# frost on nails in my attic



## annespinney (Jan 20, 2012)

we recently put end vents in our attic replacing the roof cap vent we used to have because when it rained from the EAST ,and blew hard ,rain went up under the roof cap and dripped into the attic, and we insulated the floor of the attic ,the roof has new shingles this past year and also has weather guard under the shingles and we are still getting frost on the nails ,this winter .what else can we do to get this problem solved.thanks . ANNE


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

No soffit vents?
Reasons a ridge vent will leak can be someone cut out to large a slot in the sheathing, cheap ones that do not have the bug shield and angled baffles.
Reason for drips on nails, exposed nails, lack of soffit vents, blocked soffit vents, insulation not thick enough in the attic.

Warm moist air is hitting the cold nails and condencing.

Gable vents only vent the end areas of the attic, ridge vents would have vented the whole roof.


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## annespinney (Jan 20, 2012)

joecaption said:


> No soffit vents?
> Reasons a ridge vent will leak can be someone cut out to large a slot in the sheathing, cheap ones that do not have the bug shield and angled baffles.
> Reason for drips on nails, exposed nails, lack of soffit vents, blocked soffit vents, insulation not thick enough in the attic.
> 
> ...


The end vents are working great ,when we go up there ,you can feel the breeze flowing through ,we do have soffit vents all along two sides of our barn style roof,also batt insulation and loose insulation on floor ,we do have a folding stairway leading up to the attic ,could that be the problem with warm air getting around that ,getting up in the attic??How would that be fixed??


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## Windows on Wash (Aug 30, 2011)

+1

What is the venting like and where are the bathrooms?


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

I've added self sticking foam 1/2 wide to the sealing area around my stairs, I also made up a foam board cover that just sits over it inside the attic.
Is your bathroom vent, vented to the outside?


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## annespinney (Jan 20, 2012)

joecaption said:


> I've added self sticking foam 1/2 wide to the sealing area around my stairs, I also made up a foam board cover that just sits over it inside the attic.
> Is your bathroom vent, vented to the outside?


Yes our bathroom is vented outside insulated tight around pipe that comes up through the ceiling through attic ,I will try foam sealing and the foam board over the opening ,maybe heat is getting up there through the stairs . Thanks for your responses .:thumbup:


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## Windows on Wash (Aug 30, 2011)

Look up Air Sealing on Google.

Seal up all the big gaps in the attic and see about getting an airtight box over the stairs or at minimum, weatherstripping them.


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## Gary in WA (Mar 11, 2009)

Yep, next is mildew on the sheathing: http://www.buildingscience.com/documents/insights/bsi-049-confusion-about-diffusion


Gary


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