Frost in Attic

Hi. my question is this: i built a new 24x24 garage this summer. And this is the first winter it saw. i have a wood burner in the corner of the garage and i noticed that there is frost on the back wall and when the garage is heated up to 70 degrees it turns to water. of course this in not good. but i don't know why it does it! i don't have any leaks in the roof. and it is only on the back wall and at the bottom of the wall. i sheeted the outside walls with 7/16 (osb)then applied vynal siding and have no insullation in the inside of the walls (just studs).
so if you may offer some advice it would be greatly appreciated.
thank you and God bless

Shawn,
I think the water is coming from the wood. One byproduct of burning wood is water vapor. It is condensing on the cold OSB.

I need attic insulation advice please.

1840's farmhouse in New York state (70 miles north of New York City). 2 story + walk up attic (unfinished/uninsulated). Exterior is vinyl siding over wood clapboard. Baseboard heating up to the 2nd floor. The attic floor is wide plank with handmade nails - so, I'm a little sensitive to preserving the floor!

The attic has 2 windows at each end and they get iced up. I've noticed some condensation on the ceiling (the wooden underside of the peaked roof. I also notice some droplets of water on the nailheads that were used to attach the roofing shingles - these sometimes go through and are visible when in the attic.

My Plan:
1) Attic door - put adhesive-backed foam rubber weather-stripping around the inner door frame. Also attach insulation batt against the door (inside the attic side)? Moisture barrier? Touching the door or facing the attic space?
2) The attic floor:
2a) Interim Solution: buy insulation batts (for between floor joists or for rafters) and without cutting it, lay it down on the floor, creating an insulating 'blanket'. Does this type of insulation require a vapor barrier? If so, does it face/touch the attic floor or face the attic ceiling?
2b) Longterm Solution: remove floorboards and insert insulation batts. Moisture barrier facing down or up? Rvalue?
2c) Longterm Solution: blow in loose insulation in between floor joists.
2d) Can spray foam insulation be used I any part of the attic?
2e) Is it a problem if I leave the roof rafters uninsulated?

Thanks very much,
Vincent

Vincent,
This is a ventilation issue and possibly a vapor barrier issue as well. Please read all of my Ventilation columns as well as those about Condensation and Indoor Humidity.

I live in Wisconsin where we are having a sub-zero cold spell. I have an attached non-heated garage built 7 years ago. The entire garage is dry walled. For the first time this year, I have noticed a a very light frost on the finished ceiling of the garage. The only thing that seems to be different from past years is that we painted the ceiling last summer. Also wehave had a lot of snow this winter and several thaw cycles, but i have not noticed any ice dams.

Brian,
What do you think is happening to all of the water vapor that is generated from the water that is created when the snow melts from your cars?????? Read my past columns in my Condensation Category.

Hi Brian,
We have been living in our new construction home for the past 10 months. We live in Wisconsin and have an extreme cold spell right now. I noticed frost in the corners of our bathroom and bedroom (which the walls are facing the backside of the house). People are telling me is has something to do with the insulation? What are your suggestions? Is this a big issue? I'm concerned because we dealt with rebound mold when we first moved in, now this!

Courtney,
I don't know a Brian.... You need to read all of my Condensation columns. Your solution is there. Bottom Line: You are pumping too much moisture into the air in your home.

Sorry, thanks for your help. Didn't mean to call you Brian by the way.

Good day,
Courtney

I Live in Michigans Upper Peninsula and am having the following problem with condensation. I live in a bi-level home and am in the process of finishing the lower level. I noticed that there was a large amount of condensation on the walls behind the fiberglass insulation. The outter walls have been wrapped with Tyvek wrap and then sided with vinyl siding. I am planning on putting up sheetrock. Any suggestions as to how to get rid of this condensation on the inside of this wall.

Chris,
Why worry about the walls until such time as you discover and solve the source of the problem?

This year while getting the Christmas things out of the attic I noticed that all the roofing nails and the inside of the plywood in the attic was caked with ice. I had a new roof put on approximately 5 years ago.

Looking back, over the past few years, I would occasionally think I felt a drop of water fall on my head when I was in my walk in closet (where the attic entrance is located), but thought it was my imagination. Thus, I never investigated it until I saw the ice this year. Now I have found a an water spot on the 2nd floor ceiling of the bathroom and a water streak in a corner of a wall below the bathroom on the first floor. The water streaks are subtle and I never noticed them before I looked for them.

I called the roofing company because I still have a warranty on the roof and they have informed me that it is either a problem with a lack of insulation in my attic or that I am not adjusting my humidifier on my furnace on a daily basis according to the outside temperature. I am upset because I have lived in this home for 20 years and have never had a problem until I got the new roof.

First of all, I believe that if the attic insulation is the source of the problem, why didn't the roofer tell me this when he put the new roof on? Who is responsible to inform a homeowner that there is not proper insulation or ventilation to support a new roof? The roofer did suggest an attic fan and I had one installed the same year the roof was replaced.

I believe it is the roof because I didn't have the problem for 15 years with the old roof and the same insulation?

I am not sure who to call to evaluate the problem, please help. I can't help but think that the new roof has something to do with this since I never had the problem before.

Thanks!
Susan