Water Spots On Attic Insulation

Wet insulation no longer performs its primary function of inhibiting heat transfer.

Water spots on attic insulation.

This means there is likely water damage to any of the affected insul a tion. Water is insulation s enemy. Water leaks occur through roof failure ice dams and water condensation or frost build up inside an attic. Loss of insulating value.

It creates a breeding ground for mold and mildew and ruins the air trapping pockets that block heat flow. When an attic is stuffy that indicates you have a ventilation problem which often results in mold problems. Rainy weather causes the first type of leak to be discovered. At the very least shingles.

The other possible culprit could be water dripping down from the roof though not from a leak. You may need to pick up the duct insulation at the home center if the duct is not insulated at all. Look for leaks above wet spots. In order for water to get down into the main area of your home it had to travel through your attic insulation.

If you hire a pro they use wet spray cellulose which adds a small amount of water to help control the dust and to slightly increase the insulation value per inch. Cellulose provides an r value of approximately 3 5 per inch. This makes it especially easy to spot. Try aluminum tape or zip ties to fasten the insulation you may get a better result.

Box out light fixtures. Most of the time all you have to do is just fasten the insulation again. In order to prevent mold from growing and spreading it s important to remove any wet and water damaged insulation and discard of it. This latter phenomenon occurs when the house is too humid and the warm moist air seeps into the attic where it condenses and freezes on cold attic areas.

It could leak 5 10 above wet spots and run down roof on top of roofing building paper until it finds a spot to seep into attic. Can you repair the spot on the ceiling. Those wet spots indicate water is leaking into the attic its not just condensation which good ventilation could remove. This insulation will also need to be replaced.

After several years of this there may be. Frost buildup on the underside of the roof sheathing in winter when it s cold enough outside water vapor in an attic with improper ventilation can freeze on the underside of your roof. The two most common types of insulation fiberglass batts and blown in cellulose loose fill are vulnerable to attic water damage in two specific ways. Moist air can get into a cold attic and form ice crystals on the underside of the roof a problem.