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A friend of mine called the other day and is having problems with moisture build up on the roof sheathing.
I went to look at it and his is an older house 1940’s I think, that has the second floor as a living space. bedroom with knee walls. the roof has a ridge vent and there are the foam baffles to allow the air to flow past the insulation to the vent but… (reroofed 6 years ago they did that but forgot to address the bottom of the venting equation)
The rafters are cut flush with the wall top plates outside edges. then to complicate matters it’s brick veneer up to the plate and the fascia is attached to the brick.
the fascia also holds the rain gutters so I can see no way to get venting to allow the air to flow up from the fascia to the ridge vent.
the sheathing is showing mold starting from the moisture and I want to help him at least by letting him know what to do. he was one of the first people I met when I moved to this area and has been a real good friend to me. he helped me move into my old place and then again when I moved to my new house as well as so many other things he’s done for my family so I would like to help him out with at least some ideas. I stay away from roofing so it’s not like I’m worried about him going to someone else I just want to help him.
Any suggestions or thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
I can take some pictures and post them if it would be any help. let me know.
Replies
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Steve,
You probably know more about this than I do. I'm just here to bet that you will get two answers. One will be to redo the eave to include a vent. The second will be to seal the living area ceiling to stop the air flow that is taking the moisture into the attic.
Both answers may have a word about the area behind the knee wall (seems like that always gets special attention. Also, both answers might suggest a visit to the basement/crawl to check for excessive moisture.
Just fooling around,
Rich Beckman
*Rich, I told him that redoing it might be in the near future anyway as the sheathing is spongy in a couple of spots. if so I'll let him know to have it done right. I might give it a shot if he's interested in having me give him a price. or just let him know what to have done and consider it paying back a favor or two.
*Steve, I have looked into this specific problem in detail and the most simple conclusion I've found is a product by Cor-A-Vent, model S-400. You will have to extend the fascia, but the product is 1"x1 1/2"x 4'. What I'm doing is cutting back the last 8" of sheathing, cutting the top 1"-1 1/2" of fascia, adding spacer blocks, applying the vent, installing a new fascia w/ 4"-5" screws, and installing new sheathing. Fortunately, my client is due for a roof and the ice ripped off her gutter in January. Since your client/friend isn't due for a roof, you'll have to find what brand of shingle was used on the last roofing job. I am going to be posting this project in the Gallery at the end of March.
*I have done the same thing. This is the answer to doing it properly.
*Dustin ,thats the product I would use also. I have a sample and a little more info. on that underlayment in 5 foot rolls. Email me at [email protected] and we can make arrangements to get this stuff to you.
*Dustin, thanks. if that's the product I'm thinking of that should do the trick. I had seen it somewhere, trade show or magazine but when I called my local suppliers they acted like I was talking martian. (and three of them are roofing supply houses!) thanks for the info. do you know if they have a website? or can you get me a phone number so I can get some literature? thanks again.
*Steve,you want http://www.cor-a-vent.commy local rep sent me tons of brochures,stacks of THE BEST baseball hats I have ever got,and most helpfully ,a spiral bound book detailing installation guidelines for virtually every conceivable situation---like 40-50 pages of info. We have been using this product for years.
*thanks Steve, I'll get the info and pass it on
*|:-)>|brian
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*Dear Steve,You seem to be intent on cutting holes in this house and I'm not up for a big debate on that. But I will tell you that you've provided enough clues here to see that it won't provide relief from the roof moisture symptoms that the owner is paying for.You haven't promised any positive results have you? Try to avoid that unless you can afford to return your fee next winter when the condensation starts up, or gets worse. In any case, don't expect refurals from this client.Having walked a mile or two in your shoes, Fred
*Dear Steve,Me again. I can't help myself. Read about Beauty and the Beast Upstairs.More helpfully, Fred
*Fred this is not for a paying client but rather a friend asking for some information. regardless I want to provide the right solution paying or not. no I haven't promised anything. I would rather not cut holes if there is a better solution. I will read your next post to see what you have to say.as far as my limited knowledge goes venting through will help alleviate the moisture problem. if I'm wrong which I'm assuming you are saying by your post then I need to find out because I'm sure eventually I will have a paying client that has the same problem and I will need to stand behind what I propose.BTW your attitude's a little strong in your post. I hope I'm just reading that wrong.
*Dear Steve,I read your message, especially your attitude's a little strong and must say I agree. To make things right, I travelled back in time to post the previous message that follows.In order to be successful with condensation repairs, we have to differentiate between the cause and effect. Find the source of the moisture in the cellar and fix that. Find the passages that allow moisture to flow into the roof system (use the link) and fix them. Then you can be sure the roof will stay dry. Your friends will worship you for also making their house safer, healthier, more durable, more comfortable, and less costly to own. I ask you to compare those benefits to cutting an ugly hole in their roof.Temporally speaking, Fred
*Fred I wholeheartedly agree with your statements of finding the cause. and this forum is the best tool I have for jsut that and it only costs me the IPS subscription rate per month. I went to the site you provided in your subsequent post and have bookmarked it after reading it. very good information and I thank you very much. as for the comment on attitude, I must admit sometimes inflection and whatnot just doesn't come across well on the computer screen. as I reread your post as well I am beginning to think your posture was as someone trying to help me avoid making a rookie mistake and for that as well I thank you.No hard feelings,Steve