Ideas for Monitoring Attic Moisture and Temperature monitoring

Hello All,

During the recent winter storms in the midwest, I noticed some damp spots in my second-floor ceiling. So I went up to the attic and found it to be very damp. Over the ceiling area that was damp, I noticed a lot of condensation leading to drips. Even the ping loose insulation was moist to touch on top.

Here are some pictures: https://imgur.com/a/vHC6xWH

I now know this is due to ice damming. But I would like to actively monitor this situation without having to go into the attic and walk all the way over to the other end of it. The best I could think of is temperature and humidity sensors. My current setup is home assistant on docker with Aeotec Z-stick.

Any recommendations on the following would be much appreciated:

  1. Any other way to monitor other than temperature and humidity sensor? - Some have recommended Xiaomi Aqara with this https://github.com/Koenkk/zigbee2mqtt
  2. Any good recommendations for temperature and humidity sensor that gives at least a few months of battery life?

Thanks for the time.

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I can second the Xiaomi sensors. I don’t use them with zigbee2mqtt but with the Aqara gateway.
They live on one battery for over a year now.

3rd the Xiaomi sensors. Also use them around the house with the Xiaomi gateway and they work great.
One off which i use to start my shower extractor fan, so it sees very high humidity and is holding up fine.

Would recommend the shelly h&t. Works on wifi so no need for a hub.

Sonoff th10/16 with a temp/humid sensor around ten bucks a piece. Works with wifi and perfectly intergrates with home assistant. You should flash it with tasmota.

https://www.itead.cc/smart-home/sonoff-th.html
Sonoff TH Sensor Si7021 -> pick this one not the cheapest

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but if you’re seeing damp spots in your second-floor ceiling, the extent of the potential damage is probably much greater than what you’re observing.

You probably already know that ice dams form because of heat loss. Stop the escape of heat into the attic and you eliminate the ice dams. I realize that’s often easier said than done. My home had massive ice dams form over the south-facing bathroom. I spent a weekend in the attic and insulated that area to modern R-50 standards and now, for the past five winters, no more ice dams.

Fix it now or spend big bucks later fixing water-damaged structural elements of your home … or worse, the growth of mould in your attic. That stuff may cause air-quality issues; it certainly devalues your home and costs $$$ to clean up.


EDIT
The old-fashioned way to mitigate ice dams was to install heater wires on top of the shingles in the affected area. The idea is to melt the ice so it doesn’t grow into large dams. Depending on the severity of the winters in your area this can be a relatively cheap and effective way … or just ineffective and maybe not so cheap in the long-run (depends on electricity rates). The wires aren’t particularly attractive and subject to wear and tear.

Also, if and whenever you need to have your roof shingles replaced, you may opt to have ‘ice shield’ installed along the roof’s trailing edges and in all valleys (under the shingles). This is typically a 4-foot wide sheet of elastomeric material that is highly water-resistant (and it adheres to the roof). It self-seals when pierced by roofing nails . If you live in a cold climate it may even be part of the local code to have this material installed.

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I pretty much had exactly the same issue. Resolved it using a Xiaomi Mijia Bluetooth Temperature Humidity Sensor LCD Digital Thermometer. Bought at eBay for US $12.50 shipped.
Supported directly by HA.
Two caveats:

  1. It is a BLE device so it has to be relatively close to BT receiver.
  2. If you want that price, you have to wait 20-30 days to ship from China.

Other than that, it woks all the time with a very long battery life.

Thanks! I am working on adding some more loose insulation to my attic. I am also pretty sure that this was caused because of the conduit I had running from basement to attic, which was carrying hot moist air to the attic which condensed. So there was both condensation and ice damming, all from the same cause - I believe. I plugged the conduit and the problem seems to have disappeared.

Meanwhile, I will add more insulation as I messed them all up with all the walking.

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Did any of these devices survive the summer heat?

I have since switched to Tuya zigbee temperature and humidity sensors, since they have much better battery life. I live in Central Texas where summer temperatures can easily reach 100+ farenheit. The sensors have work flawlessly.

Thanks! I’m assuming you paired it with a Zigbee USB device plugged into HA (i.e. Sonoff rather than the Tuya hub)?

Yes. Paired with my deCONZ zigbee usb stick.

I have outlets in my attic so I’m looking for a “plug-in” version somewhere. Anybody have any ideas? I don’t want to go up and change batteries if I don’t have to.