condensation in loft space

Joined
3 Dec 2010
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Location
Buckinghamshire
Country
United Kingdom
Hi There,

I have a condensation problem in the loft and it is more problematic this year, presumably due to the very cold weather at the moment.

The condensation forms as beads of water on the underside of the roofing felt membrane.

One of the main problems I suspect is the drying of wet clothes in the house, but I am purchasing a tumble drier to hopefully address this problem.

However, I have noticed some other possible causes of the problem and wondered whether anyone could give any guidance on these.

1. The upstairs airing cupboard where the combi boiler is located doesn't appear to have a proper plasterboard ceiling, and instead 'appears' to have a thin hardboard panel nailed up. It also has gaps around the edges where it isn't quite the correct size. There are air vents in the airing cupboard door.

2. In addtion to the above point, the downstairs broom cupboard, which is directly below the airing cupboard, also doesn't have a proper ceiling. The door on this also has air vents.

I am wondering whether warm damp air from cooking/clothes drying is going through the vents and up seeping up into the loft via the gaps around the edges of the hardboard celing in the airing cupboard. Does this sound like a probable cause of the problem?

Also, I have looked at the eaves from outside the house and cannot see 'any' obvious vents fitted. Would it help the problem if I fitted some soffit vents? I would need to check whether there is any asbestos behind there before I drill though.

Finally, there appears to be cracks around the edges of the celings where they meet the walls in some of the upstairs rooms and I have purchased some flexible filler to seal these.

I recently had extra loft insulation put in as part of one of the governments energy saving grants. There are no holes/airbricks in the gable walls. I have one ridge vent.

I hope someone can advise on the above and I am happy to provide more details if necessary.

Thanks,
Robert.
 
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Hi

Tread carefullly, that thin panel on the ceiling could contain asbestos! A whole new can of worms to deal with!

You have obviously identified what you are doing wrong by adding moisture to the air, however, the condensation problem is going to be related to the fact that the insulation material used is not vapour resistant.

You will need to take up the existing insulation and install a vapour barrier across the ceiling and over the ceiling joists and then reinstall the insulation material, and curb your bad habits!

This is after all 2010 not 1968 and I guess bad habits die hard!!

Regards
 
Many thanks for your reply.

I understand what you're saying regarding the lack of a vapour barrier, but it is a semi detached propery and my neighbour doesn't have any condensation problems in their loft. They don't have a vapour barrier across the upstairs ceilings either.

The main thing they do differently is with regards to drying clothes. They use a tumble drier and that is why I have ordered one.

Would it be beneficial for me to install soffit vents? I was thinking of the 70mm diameter types that push in and twist to lock in position. These are cheap to buy and may help improve the ventilation in the loft space. What do you reckon?

Another question. Is there an easy way for me to tell whether a material is asbestos or a replacement product, such as asbestolux?

Thanks.
 

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