I discovered mold in a tight area of the attick in the underside. the
roof is only a couple yrs old, has both soffit and tidge vents (soffits
are open. Ive been sealing any leaks to the attic i can find. Ive been
told to add a power ventilator and put in gable vents also. but this
http://www.ronhungarter.com/ventilation_repairs.html seems to
contradict this.

so 1) what do I do
2) what do I do about the existing mold

you may have humidity leaking up from the house especially if this is
over the bathroom...

seal the floor of the attic to prevent warm humid air from entering the
cold attic.....seal opening where wire come through etc..

spray bleach directly onto the mold to kill it...

Do this ASAP before it spreads anymore....

Mark

i also just added a bathroom fan vented to the outside. its neat the
bathroom.

so 1) what do I do

get the attic enviroment dry - ventilate, and if you live in the swamps of
Louisiana or somewhere, supplement ventilation with a dehumidifier with a
humidistat

2) what do I do about the existing mold


spray a 50/50 mix of household bleach & water on it. If you prevent the
attic environment from staying humid as mentioned above, it will not come
back.

Check and be sure the bathroom fan is vented to the outside of the house and
isn't dumping into the attic. Seal any loose joints of the ductwork.

wrote in message
oups.com...
i also just added a bathroom fan vented to the outside. its neat the
bathroom.

Check out the EPA's web site on mold.
http://www.epa.gov/mold/moldresources.html

wrote in message
oups.com...
I discovered mold in a tight area of the attick in the underside. the
roof is only a couple yrs old, has both soffit and tidge vents (soffits
are open. Ive been sealing any leaks to the attic i can find. Ive been
told to add a power ventilator and put in gable vents also. but this
http://www.ronhungarter.com/ventilation_repairs.html seems to
contradict this.

so 1) what do I do
2) what do I do about the existing mold

should I increase ventilation? im in ny

what I meen by should I ventilate is in reference to adding a mushrrom
and or gable vents to my already existing soffit ridge.

Depends. Conditions in Malone differ from Brooklyn. Mainly in that the
vent fans I've seen are controlled by t-stat, so they run when temps
are over set-point. Nothing to do with moisture- just keep from
charring rafters (DAMHIKT in CT) and frying shingles.

For moisture, you gotta let it, or help it, to go outside, and
absolutely prevent it from going where it can do harm. Even a small gap
in sheetrock taping on ceiling can let lots of water vapor escape
through and up. I'd check entire area below location of mold, and
really seal it properly. Been there.

HTH,
J

Actually, temperature has a lot to do with moisture. A cubic foot of warm
air contains a lot more moisture than a cubic foot of cold air.

wrote in message
ups.com...
Depends. Conditions in Malone differ from Brooklyn. Mainly in that the
vent fans I've seen are controlled by t-stat, so they run when temps
are over set-point. Nothing to do with moisture- just keep from
charring rafters (DAMHIKT in CT) and frying shingles.

For moisture, you gotta let it, or help it, to go outside, and
absolutely prevent it from going where it can do harm. Even a small gap
in sheetrock taping on ceiling can let lots of water vapor escape
through and up. I'd check entire area below location of mold, and
really seal it properly. Been there.

HTH,
J

If the moisture coming in from outside in the summer, then a
thermostatically controlled fan will help. If the moisture is getting up
there in the winter, it's probably coming from the living area. You need to
keep it out, because a thermostat on a fan won't come on if the attic is
cold.

wrote in message
oups.com...
what I meen by should I ventilate is in reference to adding a mushrrom
and or gable vents to my already existing soffit ridge.

Ive been sealing any and all openings i could find and added exaust
fans to decrese moisture in the house itself.

i know some vent fans also have a humidistat.

here is answers I gave to someone on anouther forum hope it gives more
info.

((Are your soffit vents continuous?

were sealed I cut openings every 3 feet.

Are your ridge vents continuous and NOT of the nail-over foam type? The
ridge vents need to be the baffled type to allow proper air flow.

nail over foam cobra is the brand -like this
http://www.metroroofingsupplies.com/..._gaf_cobra.htm

Are your bath and kitchen vents vented to the outside and NOT into the
attic?

bath didnt have vent just added to vent moisture out of house
Is there a tree or other shade directly over the problem area? Perhaps
you need the trim branches, etc.

lot of trees, tall evergreen on side but not directly over.
)))

Did this problem just start after you had the new roof installed?

wrote in message
oups.com...
Ive been sealing any and all openings i could find and added exaust
fans to decrese moisture in the house itself.

i know some vent fans also have a humidistat.

here is answers I gave to someone on anouther forum hope it gives more
info.

((Are your soffit vents continuous?

were sealed I cut openings every 3 feet.

