Dampness in attic

Hello, My attic has white mould on the rafters and the insulation has turned black in some places. I don't plan on trying to tackle this problem myself but

was wondering do I need a roofer or Builder. If anyone can recommend someone in north kildare to fix this I would greatly appreciate it.

I'm guessing I need ventilation put into the fascias maybe?

Pictures of attic. Any suggestions?

maestroamado

What type of roof slates/tiles etc... I expect there is no vents on the roof... i expect there is ventilation in facia but there need to be air flow....

10-10-20

What age is the house?

I'd ask a roofer to have a look. Check that they are VAT registered and have a valid business address, etc.

You should do it before it gets too cold as that looks like the whole structure is sweating. You might consider topping up the insulation ensuring to maintain good ventilation once it has been rectified.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118126469#Comment_118126469

Roof has tiles. It's a fairly standard 3 bed semi. Fascia is wooden and was covered with pvc cladding about 6-7 years ago. There are

slots in the soffit here and there but don't remembr seeing any vents in the original wooden fascia or soffit.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118126529#Comment_118126529

House was built around 1997/98. Will do those checks you mentioned when looking for a roofer, thanks

monseiur

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118127555#Comment_118127555

Try poking a piece of rigdid wire or long nail thru a few of the vents on soffit, I'd hazard a guess that the PVC soffit with vents was nailed on to existing timber soffit without the necessary holes being drilled in existing soffit first to mirror vents in PVC, hence lack of ventilation in attic space.

If this is the case, the easiest solution is to drill a series of 100mm holes thru all PVC & timber soffit and screw on vent grills .

Also ensure that attic insulation is not blocking vents. Roof tile vents are also available and are easily fitted, as they're the same size etc. as one roof tile you just swap them.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118137294#Comment_118137294

I had the guy round today who fitted the pvc cladding to have a look. He said that the vents on the soffit just ventilate between the cladding and the timber. The timber didn't have any vents. He also said the soffit is located outside the attic and couldn't ventilate it anyway( don't really understand that bit)

He could fit 6 tile vents at 130 ea. plus vat. He wasn't really pushing the sale though, his advice was to get someone to investigate the mold as he mainly just did fascias. He reckoned there might be a problem with the insulation inside the house, allowing moisture into the attic.

I recently had the ensuite done up, it was in a pretty bad state. The plasterboard behind the tiles in the shower just crumbled away after the tiles were pulled off, water had been leaking through the tiles for a long time it seems. This is possibly what started the attic problem, as the mold is worst in the area above that shower.

maestroamado

Is the other part of the house is ok just replace insulation in the affected ares... i always thought tiles were self ventilating and still think so... i also thought insulation resisted moisture but there is stuff called rockwool (i think) and i not sure about that... run a bit of water on and you get an idea if it retains moisture... i think the rockwoll is used between floors but not sure... You could also consider buying a de-humidifier as that may solve the problem if the shower was causing...

jack of all

You do need dedicated roof ventilation to get crossflow of air and minimise the risk of condensation risk within the attic space- this a building regulation requirement. There may a concrete ring beam or beam filling at the existing eaves so there was minimal airflow anyway but with the old timber fascia and soffit there would still be gaps and cracks so some air had to be getting through. PVC fascia and soffit would likely have sealed off all those gaps and cracks and worsen the existing situation. I'd recommend getting in a roofer to fit proper vent tiles and maybe core out a hole in the gable wall(s) too for a wall vent. If it were me I'd systematically pull back the existing insulation and look out for large holes or gaps in the plasterboard, especially over the shower room- seal around cable entries with silicone and tape over holes with adhesive aluminium foil tape- to minimise pathways for moisture laden air into the roof space.

LLewellen Farquarson

Also check that the ensuite isn't venting/extractor fan straight into the attic.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118139712#Comment_118139712

The ensuite has a window but no extractor fan. The house is rented so I don't know how careful they are about opening the window after a shower, although everytime I visit the window is open.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118139680#Comment_118139680

What you're saying makes sense alright. The wood probably had gaps here and there which allowed air in, I'm pretty sure there is no dedicated ventilation for the attic. I don't think there was any sort of proper building regulation in the '90s. The plumber says all the piping is cheap plastic of a non-standard size, so that tells you a lot about the standard of building at the time.

I'd like to get vents in but at 130 x 6 plus vat the budget won't stretch to it at the minute. The plumber says that the copper cylinder has a blockage so will have to get that fixed first.

Thinking about it, behind the electric shower unit there is a hole where the pipe and electric come in, that would be one possible path for the moisture to get to the attic..

monseiur

Your first photo looks like a gable, assuming the house is not terraced/detached you could put some vents in that exterior wall and the opposite gable to create an air flow.

You can drill holes from inside thru both walls with a 100mm core bit, (can be hired for a day) fit a piece of 100mm wavin pipe, seal around outisde with mastic and fit vent grill

Is the house a bungalow or two storey?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118140096#Comment_118140096

House is a 3 bed semi, It's not a bad idea though and a lot cheaper than roof vents. If it were a detached house it would work well, might not be as effective with just one wall vented.

Lumen

Obvious suggestion: have a look in your next door neighbour's attic and see if they have the same problem.

monseiur

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118138278#Comment_118138278

If your roof is a standard 'A' roof I can't figure how it's not possible to vent attic from soffit. Can you peel back the insulation and take some photos of that area.........I'm 99% certain that venting from soffit is possible, I would get a second opinion if I was in your boots. Something tells me that your PVC cladding lad is trying to cover up for his incompentence, as I mentioned previously he should have holed the timber soffit.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118145314#Comment_118145314

Yeah the vents he put in the pvc seem a bit pointless given that the pvc is just nailed straight to the timber.

I will take a few photos next time I'm there. Will definitely get a second opinion on the options to vent the attic. Need to get the plumbing job ticked off the list first. Finding a plumber that isn't extremely busy is a problem at the minute.