Insulation Installation and Home Comfort

Are areas in your home freezing cold in the winter and super-hot in the summer? Or just looking to improve your homes energy efficiency and comfort? the attic should be at the top of your priority list. Insulation and air sealing in the attic have a dramatic effect on the home's overall energy performance, and upgrades in this area can lead to significant savings on heating and cooling costs. 

Most homes in Michigan have R-30 (just under 10 inches) which was the previous code. With increasing to the current code of R-49 (approx. 15 inches) our homeowners experience significant savings on their heating bills and savings on their electric bills during the summer months when air conditioning is used. Think of your home like a large bag surrounding your living environment. If you turn your furnace or air conditioning off how long will the hot or cold air stay within your home? The more thermal barrier to the outside environment you have the less your equipment will run saving you money and increasing comfort

How the attic impacts home comfort

Cellulose insulation can be installed over existing insulation without interfering with your storage area

About 50% of energy costs are typically attributed to heating and cooling, making it one of the biggest expenses for many homeowners. The attic has a major impact on home efficiency for several reasons:

• Air leaks and drafts between attic and living space
• Air leaks and drafts between attic and outdoors
• Poor or incorrect ventilation
• Insufficient attic insulation
• Uninsulated ductwork in the attic

Best methods for improving attic efficiency

• Air sealing: The first step to improving attic efficiency is air sealing. Your attic is full of gaps and cracks that allows conditioned air to escape from the living space into the attic and unconditioned air to enter from the outside. Sealing these air leaks helps to keep your attic isolated from the outside and keeps conditioned air inside your home.
• Attic insulation: Many attics are lacking proper insulation, which is one of the biggest causes of energy waste and uncomfortable rooms. Raising attic insulation to proper levels prevents heat transfer between the attic and the living space, meaning your HVAC system will run less because conditioned air is being contained in the areas you want to heat and cool.
• Ductwork services: If you have ducts in your attic, they are affected by the extreme hot and cold temperatures that occur in that space. When you try to send cold air through hot ducts or vice versa, the air in the ducts is heated in summer (and cooled in the winter), making it difficult to heat or cool your home. Having ducts in attics is extremely inefficient, which is why duct sealing and duct insulation are smart upgrades for homeowners with ductwork in the attic.

  The homeowner explained that the home was up for sale and mold was found in the attic be the home inspection. He lived out of state and wanted the attic to be cleaned of mold and insulated properly to pass his final inspection to sell the home. The symptoms of the problem were mold growth on the sheathing and trusses and frost accumulation on the roof deck and nails. Mold growth was also found on the subfloor in the crawl space. The problems were caused by heat loss coming from the home by penetrations in the attic floor. The mold on the subfloor in the crawlspace was caused by not having a vapor barrier installed on the dirt floor. The homeowner chose to have the problem fixed because he needed to sell his fathers home and could not sell it until the mold found in the attic had been addressed and remediated by a professional company. The homeowner's biggest concern was that he lived out of state and wasn't able to oversee the process or the company that would be doing the work. We were referred by his realtor who has used us for many years without any hiccups.

  The homeowner chose our company because dis realtor that was helping him sell the home referred our services to him and was able to assure him that we would be the best solution to remedy his problems with the attic. Our solution was to air seal the top of his staircase with a structural covering that was exposed to the attic. We then treated the attic for mold remediation and then provided him with more insulation to give him a better thermal boundary on his attic floor (R49). For the crawl space we cleaned the subfloor and floor joists of the mold and then installed a 6 mil vapor barrier on the floor of the crawlspace. Installation of the structural covering proved to be a little more difficult than expected because of the trusses getting in the way of securing it to the joists. We used a combination of products to achieve our objectives. We used MoldX2 products, OSB, SilverGlo, 6 mil plastic, and TruSoft Cellulose Insulation. The homeowner now has a clean mold free attic and is properly insulated. The homeowner was pleased he was able to get his home sold quickly.

  The homeowner explained that the home was up for sale and mold was found in the attic by the home inspection. He lived out of state and wanted the attic to be cleaned of the mold and insulated properly to pass his final inspection to sell the home. The symptoms of the problem were mold growth on the roof sheathing and trusses and frost accumulation on the roof deck and nails. Mold growth was also found on the subfloor in the crawl space. The problem were caused by heat loss coming from the home by penetrations in the attic floor. The mold on the subfloor in the crawlspace was caused by not having a vapor barrier installed on the dirt floor. The homeowner chose to have the problem fixed because he needed to sell his fathers home and could not sell it until the mold found in the attic had been addressed and remediated by a professional company. The homeowner's biggest concern was that he lived out of state and wasn't able to oversee the process or the company that would be doing work. We were referred by his realtor who has used us for many years without any hiccups.

