mold in attic

I discovered mold in a tight area of the attick in the underside. the roof is only a couple yrs old, has both soffit and tidge vents (soffits are open. Ive been sealing any leaks to the attic i can find. Ive been told to add a power ventilator and put in gable vents also. but this

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seems to contradict this.

so 1) what do I do 2) what do I do about the existing mold

Reply to
mbunatank
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you may have humidity leaking up from the house especially if this is over the bathroom...

seal the floor of the attic to prevent warm humid air from entering the cold attic.....seal opening where wire come through etc..

spray bleach directly onto the mold to kill it...

Do this ASAP before it spreads anymore....

Mark

Reply to
Mark

i also just added a bathroom fan vented to the outside. its neat the bathroom.

Reply to
mbunatank

get the attic enviroment dry - ventilate, and if you live in the swamps of Louisiana or somewhere, supplement ventilation with a dehumidifier with a humidistat

spray a 50/50 mix of household bleach & water on it. If you prevent the attic environment from staying humid as mentioned above, it will not come back.

Reply to
John Smith

Check and be sure the bathroom fan is vented to the outside of the house and isn't dumping into the attic. Seal any loose joints of the ductwork.

Reply to
Jay Stootzmann

should I increase ventilation? im in ny

Reply to
mbunatank

what I meen by should I ventilate is in reference to adding a mushrrom and or gable vents to my already existing soffit ridge.

Reply to
mbunatank

Depends. Conditions in Malone differ from Brooklyn. Mainly in that the vent fans I've seen are controlled by t-stat, so they run when temps are over set-point. Nothing to do with moisture- just keep from charring rafters (DAMHIKT in CT) and frying shingles.

For moisture, you gotta let it, or help it, to go outside, and absolutely prevent it from going where it can do harm. Even a small gap in sheetrock taping on ceiling can let lots of water vapor escape through and up. I'd check entire area below location of mold, and really seal it properly. Been there.

HTH, J

Reply to
barry

Actually, temperature has a lot to do with moisture. A cubic foot of warm air contains a lot more moisture than a cubic foot of cold air.

Reply to
Bob

If the moisture coming in from outside in the summer, then a thermostatically controlled fan will help. If the moisture is getting up there in the winter, it's probably coming from the living area. You need to keep it out, because a thermostat on a fan won't come on if the attic is cold.

Reply to
Bob

Ive been sealing any and all openings i could find and added exaust fans to decrese moisture in the house itself.

i know some vent fans also have a humidistat.

here is answers I gave to someone on anouther forum hope it gives more info.

((Are your soffit vents continuous?>>>>

were sealed I cut openings every 3 feet.

Are your ridge vents continuous and NOT of the nail-over foam type? The ridge vents need to be the baffled type to allow proper air flow.>>>

nail over foam cobra is the brand -like this

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Are your bath and kitchen vents vented to the outside and NOT into the attic?

bath didnt have vent just added to vent moisture out of house Is there a tree or other shade directly over the problem area? Perhaps you need the trim branches, etc.>>>

lot of trees, tall evergreen on side but not directly over. )))

Reply to
mbunatank

Did this problem just start after you had the new roof installed?

Reply to
Bob

It's more accurate to say a cubic foot of warm air CAN contain more water. It may or may not actually contain more.

Nick

Reply to
Nick Pine

Did this problem just start after you had the new roof installed?

no but the symptoms certainly have. The old roof had virualy no ventilation. I noticed frost on the nails at the time but the main symptom was ice damming. the roof was old double shingled so we contacted some roofers who all said venting was the problem. now i am where I am - crawleng around looking for air leaks and finding mold in the small L tight region area in my ranch

Reply to
mbunatank

You have had some very good suggestions, especially from Jay and Mark.

I will suggest not adding power vents or gable vents unless you find that your current vents are too small for the area. Adding those other vents can actually aggravate the problem.

Also make sure the soffit vents are clear and not blocked with insulation.

Reply to
Joseph Meehan

Wrong.

Nick

Reply to
nicksanspam

Huh? What are these "grains" of moisture? And are you considering the fact that relative humidity can vary for both the warm and cool air?

Reply to
CJT

Ridge vent is the best but it needs to suck air from the overhangs

Reply to
Art

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