During the winter I have noticed that my loft gets very damp. The
felting on the north/rear of the house feels wet to the touch and water
drips off it. Areas of chipboard flooring have distinct water marks and
a laminated bit of chipboard had a layer of water on it. Now that's not
good!

My loft space has fiber glass insulation covering the floor. The soffits
are open and ventilated and I have a breather gap in the brick work on
the side of the house.

The previous owners had a Drimaster ventilation unit fitted in the loft.
Now I guess this draws in air from the outside into the loft space (thus
ventilating it) and down into the house. Not much use since, for a lot
of the time, in winter the air tends to be damper outside than inside.
Our washing is conveniently dried using a condensing tumble drier during
the winter months instead of slinging it on the radiators. Nice.

Anyway, I always assumed that the damp loft was caused by damp air
outside working its way into the loft space and condensing onto the cold
, north facing felt.

Now, I like a good hot steamy shower in the mornings to wake me up. A
lot of steam is generated in the bathroom. The bathroom is at the
rear/north facing side of the house. When I have finished, I open up the
bathroom window as much as I can to let the moisture out. I was
watching it this morning, billowing outwards and upwards towards the
ventilated soffits. Hmmmmm, could this be the source of all the
dampness? Lot's of warm moist air rising up through the soffits into the
loft space until it hits the cold felting and condenses out?

I think I should experiment by not having showers for a week (ugh!) or
simply keeping the window shut.


Any further ideas or suggestions?

Has anyone used a Drimaster ventilator?

Thanks.

Rob Horton wrote:
During the winter I have noticed that my loft gets very damp. The
felting on the north/rear of the house feels wet to the touch and water
drips off it. Areas of chipboard flooring have distinct water marks and
a laminated bit of chipboard had a layer of water on it. Now that's not
good!

My loft space has fiber glass insulation covering the floor. The soffits
are open and ventilated and I have a breather gap in the brick work on
the side of the house.

The previous owners had a Drimaster ventilation unit fitted in the loft.
Now I guess this draws in air from the outside into the loft space (thus
ventilating it) and down into the house.


Are you sure the drimaster has not been connected 'in reverse'? if it
were set up to draw air from the house and release it in the loft you
woul dget the problems you describe.

I'd start, anyway, by switching off the drimaster. It's less stressful
than stopping using the shower for a month.

Robert

Rob Horton wrote:

Any further ideas or suggestions?

I know you'll not like this idea, but I have noticed a massive
difference in steam generated between having the shower on the default
max. seting (where you press the button on the temp knob to go hotter)
as is used for my partner and son, compared to 10 degrees hotter for
that toasty hot shower we like to indulge in.

Try showering cooler for a few weeks and see what happens.
A bath as hot as your hot shower will surely give just as much steam.
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"Rob Horton" wrote
During the winter I have noticed that my loft gets very damp.

Do you have water storage or header tanks up there?
They can create condensation in a cold loft

Phil

Rob Horton wrote:
During the winter I have noticed that my loft gets very damp. The
felting on the north/rear of the house feels wet to the touch and water
drips off it. Areas of chipboard flooring have distinct water marks and
a laminated bit of chipboard had a layer of water on it. Now that's not
good!

My loft space has fiber glass insulation covering the floor. The soffits
are open and ventilated and I have a breather gap in the brick work on
the side of the house.

The previous owners had a Drimaster ventilation unit fitted in the loft.
Now I guess this draws in air from the outside into the loft space (thus
ventilating it) and down into the house. Not much use since, for a lot
of the time, in winter the air tends to be damper outside than inside.
Our washing is conveniently dried using a condensing tumble drier during
the winter months instead of slinging it on the radiators. Nice.

Anyway, I always assumed that the damp loft was caused by damp air
outside working its way into the loft space and condensing onto the cold
, north facing felt.

Now, I like a good hot steamy shower in the mornings to wake me up. A
lot of steam is generated in the bathroom. The bathroom is at the
rear/north facing side of the house. When I have finished, I open up the
bathroom window as much as I can to let the moisture out. I was
watching it this morning, billowing outwards and upwards towards the
ventilated soffits. Hmmmmm, could this be the source of all the
dampness? Lot's of warm moist air rising up through the soffits into the
loft space until it hits the cold felting and condenses out?

