New Series: Tips for maintaining your roof over winter
Part 2. Check you don’t have condensation in your loft
You open your loft hatch and you have water running down the inside of your roof. Not what you were expecting. What could be the cause?
In our last post we wrote about clearing your gutters as they could be leaking damp into the roof space and down the building causing excess damp. First check your gutters. There can be many other factors in winter that can cause condensation or water vapour to enter your roof space.
When there is cold air in the loft, steam or warm air that isn’t properly ventilated from the home can enter through areas such as loft hatches and or anywhere where pipe work etc goes into the roof space. It then turns into condensation as it hits the cold surface of the external roof.
If dampness isn’t coming from the gutters where else could it be coming from?
If your windows aren’t ventilated in bathrooms and kitchens then dampness from those rooms could be causing unnecessary dampness. Cooking with pot lids on and opening windows to allow steam from baths or showers can eliminate some of the issue.
Drying clothes regardless of how you do this can add to dampness. Use a vented tumble dryer or open a window slightly if you are using a clothes airer or drying on radiators.
What can I do to avoid this?
- Follow the tips above where you can
- Consider using an extractor fan
- Dry any condensation when you see it
- Check that your roof ventilation areas are clear
- Don’t leave the loft hatch open to help dry it out, this will make it worse
Remember that if you have dampness in your loft area that anything you are storing up there will be holding moisture and may potentially be getting damaged so use this as an opportunity to check if what is up there is really needed or move it to somewhere to dry out that won’t cause any more moisture in your building.
If you need ventilation added to your roof or you suspect that damage may be causing your condensation problem we are able to help you. Contact us on 01865 370 846 or get in touch from our contact page.