  The homeowner chose our company because his realtor that was helping him sell the home referred our services to him and was able to assure him that we would be the best solution to remedy his problems with the attic. Our solution was to air seal the top of his staircase with a structural covering that was exposed to the attic. We then treated the attic for mold remediation and then provided him with more insulation to give him a better thermal boundary on his attic floor (R49). For the crawl space we cleaned the subfloor and floor joists of the mold and then installed a 6 mil vapor barrier on the dirt floor of the crawlspace. Installation of the structural covering proved to be a little more difficult than expected because of the trusses getting in the way of securing it to the joists. We used a combination of products to achieve our objectives. We used MoldX2 products, OSB, Silverglo, 6 mil plastic, TruSoft Cellulose. The homeowner now has a clean, mold free attic and is properly insulated. The homeowner was able to get his home sold and was very appreciative of our ability to perform the job so quickly and efficiently. The homeowner was able to get this home sold and was thankful to TCI's production crew who made sure the home's condition was as if they weren't there.

Where Does Mold Grow?

First, it's important to know where to look. Mold tends to prefer cold, dark, and moist spaces. You probably won't find it in your living room, but your attic and crawlspace are much more likely hiding spots.

Mold will grow in places with a lot of moisture, such as around leaks in roofs, windows, or pipes, or where there has been flooding. Mold grows well on paper products, cardboard, ceiling tiles, and wood products. Mold can also grow in dust, paints, wallpaper, insulation, drywall, carpet, fabric, and upholstery.

And that's not all. You might also find it in doorways, windows, heating, and air conditioning systems. It enters your home either through the air or by being attached to other moldy items like old shoes or newspapers. Once it's there, it's difficult to get rid of.

Signs of Mold

The health risks of mold make looking for early signs that it's growing into your home absolutely crucial. If you see even subtle signs, it might be time to call for professional help to take care of the remediation. Some of these signs include:

Irritated lungs and breathing, similar to allergy symptoms.

A musty smell in the home or areas of the house.

Visible mold, both black and with potentially colored spots.

Water leaks, past flooding, or persistent condensation.

Rust and warping of materials due to humidity.

Most of these don't necessarily point directly to mold growth. They just point towards an environment that encourages this growth. That's why simply looking for them doesn't tend to be enough. A more comprehensive inspection is vital to making sure you know about any potential problems.

Can Mold Harm Humans?

The problems with mold are much more than just an inconvenience. Studies have repeatedly shown the many health risks that spores can bring with them. In fact, mold has been linked to anything from chronic coughs to allergic reactions, skin rashes, red eyes, and more. In some cases, it can get worse.

The reason mold removal services tend to be so important is what mold does to the health of some of the most vulnerable people around us. Most are particularly dangerous for those of us with autoimmune disorders, chronic lung disease, strong allergies, or asthma. And of course, it's worse for infants, children, and the elderly, whose immune systems might not be able to fight against it.

The lesson is clear: you don't want and probably can't afford to have mold in your home. Unfortunately, due to its favorite locations, it could also be difficult to find at times. A thorough inspection can help you find it, but looking out for early growth signs is also important.

Mold Prevention Tips

Ideally, you never let it get to a point where removal becomes a necessity. In the interest of your health and your home's value, you want to make sure that you can prevent rather than remediate the mold. A few tips can help you achieve that goal:

Keep the humidity in your home low, preferably under 40%.

Regularly check your home, particularly the potential problem spots mentioned above, for growth and take care of it early when needed.

Don't let wet areas stay wet. Dry them to make sure they don't become a hospitable environment.

During renovations, invest in mold-resistant drywall and sheetrock to create a less preferable environment.

Regularly clean your roof gutters to avoid any potential leaks or water entering the home in hidden spots.

Clean mold problems immediately, rather than letting them grow into a more significant problem.

It pays to be proactive. Still, you can't be expected to know every square inch of your home. In addition to these general tips, it pays to have regular mold inspections, both for your peace of mind and to be able to detect issues before they become major problems.