I think I should experiment by not having showers for a week (ugh!) or
simply keeping the window shut.


Any further ideas or suggestions?

Has anyone used a Drimaster ventilator?

Thanks.

I've only used the Drimaster for a few hours recently just to see what
happens. It draws air out of the loft space into the house. I have checked.

The only water storage is the cold tank for the the hot water cylinder
that is in the airing cupboard in the bathroom, oh and the small tank
(cold water) for the central heating system. I wouldn't have thought
that they would have created much condensation since they are covered by
lids. Besides, it's a LOT of condensation. You can see it running down
the roofing felt.

You mention soffit vents,check that the loft insulation is not blocking the
flow of air from these vents,where the roof joists meet the ceiling joists
quite often insulators install the insulation right up to roof felt.It is
also possible to install additional roof vents through the tiles,these are a
universal fitting

Alex

"Rob Horton" wrote in message
...
During the winter I have noticed that my loft gets very damp. The felting
on the north/rear of the house feels wet to the touch and water drips off
it. Areas of chipboard flooring have distinct water marks and a laminated
bit of chipboard had a layer of water on it. Now that's not good!

My loft space has fiber glass insulation covering the floor. The soffits
are open and ventilated and I have a breather gap in the brick work on the
side of the house.

The previous owners had a Drimaster ventilation unit fitted in the loft.
Now I guess this draws in air from the outside into the loft space (thus
ventilating it) and down into the house. Not much use since, for a lot of
the time, in winter the air tends to be damper outside than inside.
Our washing is conveniently dried using a condensing tumble drier during
the winter months instead of slinging it on the radiators. Nice.

Anyway, I always assumed that the damp loft was caused by damp air outside
working its way into the loft space and condensing onto the cold , north
facing felt.

Now, I like a good hot steamy shower in the mornings to wake me up. A lot
of steam is generated in the bathroom. The bathroom is at the rear/north
facing side of the house. When I have finished, I open up the bathroom
window as much as I can to let the moisture out. I was watching it this
morning, billowing outwards and upwards towards the ventilated soffits.
Hmmmmm, could this be the source of all the dampness? Lot's of warm moist
air rising up through the soffits into the loft space until it hits the
cold felting and condenses out?

I think I should experiment by not having showers for a week (ugh!) or
simply keeping the window shut.


I have met seen this situation two friends houses, dripping condensation
from roof felt in spring ans autumn. One had so much it dripped onto a
plastic container, leaked through the lid and filled it up about 1/2 an inch
deep.

One friend solved it as follows:-
- Fitted trickle vents to his wooded framed double glazing upstairs. Driledl
holes, added plastic covers from double glazing shop.
- Fitted a dehumidifier on his landing. Ended up having to plumb in as so
much water was being collected.
- As his stairs exited from lounge fitted a curtain round the bottom of the
stairs to stop warm air rising up the stairs.
- Put a door back in the opening from kitchen to rest of house (removed by
previous owners).

In the end the last two proved the most effective and since doing has sold
the dehumidifier and no longer suffered "rain" in the loft.

The other friend tried the following:-
- More loft air bricks.
- Humidity controlled fans in the loft.
- Finally an "Amber dry" (?) dehumidifier in the loft (£300). Uses silica
gel wheel to dry so virtually silent unlike a compresser rehumidifier and
works at below 5°C. Again plumbed in as so much water was being drawn out.

Finally I gave him the page on ventilation from my new house owners manual
(from 2000) and it said "to prevent damp/condensation problems upstairs in
winter ensure the window trickle vents are not blocked and at least one
upstairs window is left in vented postion". Well he looked at the trickle
vents and they were either blocked with cement or blocked with solid lumps
of dust/insects. Cleared them out, left an upstairs window in vented
position and no condensation in loft in both this Spring and Autumn first
time in 8 years in living in the house.

Rob Horton wrote:

I think I should experiment by not having showers for a week (ugh!) or
simply keeping the window shut.

.

I keep my window shut and I get damp above the shower in the loft. I
think my steam or moisture must be leaking through somewhere.