[Rollin Hand]

Just found out today that our attic has mold in it. Anyone had to deal with this sparkling, wonderful experience?

I have a feeling that some insulation company is going to put me over the barrel with having the common decency to buy me dinner first.

 

[Mark Brown]

How and why was it discovered, what are the concerns?

To be frank, there aren't a lot of places that don't have mold growing somewhere in my experience.

My attic has mold in it.... its still there, I dont give it a second though. I dont live in the attic. The rats do.... but I dont.

 

[Rollin Hand]

How and why was it discovered, what are the concerns?

To be frank, there aren't a lot of places that don't have mold growing somewhere in my experience.

My attic has mold in it.... its still there, I dont give it a second though. I dont live in the attic. The rats do.... but I dont.

We are planning on getting the attic insulation brought up to R60, and...yeah, there's a fair bit.

It apparently can cause air quality issues in the house (might explain why both kids have coughs). And moisture + chipboard = bad.

For sure we will be raising the quality of the ventilation up there, with the full width styrovents going further up to allow for more insulation to be installed. I doubt anyone is going to install fresh insulation and venting over mold.

 

[BlueRocker]

We did our attic last year - pulled out all the existing fiberglass pink, and shot a couple of inches of spray foam (created a vapour barrier in an old house with none) then blew in cellulose, venting etc. It was not as expensive as I thought it would be.

If I had your situation I'd hit it with a bleach and water mix with one of those pump up water sprayers for gardens to knock down the mold. Then get the "paint" they use for restorations after a fire. It's thick and gooey but it's guaranteed not to allow any smoke smell out and it also retards mold (common after a house fire with the added water from the fire department). I've not done these two things at the same time, but separately in two different houses. Not as big a job as it sounds.

 

[Adcandour]

I owned the first mould remediation firm in Canada.

I was also the first to use dry ice blasting.

 

[Mark Brown]

I owned the first mould remediation firmfin Canada.

I was also the first to use dry ice blasting.

So the hysteria is your fault. Now I know who to blame 🤣

 

[Adcandour]

So the hysteria is your fault. Now I know who to blame 🤣

I got my work by being honest, and telling them it wasn't actually a big deal. And then I took all their money

 

[Mark Brown]

I got my work by being honest, and telling them it wasn't actually a big deal. And then I took all their money

It is amazing the lengths people will go to remediating dead spores of mold that hasn't been active since before they were born. But a fool and their money.

Good on you for capitalizing. One can be honest and a crook

Mold is a real concern, just not the same as the image that people are given or lead to believe.

 

[Steadfastly]

It does look like mold but sometimes it looks like it but it is just air passing over it and it is the accumulation of dirt. As it is at the eves where most air movement is, check to make sure it is actually mold first.

 

[Adcandour]

We did our attic last year - pulled out all the existing fiberglass pink, and shot a couple of inches of spray foam (created a vapour barrier in an old house with none) then blew in cellulose, venting etc. It was not as expensive as I thought it would be.

If I had your situation I'd hit it with a bleach and water mix with one of those pump up water sprayers for gardens to knock down the mold. Then get the "paint" they use for restorations after a fire. It's thick and gooey but it's guaranteed not to allow any smoke smell out and it also retards mold (common after a house fire with the added water from the fire department). I've not done these two things at the same time, but separately in two different houses. Not as big a job as it sounds.

I would be careful in this instance because sometimes if the product isnt an alkaline enough to kill the mold it will grow right through it ( some contractors will thin out the paint if they're close to running out, and that makes it ineffective). zinnser is garbage and fiberlock is expensive and more dangerous than mould, but thats the pro stuff.

And then you've got to pay someone to remove the paint as well as the mold. I got caught up in a really big lawsuit with a very big home builder who decided to go with a cheap contractor. I ended up having to dry ice blast the entire basement. (main floor subfloor).

bleach and water is also a bad idea just because the active ingredient is usually pretty weak depending on how long it's been on the shelf. I have an alternative that's easy enough to use, but I'd have to talk to the person over the phone. Op, we can chat on the phone if you want. I can tell you exactly what you can do to get professional results, without covering it.

