Please help

[Shazbah]

Hi all
I have a very bad condensation problem in my attic. It is that bad that my ceilings upstairs have yellow stains on them. This is what i have done to try and stop the problem.
installed 6 vent tiles into roof
fitted extractor fans into both bathrooms
bought a de humidifier and leave turned on on the landing
stopped putting washing on rads (advice from here)

As i type the electrician is fitting the an extractor fan in to the second bathroom and he has just shown me his soaking wet trousers from beind knelt down in the attic. He is concerned as it is a lot wetter than what is was when he was up there yesterday.
Please help i am at my wits end with worry and i don't know what else i can do. Shall i purchase another de-humidifier for down stairs. Would 2 do the job?? Any advice would be appreciated
Thanks
Sharon

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

6 vent tiles is not very much ventilation tbh.

What insulation do you have at ceiling level?

We assume all the extractors are ducted to the outside.

We assume there are no leaks in the roof.

Adding a dehumidifier is not resolving anything.

 

[^woody^]

This was ten posts down the page, and there are even more threads beyond that

//www.diynot.com/forums/roofing-guttering/roof-insulation-and-condensation-issues.311183/

 

[Shazbah]

Thanks
I had the attic re insulated about a year ago. They put the new on top of the old. There is 3 layers up there. It was these people that brought the wet up thereto my attention. They said that someone had previously filled in the eves with insulation. I tries to get it out but couldn't so that's why i had the tile venys put in the roof
The fans have just been fitted (yesterday and today) and yes they are ducted outside.
Roofer has checked when he put the vents in and said no leaks
My mistake i have 8 vents in the rook
Thanks
Sharon

 

[Shazbah]

Thanks Woody
I have already read all previous posts and am not being lazy. Some of the threads are old and some have no answers or minimal. There is always a chance that someone might have a different idea or opinion
Thanks
Sharon

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Condensation is theoretically very easy to eliminate:

You decrease the moisture in the air able to enter the area with condensation.

and/or

You increase ventilation and enable any moist air to escape.

If both of these are achieved the conditions that allow condensation to occur will not be present and your condensation will also not be present.

I don't really get what you're saying about the existing eaves vents are blocked up with insulation that cannot be removed. Are there existing eaves vents?

 

[Shazbah]

sorry i will try to explain a little better. Where the roof meets the floor of the attic the insulation is under there almost as if they put the insulation down then put the roof on top trapping down at the edges so there is no gaps at all so no ventilation. I know that when i'm in my mums attic i can see daylight around the edges but not in mine as it's stuffed with insulation. I have a roofer coming round this evening to check again that there are no leaks
Thanks
Sharon

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

So pull the insulation out then .....

 

[Shazbah]

can't pull the insulation out it's stuck. I paid the insulation guys to get it out for me but they couldn't
Sharon

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Is it spray foam like this?

Nevertheless my post giving the two actions required still stands, decrease moisture content entering the loft and/or increase ventilation. So if you think the extractors are doing they're job and there is not an excessive amount of moisture being produced in the house you need to add more tile vents and/or a ridge vents.

Do you have felt? We assume so or there is something extraordinary going. You could stick some timber wedges in the laps of the felt where the sheets joint to create some more ventilation, there was a thread on here recently with a photo though I can't find it now!

 

[Shazbah]

No it's not spray foam. I had a roofer examine it last night at 10 oclock and again this morning at 7am. There is deffinately no leaks but he has brought something to my attention.The problem has got a lot worse since i had cavity wall insulation and the loft re-done. Because it was one of those schemes where the goverment pays they put more in the attic when there was already 2 layers up there so i now have 3 layers of insulation. The problem is that is is so thick that the bottom layers are just not getting chance to dry out so they permanently wet/damp.
Sharon

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

If is not spray foam insulation I cannot understand why the insulation cannot be removed from the eaves. Nobody is saying it will be easy! My last post stands.

 

[garyo]

Perhaps Shazbaz has eaves like mine - I have a slightly raked ceiling around the edges of my upstairs rooms and this means that you can't reach down in to the eaves unless you can get your arm through a 5cm opening. I'd think you could still hook out the old insulation with a coathanger or something if so...

Gary

 

[Shazbah]

Gary
I think your right. I have such a small attic and a pyramid shape roof i can't even get to the end of the eves. I sent the kids up there to do it for me and even they couldn't reach
sharon

 

[garyo]

Do your upstairs ceilings look like this: