Rusty Nails In Attic

The nail was driven into an upper bedroom exterior wall to hang a picture.

Rusty nails in attic.

Less than a week later they pulled it out and found this. I noticed moisture on the roof sheathing small spots of green and white mold and rusty nails in the attic and musty stagnant smell in the upstairs bedrooms in the summer. I have seen this condition on roof coverings that were failing but not on shingles that are in good condition. I hounded the builder and original insulation company the first year.

Hammer a new nail into the roof about 1 inch above the hole from the previous nail. If you ve ever been in a cold attic during the winter you ve probably seen something like this. A person called me today and asked what could have caused this. The moisture caused by condensation on the inside of the attic can also rust things like plumbing heating and venting duct straps to rust and break.

Rust or stains around roofing nails that protrude through the attic sheathing they re supposed to stick through are a clear indication of high attic moisture. Roofing nails are galvanized but add enough moisture and galvanized nails will rust. If the moisture is really high you ll even see frost all over the wood. Indications that your attic might have a ventilation problem include wet or compressed insulation rusty nails or rust spots that dripped onto your insulation blackened plywood mold or mildew inside your attic curling or cracking shingles uneven snow melt and icicles at the roof edge.

Our photograph above shows roofing nails protruding through plywood roof sheathing visible in an attic where there is no under roof condensation or moisture problem. Unfinished by a builder who went bankrupt. All of those things will add to the moisture in the attic and will rust any metal exposed there. The house was built in 2006.

If you have a friend in the attic ask him to direct you to a sturdy spot where the nail can bite into the wood. The roof covering is an asphalt shingle and it appeared in good condition with no visible defects. Rusty nails poking through the roof deck dripping with water or even with little snow caps. Some of the nails appear rusty.

Moisture causes metal components of the roof like nails to rust and potentially break which can lead to shingle loss.