Frost In Attic Melting

Frost gets into the attic from air leaks or attic bypasses.

Frost in attic melting.

When the moisture gets into the attic it condenses on the roof sheathing in the form of frost. Frost itself doesn t do any damage but once it melts things get wet and then damage occurs. I ll be getting a new roof this spring and will address that issue at that time. When moisture gets into the attic it condenses on the roof sheathing in the form of frost.

If the ventilation is working and the source of moisture has been eliminated the current frost and moisture will evaporate hopefully before it melts and drips. But let s say that it is a warm day and the frost has melted. Over the other units enough heat escapes into the attics to melt most of the snow. Melting frost can lead to deteriorated roof sheathing mold on the roof sheathing wet insulation and water stains on the ceilings.

Then it freezes against the wood and all of a sudden you have frost. When moisture gets into the attic it condenses on the roof sheathing in the form of frost. Frost comes from air leaks. Frost itself doesn t do any damage but once it melts things get wet and then damage occurs.

Signs of frost if it is present frost is usually quite easy to spot in the attic space. The humid air in your home rises to the top of your home the attic when the temperature gets too low. My entire attic is covered in frost. How to handle melting frost in attic.

The difference between this photo and the first is that the garage is unheated so there s just not much heat available to melt the frost on that side in the first photo. I m 99 positive it is due to one of my bath fans being routed to the attic and spreading all the hot shower air through out the attic. In cold climates that leads to ice dams. 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.

You definitely don t want frost in your attic. Frost will form on the underside of the roof deck along framing members and even on the topside of the insulation. Then the air condensates on the wood of the interior of your roof which is the coldest part of the attic.