Humidity in attics is a beast, especially down here where it feels like the air itself is sweating. I’ve seen folks try dehumidifiers, but like your uncle, they end up emptying buckets nonstop and still can’t keep up. Honestly, unless you’ve got that attic sealed tighter than a drum, it’s just fighting a losing battle. I’ve heard mixed reviews on running a return up there too—some say it helps, others say it just spreads the funk around. If you figure out a magic fix, let me know... I’m still waiting for my attic to stop feeling like a sauna.
Man, I hear you on the attic sauna situation. Down here, it’s like the humidity just creeps in no matter what you do. What’s helped me a bit is making sure the soffit and ridge vents are actually clear—turns out mine were half-blocked by insulation, so air wasn’t moving at all. I also stapled up some radiant barrier foil, which didn’t fix everything but did knock the edge off the heat. Still feels like a steam room some days, but at least I’m not emptying buckets every morning... yet.
Clearing vents and adding radiant barrier definitely help, but I’m a bit skeptical about how much those steps can do if the roof itself is just baking in the sun all day. Down here, I’ve seen folks switch to lighter-colored or reflective roofing and get a bigger drop in attic temps than just tweaking ventilation. I know it’s a bigger upfront cost, but sometimes the material itself is the main culprit. Anyone tried a green or “cool” roof coating? I’ve read mixed things, but it’s supposed to reflect a lot more heat.
I get where you're coming from about the roof color and material making a big difference, but honestly, I was surprised how much attic venting helped at my place. We're in Texas, so the sun just cooks everything, but after I cleared out the soffit vents and put in a radiant barrier, it actually dropped the attic temp by 10-15 degrees on hot days. Not saying it’s a miracle fix—my shingles are still dark and probably not ideal—but it did enough to keep the upstairs bearable without cranking the AC nonstop. Haven’t tried any cool coatings yet... kinda skeptical about how long those last in hail country.
That’s a solid move clearing out those soffit vents and adding a radiant barrier—honestly, attic ventilation gets overlooked way too often. Folks think it’s all about the shingle color or fancy coatings, but if the hot air’s got nowhere to go, you’re just slow-cooking your insulation and making your AC work overtime. Ten to fifteen degrees is nothing to sneeze at, especially in Texas. I’ve seen attics hit 150°F easy in July, and that’s just brutal for everything up there.
I hear you on the skepticism about cool roof coatings, especially with hail. Some of those elastomeric coatings claim to be “hail resistant,” but in reality, a good Texas hailstorm will laugh at most of them. They might help with reflectivity for a while, but I’ve seen them start to peel or crack after a couple of seasons—especially if you get those big temperature swings or a rogue branch comes down. Plus, re-coating every few years isn’t exactly cheap or fun.
Dark shingles are a tough one. They look sharp, but yeah, they soak up the heat. I’ve had customers swap to lighter colors or even metal, but metal’s not for everyone—cost, noise, and all that. Still, what you did with venting and the radiant barrier is probably the best bang for your buck short of a full roof replacement. Sometimes it’s about stacking up the little improvements rather than chasing a magic bullet.
If your upstairs is staying bearable without the AC running nonstop, I’d call that a win. Not perfect, but in Texas, “not miserable” is about as good as it gets some days.
