Attic Insulation and Remediation in South Lyon, MI
Challenge
The homeowner explained that after going into his attic he noticed dark staining all over the roof deck and could see mold growth all over the trusses. The symptoms of the problem were mold growth over all of the insulation, trusses and roof sheathing as well as the RH (relative humidity) in the attic was reading 67% with an outside temperature of 74 degrees and the air in the attic was stagnant. The problem was caused by the ridge vent opening not being cut large enough when it was installed causing the air to not be pulled into the attic from the soffits efficiently causing stagnant/humid air to stay in the attic. The homeowner chose to have the problem fixed because the mold growth was causing his roof sheeting to delaminate which will lower the longevity of the roof as well as making the roof structurally compromised. The homeowner's biggest concern with the problem was that his family could become ill while living under all of the mold above the living space.
Solution
The homeowner chose our company because we were able to remove all of the contaminated insulation, do the mold remediation and then also able to air seal the attic and reinsulate with cellulose insulation to an Energy Star rating. We were also able to identify the cause as to why the mold occurred and gave recommendations of roofers to fix the ventilation and how it would be fixed correctly. Our solution was to remove all of the insulation off of the attic floor and clear the soffit vents that had been blown over the insulation, we then remediated the mold in the attic with HEPA vacuums and Mold X2 chemicals. The next day we then went and air sealed all of the top/bond plates, wire/pipe penetrations on the attic floor with ZypFoam. We covered the recessed light fixtures with rock wool can light covers as a fire safety hazard and to prevent heat loss from the conditioned air below from leaking into the attic, air seal and insulate the hatch cover and then blow Cellulose insulation to an R49 R-level. One of the challenges that we faced during the installation process was the vaulted ceiling pitch. It made it difficult to get down to the soffits to clear the insulation with our insulation vacuum hose. The heat was also a challenge as the attic was roughly 120-130 degrees Fahrenheit. We used a combination of products to achieve our end results. We used Mold X2 Remediation Products, TruSoft 22" x 4' Rafter Vents (Baffles), TiteShell Recessed Light Fixture Covers (Rockwool Covers), ZypFoam, Weather-stripping, SilverGlo Graphite Infused Polystyrene Foam Board (Hatch Cover Insulation), Owens Corning 1/2" foamboard (Insulation Collar) and TruSoft Cellulose blown to 14" or R49. The homeowner now has a clean healthy attic that is both mold free and insulated to an R49 Energy Star rating that has helped lower the energy bills as well as improve the overall comfort in the home.