Are your ridge vents continuous and NOT of the nail-over foam type? The
ridge vents need to be the baffled type to allow proper air flow.

nail over foam cobra is the brand -like this
http://www.metroroofingsupplies.com/..._gaf_cobra.htm

Are your bath and kitchen vents vented to the outside and NOT into the
attic?

bath didnt have vent just added to vent moisture out of house
Is there a tree or other shade directly over the problem area? Perhaps
you need the trim branches, etc.

lot of trees, tall evergreen on side but not directly over.
)))

Bob wrote:

... A cubic foot of warm air contains a lot more moisture than
a cubic foot of cold air.

It's more accurate to say a cubic foot of warm air CAN contain more water.
It may or may not actually contain more.

Nick

Yes, if there are absolutely no grains of moisture in the air, then you are
correct. That would most likely be under laboratory conditions.

"Nick Pine" wrote in message
...
Bob wrote:

... A cubic foot of warm air contains a lot more moisture than
a cubic foot of cold air.

It's more accurate to say a cubic foot of warm air CAN contain more water.
It may or may not actually contain more.

Nick

Did this problem just start after you had the new roof installed?



no but the symptoms certainly have. The old roof had virualy no
ventilation. I noticed frost on the nails at the time but the main
symptom was ice damming. the roof was old double shingled so we
contacted some roofers who all said venting was the problem. now i am
where I am - crawleng around looking for air leaks and finding mold in
the small L tight region area in my ranch

wrote:
I discovered mold in a tight area of the attick in the underside. the
roof is only a couple yrs old, has both soffit and tidge vents
(soffits are open. Ive been sealing any leaks to the attic i can
find. Ive been told to add a power ventilator and put in gable vents
also. but this http://www.ronhungarter.com/ventilation_repairs.html
seems to contradict this.

so 1) what do I do
2) what do I do about the existing mold

You have had some very good suggestions, especially from Jay and Mark.

I will suggest not adding power vents or gable vents unless you find
that your current vents are too small for the area. Adding those other
vents can actually aggravate the problem.

Also make sure the soffit vents are clear and not blocked with
insulation.

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

Bob wrote:

... if there are absolutely no grains of moisture in the air, then you are
correct. That would most likely be under laboratory conditions.

Wrong.

Nick

Bob wrote:

Yes, if there are absolutely no grains of moisture in the air, then you are
correct. That would most likely be under laboratory conditions.


Huh? What are these "grains" of moisture? And are you considering the
fact that relative humidity can vary for both the warm and cool air?

"Nick Pine" wrote in message
...

Bob wrote:


... A cubic foot of warm air contains a lot more moisture than
a cubic foot of cold air.

It's more accurate to say a cubic foot of warm air CAN contain more water.
It may or may not actually contain more.

Nick






--
The e-mail address in our reply-to line is reversed in an attempt to
minimize spam. Our true address is of the form .

Ridge vent is the best but it needs to suck air from the overhangs


wrote in message
oups.com...
what I meen by should I ventilate is in reference to adding a mushrrom
and or gable vents to my already existing soffit ridge.

sometimes the problem is tricky,

my house faces south, in the winter the sun hits the front part of my
inverted V roof but never hits the back part. I had some moist air
leaking up from the bathroom into the attic and it would condense on
the inside of the cold north facing roof. I sealed up the attic floor
better, (there were some opening where you could actually feel the warm
moist air rising into the attic) and added a passive side vent in the
attic. You want cross ventilation in the attic and no air escaping
from the house into the attic.

Bleach mixed with water kills the mold easily...spray it right onto the
mold...

Mark

In the attic lies
Voices scream
Nothing's seen
Real's a dream

Leaving the things that are real behind
Leaving the things that you love from mind
All of the things you learned from fears
Nothing is left for the years

Voices scream
Nothing's seen
Real's a dream

(chorus)
Mold! Mold! Mold in the attic
Mold! Mold! Mold in the attic
Mold! Mold! Mold in the attic
Mold! Mold! Mold in the attic


Voices scream
Nothing's seen
Real's a dream

Leaving the things that are real behind
Leaving the things that you love from mind
All of the things you learned from fears
Nothing is left for the years

Voices scream
Nothing's seen
Real's a dream

(repeat chorus) (yayayayayayayow!)

I agree with Nick on this one Bob. I Arizona, and Denver, low RH is a
problem, even in the summer. It all depends on where you are located.
Warm air CAN hold more moisture than dry air, but that doesn't mean it
does.

Actually, if it is too wet in the attic, having the attic hotter will
LOWER the RH.

Putting in a powered exhaust fan can pull the attic into a negative
pressure with respect to the house and pull cool air out of the house.
That may cause localized condensation in the attic. I don't recommend
it.

If you must use a powered attic fan, use two instead. Set one blowing
in at one end and another blowing out at the other end. That will keep
attic pressures more neutral. But find out where the moisture is
coming from and stop it. (Source Control)

Stretch