 

[Adcandour]

We are planning on getting the attic insulation brought up to R60, and...yeah, there's a fair bit. View attachment 471593

It apparently can cause air quality issues in the house (might explain why both kids have coughs). And moisture + chipboard = bad.

For sure we will be raising the quality of the ventilation up there, with the full width styrovents going further up to allow for more insulation to be installed. I doubt anyone is going to install fresh insulation and venting over mold.

I've done extensive air quality testing for the specific reason. Everything I got back from the lab never indicated a problem or a connection between the air quality in the home and the attic. Mind you, as soon as you remove the insulation you're usually exposing the home through gaps around lighting and vents Etc. Especially if your house is negatively pressurized


I used to just test because it was cheaper than actually doing the remedial work back in the day. People would opt to test for a couple of thousand versus the dry ice blasting eight day Fiesta that would cost closer to 20K. That was enough to get the house sale to go through.

 

[Mark Brown]

I've done extensive air quality testing for the specific reason. Everything I got back from the lab never indicated a problem or a connection between the air quality in the home and the attic. Mind you, as soon as you remove the insulation you're usually exposing the home through gaps around lighting and vents Etc. Especially if your house is negatively pressurized


I used to just test because it was cheaper than actually doing the remedial work back in the day. People would opt to test for a couple of thousand versus the dry ice blasting eight day Fiesta that would cost closer to 20K. That was enough to get the house sale to go through.

See.... people just think I make this stuff up.

 

[Adcandour]

See.... people just think I make this stuff up.

lol who's giving you a hard time? I'm with family so it's hard for me to read up on this thread. And I just want to make sure no one is misinformed.

 

[Mark Brown]

lol who's giving you a hard time? I'm with family so it's hard for me to read up on this thread. And I just want to make sure no one is misinformed.

No one at all. But I just say crazy shit that isn't all that popular, like Mold isn't that bad.... unless it is. Mostly in the real world, people look at you like you have 3 heads and two of them are assholes.

They drank the kool-aid, which I can now trace back to you... but you said the things I said and now it is really confusing.

I am going to have to meditate on this one before my head explodes.

 

[Adcandour]

No one at all. But I just say crazy shit that isn't all that popular, like Mold isn't that bad.... unless it is. Mostly in the real world, people look at you like you have 3 heads and two of them are assholes.

They drank the kool-aid, which I can now trace back to you... but you said the things I said and now it is really confusing.

I am going to have to meditate on this one before my head explodes.

ah, got it. the issue is that everyone has different sensitivities... and different moulds do different things. mind you, some people are full on nuts and scared of something that doesn't exist. but, you're right about attic mould - its not really in the house.

 

[Henk Don]

There's no problem here, the vapour barrier in the ceiling protects the air in the home from mixing with the attic air. I the case of light fixtures the air rises into the attic, again no mixing. Add more ventilation when insulating, ensures the moisture in the attic goes out the roof vents.

 

[JBFairthorne]

Just throwing it out there that attic mold is often not a simple case of not enough insulation. It’s a combination of insulation, adequate unobstructed cold air intake (vented soffit and or gable end wall vents) and warm air outlets (roof vents, ridge cap vents).

The outlet vents can be passive, basically just a covering over a hole in the roof, or active, turbine vents, newer solar powered vents with a built in fan that kinda look like regular vents or electric powered vents that can be put on a switch or tied to a thermostat in the attic.

It’s all about convection. Cold air in, it warms up, picks up moisture along the way, rises and escapes. It’s the air FLOWING that makes the difference.

Not that it looks like this is the case here but, any bathroom exhausts or the like should be an insulated flex line (insulated to prevent condensation) to a dedicated vent designed for the purpose. It should be taped end to end so the moist air will not actually be vented into the attic.

 

[tomee2]

It does look like mold but sometimes it looks like it but it is just air passing over it and it is the accumulation of dirt. As it is at the eves where most air movement is, check to make sure it is actually mold first.

I think you’re onto something here…if the location is near the soffit vents it could be dust and not mold.

 

[player99]

Clean it, seal it, then vent it.

 

[Lincoln]

Make sure you have adequate soffit venting and roof vents. Make sure your range hood and bathroom fans are vented outside, not just into the attic space.