Preventing Future Condensation Problems: Adding Insulation in the Attic
Last week we shared our big primary bathroom refresh complete with pretty new paint, decor and textiles. Much less exciting, but much more important, is that we're also making some good progress on fixing the root of the problem that gave us water stains and cracks on the ceiling in the first place: condensation.
We've had water stains on the ceiling of our primary bathroom for a long time but got increasingly more noticeable over the winter and spring - and I've been pretending they weren't there. But once we started spending time and money in this room thanks to having to replace the shower, I figured we better be adults and face the problem head on.
Diagnosing the Problem
I thought we had a roof problem. That would make sense with the stains on the second floor ceiling, and based on what we experienced with the contractor that the previoius owners hired to put the new roof on before we moved in. But after a quick look by a roofer we trust, he suggested the roof looked good and we get an attic specialist to come take a look - thinking we had a condensation problem.
Two attic inspections and quotes later, suspicions were confirmed - we have water condensation issues stemming from a couple things: 1) the insulation levels in our attic were much lower (approx 10") than recommended/code and 2) the layout of our bathroom traps humid air in the middle of the space thanks to the bathroom fan being tucked into our water closet. It's not pulling the humid air from the shower area where it needs to be so all that air gets trapped and escapes up through the can lights. Glad it wasn't an issue with the roof!
This is a nice article I found on condensation if you really want to go deep diving.
Preventing Future Condensation: Adding Insulation
To get started on tackling this, we hired a contractor to come blow more insulation into the attic where it was too low above our bathroom.
Zach was home to watch this and said it seemed like they were pumping insulation for a long time.
Crazy to see how they entered through one of the roof vents.
These are the adulting things that you just hate spending money on... it's a good idea, you should, but you literally can not see the fruits of your labor.
Or at least that's the goal - here's hoping this helps us avoid more staining and water damage moving forward!
Next up: we're going to see if we can figure out another solution for our fan - either improving it, moving it, or adding a different one. Stay tuned. We know these are the updates that are SUPER exciting to read about! ;) #housedonemandead
Need an attic insulation fix? If you're in Central Iowa, here's who we hired:
