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All Just simply about Your KitchenGot Attic Mold? Lets Talk Energy Conservation!
by:
Mark D. Tyrol, P.E.
It happens to innumerable homeowners about the end of the year – you do the annual visit to your attic to collect the holiday decorations and what do you find? Spots and blotches covering the bottom of the roof sheathing. Worse yet – it turns out to be attic mold!
What makes energy conservation have to do with mold in the attic? Well if you take a step back and consider how the home behaves as system, they are often directly related.
Building science experts have long been victimisation the “house as a system” approach to diagnose the cause and origin of building defects.
For example, ice dams. These are often caused by warm air oozy
into the attic which causes the snow and ice on the roof to melt. The water drains to the edge of the roof (which is colder than the rest of the roof because it is an overhang and not warm
by the attic), freezes and creates an ice dam. As this process is recurrent
daily, the ice dam grows larger. Eventually water is forced under a shingle wherever
it can feed into the house.
Understanding how the home behaves as a system and the various causes and effects is necessary to diagnose most building related problems.
But how simply about that attic mold? How did it get there?
Mold requires chronic wet to form and to thrive, so source(s) of wet must be present. Possibly the wet came from outdoors. The roof is newer and a quick check of the roof shows no obvious damage or leaks.
Possibly the wet came from indoors. During the heating season, the interior of the home oft-times has high wet levels, especially bathrooms and kitchens. A quick check shows that all bathroom fans, room
vents, etc. are properly ducted altogether outdoors and not into the attic. The figure of insulation looks nice and the attic is well ventilated.
Don’t give up – you are simply about there! Remember the home as a system? You cognize that warm, wet
air is in the house, but how is it effort into the attic?
By air leaks! Air leaks are the leading source of energy loss in most houses, and a frequent source of chronic wet that can cause attic mold. Most homeowners are well aware of air leaks about windows and doors (especially old ones), but many an overlook the many
gaps leading directly into the attic!
Have a look about the attic and you may find large gaps about recessed lights and fans, holes wherever
wires or pipes are installed, even as large gaps about the chimney. And don’t overlook the whole home fan and especially the folding attic step - a big, uninsulated hole in your ceiling that is often overlooked!
These gaps can add up to a large hole that allows warm, wet
air from the home to flow right into the cold attic. The warm wet
air condenses on the cold roof sheathing, creating inveterately
damp conditions that can lead to attic mold growth. And the energy loss – it can be like effort a window open all winter long!
Seal these air leaks and you finish a significant wet source. And simply think of all the energy you can save and the cold drafts you can stop!
Just simply about the author:
Mark D. Tirol
is a Professional Engineer specializing in cause and origin of construction defects. He developed some human activity
energy conservation products including an attic step cover and a open fireplace draftstopper. To discover much visit www.batticdoor.com
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