For some people, the thought of insulation conjures up images of a functional refrigerator. When it’s working optimally, your insulation helps keep your home cool or warm – depending on the season. But as with most products, your insulation has a service life. And to determine if a replacement is due, your go-to spray foam insulation contractor can inspect it and direct you on the way forward.
But why inspect? Moisture and mold can take up residence in your insulation and cause serious issues – especially if left unattended. Plus, the two elements can gang up against your valuable insulation material, leading to premature deterioration and consequently, replacement.
At First Defense Insulation, we believe in the power of knowledge, which is fitting, as this post intends to educate you on ways to determine whether your insulation has mold. For starters, let’s point out that mold and moisture (the troublesome twins) can reduce your home’s R-value – we’ll get back to this below. If you suspect your insulation has a mold problem, here’re some telltale signs, including steps, you can take to identify and deal with the issue.
Persistent Health Issues
The cold season is a cue for the flu and other illnesses. But if your children or anyone else in your family have persistent health issues, your insulation could be telling you something. Such health issues often persist until you address the root cause – which could be moldy insulation.
Respiratory problems, asthma attacks, skin irritation, itchy eyes, headaches, and nausea are all common symptoms of a mold problem in your insulation. If you notice these symptoms don’t seem to wane over time, you could be dealing with untreated mold without your knowledge.
Similarly, you probably have insulation-related mold if allergies appear more often than usual. Sneezing, coughing, and watery eyes are all common signs and should be a cause for concern.
Pungent Smell
That musty odor in your home could be a telltale sign of mold. Pungent scents – similar to wet soil or mildew, usually indicate an infested attic or crawlspace.
Your walls could also give off a musty smell, especially in some parts of your home. The icky odor is unmistakable if you have a sharp sense of smell. For the rest of us, a mold inspection is a sure-fire way to identify suspicious odors.
Visual Inspection
Sometimes, it’s easy to spot the signs of insulation gone bad. If you’re comfortable with assessing the situation, take a visual inspection of your insulation. Signs such as discoloration, black or gray spots, and rotting wood indicate mold. Similarly, mold may have a greenish hue with whitish edges as it grows before turning black.
If you’re using fiberglass insulation, check for sagging or dampened parts of the material. While inspecting your walls for moisture damage, look out for evidence of mold growth, including:
- Watermarks on the wall
- Bubbling paint or bubbles in wallpaper
- Peeling paint
- Crumbling drywall
Call your local insulation contractor to assess the situation if you spot any of these warning signs. And to confirm your fears, poke the affected area with a screwdriver – if it’s spongy or crumbles, you know you’re dealing with an infestation.
Furthermore, signs of mold can be more apparent in certain parts of the home, such as near exterior walls and finished basements. If you spot visible mold colonies in either of these areas, most likely, the insulation isn’t in good shape.
What if you’re dealing with white mold? Well, if your insulation is white, it provides the perfect camouflage for mold to thrive. White mold is especially problematic as the spores are airborne and can spread quickly, making it hard to detect without a professional eye – which leads us to the next point.
Seek Professional Help
If you are in over your head, contact a professional insulation contractor like First Defense Insulation. Our certified professionals know what to look for and can give you an accurate assessment of the situation. And since your wall insulation is usually out-of-sight, so would mold.
As such, we test for mold to establish its concentration level in your home. That way, you won’t rely on guesswork and can rule out its presence. After completing the assessment, we usually recommend measures to address mold issues. Mainly, this involves air sealing and fixing the affected area. Sometimes, we suggest air quality tests to ensure mold isn’t a problem in other parts of the house.
We also provide insulation removal in Houston and installation services to restore your home’s R-value. Basically, the R-value measures thermal resistance and is essential for achieving energy efficiency. A high R-value implies your house is better at conserving heat, while a low R-value means your insulation isn’t operating as efficiently. And usually, mold infestation is an indication of inefficient insulation. And as your insulation loses its effectiveness, your energy costs are likely to increase.
In extreme cases, mold remediation may be necessary to eliminate the problem and get your home back in top shape. If this is the case in your home, contact us or your go-to expert immediately. Remediation typically involves:
- Testing and removal
- Demolition of the affected area
- Sanitization and containment
- Cleaning
We don’t mess around when it comes to keeping your family safe and healthy. So, let us help you remove the mold in your insulation or replace it with new material – whichever applies to your situation. Our team is also well-versed in various techniques that can help prevent future mold growth – from using a dehumidifier to removing moisture-infested materials.
Don’t take chances with your home’s health – call an expert to get your mold problem under control. They can inspect your home and provide a detailed report on the state of your insulation, including practical ways to manage the situation if needed.
At First Defense Insulation, we know first-hand the pain of dealing with a moldy and inefficient home. Should you need our services, call us or explore our site at https://fdinsulation.com/attic-insulation/spray-foam/. We can advise you on the ideal approach to deal with a mold infestation in your wall’s insulation and offer you tips on preventing it in the future.
Name, Address and Phone
First Defense Insulation,Â
12 Greenway Plaza Suite 1147 Houston Texas 77046,Â
713-808-9853
https://www.facebook.com/FirstDefenseInsulation,
https://www.instagram.com/firstdefenseinsulation/?hl=en
