condensate problem from ceiling

[slcchyd]

Hi Beyonders;

we constantly have condensation water leaking from ceiling during cold and warm weather switching.

the house builder has spent three years and installed many new style ventilation. but the condensate water problem is still exist. could you guys recommend any condensate engineer/specialist in Calgary to help us?

many thanks

[TomcoPDR]

Do you have humidity really high in the house? Lots of members in household taking showers (and not leaving exhaust fan on long enough with bathroom doors shut?)...

Sorry to hear that, update the thread what happens. It's a topic most Canadian homeowners deal with. (not entirely leaky ceiling, but humidity/moisture buildup around windows, etc...)

[phreezee]

What floor is this happening on?

[revelations]

Far too little detail:


- is the attic insulation sufficient? (assuming top floor)
- has a leaking pipe/pipe condensation been ruled out?
- do you have a hygrometer in the house?

[slcchyd]

it is not water leaking for sure.

it happens on top floor within bed rooms not in bathroom. I don't know if the attic insulation is sufficient . could you recommend a company who is specialized in this matter of condensate?

thank you

[big A]

I also suggest blowing more insulation in. I would imagine an attic insulation company would know about ceiling condensation.

[masoncgy]

Sounds like a combination of poor attic insulation combined with higher than usual humidity levels in your home.

Have you been up into the attic to check the area where you are seeing the condensation on the underside?

You might have a bare spot in between the trusses that is allowing that super cold attic air to significantly cool off that section of your ceiling... and your warm & humid house air is meeting that surface... that's all it takes.

[Tik-Tok]

Could also be something as simple as your bathroom fan duct fell off the vent.

[Asian_defender]

I had the same problem in the first year of owning my home.
Turns out it was wind washing which is the insulation being blow to one side of the house in the attic. Sterling came in and ended up putting in 10 more bags of the loose insulation in the attic and I havent had an issue since.

[revelations]

again, far too little information:

- is it happening every 12-16" along the ceiling?
- is it happening in every bedroom?
- is it happening near a window?
- is there a bathroom nearby?

[Alterac]

Many people have this problem and its mostly due to humidity in the house.

Easy first steps:
- Turn down the whole house humidifier
- Run your bathroom fans while showering and for 15-20mins after


Things to check:
1) Make sure all the ducting from the bathroom fans is actually hooked up and exhausting out the roof vents.

2) Make sure all your attic hatches have weather stripping to seal them

3) Any extra moist air leaking into the attic through lights / fixtures / holes in the ceiling.


Even with the perfect amount of attic insulation and venting, you will get frost and condensation problems, if you have too much humid air leaking into the cold space.

[slcchyd]

thank you for all the reply. FYI, our house has the flat roof .

we are now suspecting insufficient insulation now . could you please recommend a company who is able to inspect insulation problem?

[codetrap]

I used Zerodraft when I did my attic. Chose cellulose blown in, and they did a great job fixing up all the ventilation/sealing. They solved my frosting issue on the inside of the roof that I had, and the house holds heat/cool much better now. If I recall, it was about $1k for the job.

It appears they specialize in what you're looking at.

http://zerodraftcalgary.com/residential-services/moisture-damp-issues/

[Alterac]

I also have recently used Enda from Zerodraft, with blown in Insulation.
$1300 for my place. (~2200sqr ft, 2x attic spaces)

[slcchyd]

thank you all . will contact Zerodraft tomorrow

[hedge]

You should probably tell them that you have a Condensation problem not Condensate.

[tirebob]

I have been getting something similar where when it warm up quickly outside, or when it is super cold out and I have a hot shower, water will drip down from the ensuite bathroom fan. It was coincidental that we has the roof replaced in early december so I thought it was being caused maybe by the area around the new shingles and the vent having some kind of leak, but apparently when the guy came out to check it all out, they figure it is because the venting into my attic from outside was mostly covered up by insulation not allowing the attic to vent properly causing a build up of condensation. We also had a new humidifier installed just before winter and now we think we may have had it set a bit too high...

Does this sound like it could potentially be the issue? Sorry for the hijack...

[benyl]

Your humidifier setting needs to change based on the outside temp. The colder it is, the lower you want it.

[codetrap]

Originally posted by benyl
Your humidifier setting needs to change based on the outside temp. The colder it is, the lower you want it. Why?

[lilmira]

True for condensation around windows, leaking/condensation from the ceiling is on a whole different level.

[benyl]

Originally posted by codetrap
Why?

Because you will end up with ice on your windows if you leave it too high.

[tirebob]

Originally posted by benyl


Because you will end up with ice on your windows if you leave it too high. Yeah that was something we played with for a while before finding a happy setting that seemed to keep the ice away...

[revelations]

Originally posted by benyl


Because you will end up with ice on your windows if you leave it too high.

We just got better sealed windows .... :dunno: Having air thats too dry (<25%) causes all sorts of health issues.

[AndyL]

:dunno:

Ok so it's a newer home? With a flat roof section? And condensation issues?

Post some pictures... interior/exterior - has the ceiling been opened up at all? Any pics of that?

What's the builder done to attempt to resolve - and what have they told you about the source of the problem?

[speedog]

So OP, is the condensate water leaking from ceiling during cold and warm weather switching actually leaking from the ceiling or is the ceiling in the affected rooms just sweating or is there frost forming that then melts (collects and forms into drips)?

Also, someone asked you if you had your humidifier set correctly and you haven't addressed that question yet. Do you have other stand-alone humidifiers/misters set up in your home?

Was this condensation problem (I'll call it condensation because condensate makes no sense) there right from when you moved into this home?

Also, seeing as your home has a flat roof, is there a possibility that you have a leak from your roof that only is a problem when things warm up and snow/ice on your roof has a chance to melt. Could be drainage issues with a flat roof.

Also, what did Zerodraft say?

[lilmira]

http://www.dpcalc.org/

Enter your room temperature and humidity, it will give you the dew point. It gives you an idea when condensation may form.

[codetrap]

Originally posted by benyl


Because you will end up with ice on your windows if you leave it too high. Ok. I knew about that. I was wondering if there were deeper possible issues.

[slcchyd]

just got the moisture inspection report . All indications are that the moisture problems in the home is being caused by the foundation passing water from the outside.

it means the condensation issues is caused by water leaking basement . anyone had this situation before?

[JordanLotoski]

I will take a guess and say you have a frost build up in your attic when we get extreme cold snaps...Ask your builder to add 2-3 roof vents and ensure all your exhaust fans are not leaking into your attic.

Best of luck

[ryder_23]

Originally posted by codetrap
Ok. I knew about that. I was wondering if there were deeper possible issues.

Do you have hardwood?