Remediation & Insulation in Gregory, MI
Challenge
The homeowner explained that while they were doing some work eliminating a chimney chase in the wall of their bedroom and looking for a location to install wiring in the new wall, they noticed while up in the attic that mold growth was present on the gable walls at the top of the insulation. The symptoms of the problem were black colored mold growth on the gable walls, the gable wall OSB was wet from the bottom plate to the top of the blown insulation. The problem was caused by the bath fan ducts leaking below the insulation where they were disconnected from the couplers at the gable wall vent. The warm humid air coming from the bath fan exhausts was traveling through the insulation and getting trapped between the OSB on the gable wall and the insulation causing the OSB to become saturated. The homeowner chose to have the problem fixed because the moisture that was on the gable wall was going to eventually rot the wood and will be a much more extensive fix if it did not get corrected quickly. Along with mold being an indoor allergy, they did not want mold in their home especially with having kids. The homeowner's biggest concern with the problem was that the mold growth in the attic was going to get much worse and would become a health concern for both the occupants and the home.
Solution
The homeowner chose our company because we were able to identify the cause of the problem and were able to come up with a detailed solution that would not only make sure the mold would be removed but also would benefit them in the long run with saving money on their energy bills while making the upstairs more comfortable year around. Our solution was to remove all of the blown fiberglass and fiberglass batt from the attic floor, remediating the mold that was present on the gable walls and on some of the roof sheathing and rafters. We then air sealed all of the top plates, bond plates and wire/pipe penetrations on the attic floor to stop the conditioned air from the home being sucked up into the attic. We reconnected the bath fan ducts in the wall vents couplers on the gable walls and then sealed the edges with one part foam. we installed all new baffles throughout the attic and then insulated the attic floor with cellulose to 17" or R60. Some of the challenges we faced during the installation process were the vaulted ceiling was very difficult to get down into and remove the existing fiberglass batt insulation and air seal the top plates due to how close the roof deck was. We also ran into an issue with the generator on the truck leaking gas on the driveway due to the vented gas cap not venting, causing some damage to the asphalt requiring us to contract out an asphalt repair company. We used a combination of products to achieve our solution. We used Mold X2, DuroVent Venting Baffles, 4" SilverGlo (Hatch Insulation), Weather-stripping, Adhesive, ZypFoam, 1/2" Foamboard (Insulation Collar), TruSoft Cellulose. The homeowner now has a healthy, clean attic that is going to supply comfort and savings for many years.
