutely necessary to protect you and your home.

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 How to tell if you have a dangerous moisture, humidity, or ventilation problem

  • Dark areas or stains on the underside of plywood in your attic
  • Mold or mildew on your plywood roof sheathing
  • During snow or rain – check for water droplets on exposed nail heads in plywood
  • Do you get ice dams?
  • Does the snow melt off your roof much faster than other homes, or melt unevenly in certain areas?

Common causes and sources of high humidity in your attic

  • The gap around your furnace flue pipe
  • Incorrectly ventilated bathroom exhaust vents – Does yours vent through the roof? (which is the correct way)
  • If there is a hole in the attic for the vent – is it connected to the bathroom exhaust pipe and properly sealed?
  • Unsealed or poorly sealed holes in your ceilings. Gaps cause attic air to escape, causing condensation around light fixtures, pull down stairs, fans, etc.
  • Inadequate ventilation in attic such as lack of fan, soffit or ridge vent
  • Not enough insulation between your attic floor and ceiling below it
  • Insulation blocking the soffits, preventing proper air flow in your attic

So what should your next step be?

This is a simple one!

Simply call a reputable, experienced, and honest Maryland roofing contractor and ventilation specialist like us.

We’ll schedule a free, no-obligation, and no-pressure roof/ventilation analysis of your MD home, and give you a detailed report of repairs that will reduce and eliminate moisture damage for good.

To schedule your free, no-obligation analysis,
just call Kim today at 301-368-3551

On Top Home Improvements, Inc.
10818 Avonlea Ridge Place
Damascus, MD 20872
Tel: 301-368-3551
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