Every year when the weather turns cold they come; the attic rains. Sure as the heats on, water will be dripping in someone's attic. Nor is this a once in a blue moon event, but a regular cold weather phenomenon.
The reasons for an attic rain forest can be several;
Over humidification inside the home, lack of adequate ventilation in the attic or excessive moisture from the basement or crawlspace. Any one of these conditions together or by it self can be enough to start a small cloud burst in the rafters.
Most often what I find seems to be the cause of these lofty sprinkles is over humidification.
It seems to be a trend now, air quality. The hypersensitivity to mold (not the allergic kind) and to a lesser degree air borne allergens has people looking for ways to improve their indoor air quality. Granted some folks have breathing issues, but the entire household?
I find it more than a bit ironic that people seeking to improve their homes air quality are actually making it worse. As everyone knows(?) excessive moisture breeds mold and other allergens which can cause breathing issues.
The home in which the two attic photos came from had a humidifier on the forced air heating system. The manufacturer was insightful enough to place an outdoor temperature setting relative to the humidity levels. Unfortunately temperatures vary and generally most people don't change the settings accordingly. In fact most people tend to over humidify because they can not detect a difference in the air. The fact is we can not sense subtle or even moderate humidity changes, so sometimes the knob gets turned to 11.
Generally what building scientists suggest is if you must humidify do so as little as possible while maintaining comfort. Remember the colder the outside temperature the less humidity should be put into the air.
As mention earlier lack of adequate ventilation can also cause or contribute to the rainy attic syndrome. Some times I find that people close off their attic vents in the winter in the misguided belief that it saves energy. Or the vents have been blocked by insulation or storage. The attic should breathe, but if it's choking one result could be condensation.
Lastly a moist basement or crawl space is really the same as over humidifying a house. The only difference is you can't turn down the knob on the humidifier. This condition can be resolved by simply adding a dehumidifier or may be more involved requiring drainage repairs.
What is important to understand when the rains come to an attic is this;
The house is sending a message saying it needs fixing.
James Quarello
2010 SNEC-ASHI President
NRSB #8SS0022
JRV Home Inspection Services, LLC
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