Originally Posted By: lhoffman This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
This wood in this attic appeared to be fairly uniformly damp. There was only one vent in the kitchen above the range and the attic did have 2 small gable vents and 3 turtle back vents ( for about 1000sqft). The roof covering did not appear to have obvious leaks. Any idea what kind of mold this is and what may be causing such a high level of moisture in the attic? The attic had about R-38 insulation in the floor of the attic.
Originally Posted By: ladams This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
The best way to tell what kind of mold is to have it tested by a lab. It looks like it could have resulted from previous roof leak that has since been fixed.
Originally Posted By: ekartal This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
That’s possible, but I’ve never seen mold that bad because of blocked soffit vents. Especially when you at least have gable and roof vents. Like Linda and I mentioned - previous problem with newer insulation added?
Originally Posted By: cmccann This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Roof vents and gable vents mean squat if air isn’t moving. To have air moving you need soffit, or drip edge venting. I don’t see that from the pictures. Case closed…next!
Oh, and who cares what kind of mold it is? The only person should be the client. Looks like mold, smells like mold, must be mold. Get rid of it, case closed.....next!
Originally Posted By: cmccann This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Really? How bad have you seen it? Erol, are you one of those sensitive types? Never mind, that was a rhetorical question. I already know the answer. Over it.
Originally Posted By: Tom Turner This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Erol,
I often see mold this bad, but it is a combination of different problems. Not having been at the inspection site I can only speculate on the total problem. I do know that if a bathroom vent fan is under the insulation and the soffit vents are blocked then you can have this type of problem. You really need for 50% of you ventilation to be from the soffits.
Originally Posted By: dplummer This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Sometimes the plumbing vents are not sealed as they enter the attic & allow warm air to enter the attic. Check the temp in the main dwelling area, attic & outside. Attic temp should be equal to or a little warmer then the outside temp. If it’s closer to the dwelling area you have heat escaping into attic. Use a hygrometer to check relative humidity. 45% or lower is ideal. Above that you have a breeding ground for mold.
The mold you see could be Aspergillus, Cladosporium or Penicillum all of which can be found in water damaged building materials. All the best ! Doug
