TCI Remediation Case Studies: Mold Remediation & Insulation Job in Farmington Hills, MI
Challenge
Our customer explained the upstairs level of the home was always more hot or cold depending on the season than the rest of the home below. Mold in the attic was also a problem explained to the customer. The upstairs level of the home was much warmer at the time of inspection than the floor below. Visual mold was covering about 75% of the roof deck. Blocked soffits without baffles and lack of ventilation in the attic caused mold to grow on the roof deck and trusses. The attic was under insulated with encapsulated fiberglass insulation that was torn due to foot traffic within the attic. A drop-down shower ceiling soffit was also left uncovered allowing humidity to leak into the attic. The homeowner chose to have the problem fixed because he joined us in the attic for the inspection and was able to see how having the soffits blocked and being under-insulated was causing moisture to build up in the attic and cause mold to grow. The Homeowners biggest concern was getting the mold removed from the attic and better insulation in his attic for this will improve his heating/cooling of the rooms below.
Solution
The Homeowner chose TCI Remediation to do the project because during the inspection of the attic we were able to demonstrate what needed to be done in a clear and informative way that made sense to the homeowner to fix the problem within the attic. We built a level of trust with the homeowner to fix the problem within the attic. We built a level of trust with the homeowner to ensure him that our solution would take care of the mold problem and provide a more comfortable home. We treated the mold in the attic and covered the drop shower ceiling with SilverGlo and air sealed it tight. We then cleared the soffits of insulation and installed the proper amount of baffles to insure the attic was breathing properly. We capped off the existing insulation with TruSoft Cellulose to get the attic to an R-60 R-Value to reduce the risk of moisture leaking into the attic from the conditioned home and to provide a better thermal barrier between the attic floor and rooms below the attic. We had difficulties getting the SilverGlo foam board into the attic scuttle due to the size of the opening. We had to cut smaller pieces which made the job take a bit longer than usual. We used product RMR-86 and RMR-141 which removes staining and mold from sheathing and joists in the attic. We also used a combination of insulation products including TruSoft Stabilized Cellulose insulation and SilverGlo Polystyrene foam board. Zypfoam polyurethane foam sealant was used to air seal the drop-down soffit above the shower. DuraVent duel wide baffles were installed for proper ventilation from the soffits. The homeowner now has a mold-free attic and a better-insulated attic that will provide a more comfortable home.
