Frost Heaters In Attics

Frost and ice forms in attics when warm humid air accumulates and condenses on the underside of your roof sheathing.

Frost heaters in attics.

That s about it pretty simple. 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. Ceiling leak from condensation in the attic you can verify this by checking for frost in the attic rusty nails or water staining on the roof sheathing. Over that third unit from the left there s little heat getting into the attic as evidenced by the unmelted snow.

Over the other units enough heat escapes into the attics to melt most of the snow. In cold climates that leads to ice dams. Check out my post on moldy attics for some. Frost gets into the attic from air leaks or attic bypasses.

During winter conditions attic frost is a problem associated with attic bypasses. I ve blogged about attic air leaks many times and i ve shared photos of attic air leaks. When the outside temperature rises again the frost thaws water collects and can leak into your house. To start frost shows up in the attic when moisture laden air from the house gets into the attic.

Frosty roof deck nails and sidewall. 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.