Condensation issue in my house. It is this cold.

[Gambler Bob]

Personally never seen this issue before. I have condensation build up in one room in my house. This is an exterior wall where the wall meets the ceiling. There are 3 areas that all have water building up. The water is turning into frost at the ceiling. There is an attic space above this room. There is a soffit on the exterior with soffit vents outside of this exterior wall.

I do have a whole house humidifier running that is attached to the ductwork next to the furnace in the basement. I am thinking I should turn that off.

My other idea was to open up the attic access to allow more warm air to enter the attic. The more I think about that that may make things worse and just cause more condensation.

[Bassman25]

dang....I thought we were cold in Kansas but thats a first for me! I sure hope you get it figured out. Stay warm brother!

[wicker*man]

Big time insulation failure there.

[tommoorehouse]

I've had that before. Don't worry about it. When it warms up in a few days just wipe the area with a damp cloth. Should not cause any damage.

[Muleheaded]

I agree with wicker*man. The insulation has blown away from that corner allowing the humid indoor air to frost against the cold spot on the ceiling. Can’t do anything about it now, but something I would address at the earliest opportunity.

[billnorman1]

Do you have central air, heat or a heat pump condenser in the attic?

Perhaps a humidifier line froze?

Obviously I'm not a HVAC man.

[rude150]

If you have a crawl space- then you need to get the water out of it.

Or, you could have an “ ice dam” , gutters full and frozen.

[12poundbass]

I’m thinking ice dam and you need to get the insulation check too

[Fishysam]

several possible fixes, but as of right now i would add a fan in the room to circulate air. i personally when it warms up id stick a drill bit though the sheetrock and then discharge a couple cans of great stuff foam in there and re-evaluate next time, if that doesn't work you'd want to get in there and redo the insulation

[idbefishing]

Check the humidity level upstairs and in the basement. I’d bet it’s very high and obviously there’s no insulation at that corner

[Stumblebum]

It is not a condensation problem.
As previously mentioned it is an insulation problem.
Either a poor installation of the insulation or the wind has blown it up from the plate.
When I was building houses I always cut short lengths of lath that would fit between the ceiling joists. Then I drilled hole in the center of the lath to allow a 16 penny nail to go through it without splitting it.
I used an air powered palm nailer and the lath to anchor the insulation to the plate.

[BroWhoop]

It is a combination of issues. The root cause is poor insulation and infiltration. Need to check the area throughly after it dries as mold or mildew can form. Correct the insulation and insulation and any growth that may happen.

[ericm]

As noted above you’re getting warm air into the attic along the exterior wall. That’s causing the condensation. This can also lead to ice damming and leaks if you don’t have ice and water shield on the roof at least 3’—0” into your interior side. Also make sure your soffit is venting proper and not blocked. It’s important to keep your attic area cold and ventilated

[mactlman]

my walls feel fine but the carpeted floors are chilly, almost damp feeling next to the walls. house is well built and insulated but this is colder than norm. in really cold places usually 2x6 walls are required maybe??

[Rick H]

if your whole house humidifer is set too high it will help this happen. Mine says when the outside temp is above 40 set to 40% at 0 says set to 20%