Frost accumulates in attics when moisture laden air from the house gets up there when it s cold.
Frost in the attic information.
Frost begins to compile when moist air travels to a home s attic.
That s about it pretty simple.
The fix for frost in the attic is sealing attic bypasses these are passageways from the conditioned household space to the attic.
Once this occurs it compresses to form frost.
When the moisture gets into the attic it condenses on the roof.
It s important to realize frost is in your attic for a few reasons.
Ventilation is not the way to fix frost in the attic.
Full home humidity systems.
The outside of the can or glass had drops of.
Houses with full home humidity systems are at risk for attic frost if the home s level of humidity is excessive.
Frost itself doesn t do any damage but once it melts things get wet and then damage occurs.
I ve blogged about attic air leaks many times and i ve shared photos of attic air leaks.
Frost on nails in attic spaces may frighten you.
It should to a degree.
Air thus heat and water vapor leaking through the ceiling assembly will make this worse as will inadequate ventilation.
When moisture gets into the attic it condenses on the roof sheathing in the form of frost.
Frost on nails is frozen condensation.
Sticking my head into hundreds of attics every year i see lots where.
Inadequate attic air sealing.
Bypasses are what allow moisture in the attic to begin with and this is what needs repair.
Melting frost can lead to deteriorated roof sheathing mold on the roof sheathing wet insulation and water stains on the ceilings.
Check out my post on moldy attics for some.
You re seeing frost where cold air is entering your attic space and cooling nearby surfaces to below the dew point.
The straight forward answer is that a little frost seen in a canadian attic in the dead of winter is nothing to panic about.
Frost gets into the attic from air leaks or attic bypasses.