Attic Fan And Mold
While damp and warm climates are a prime breeding ground for our fuzzy friend other conditions that bring mold include lack of ventilation and proper sheathing.
Attic fan and mold. High humidity in a space like an attic can lead to mold and a spill in a carpeted area of your home that isn t quickly taken care of can also lead to mold under the carpet. If you used the attic fan during the winter to ventilate the roof it may have contributed to the moisture condition responsible for the mold. Moisture food and warmth. Since warm air rises if it comes into contact with the cold attic sheathing then condensation occurs.
Related to 3 above this practice can pump warm moist air into the attic where it can be trapped and begin the cycle of mold growth. Even with proper ventilation your air should not be vented directly into an attic. One of the most common causes of attic mold is a bathroom fan or dryer vent that runs into the attic. Solar attic fan to prevent mold.
A musty smell in the attic. Then spores from attic mold growth can be entrained into the mechanical system. Still in a house with central a c there may be leaky ducts in a moldy attic or an air handler with a filter holder that isn t airtight. Causes of mold in your attic.
An attic fan works by exchanging the hot air in your attic space for fresh air pulled through the vents. Mold needs 3 things to grow. When an attic is stuffy that indicates you have a ventilation problem which often results in mold problems. Require providing some sort of ventilation in attics in order to prevent or reduce damage to roofs caused by moisture laden air being trapped in attics.
While building codes do not require any sort of fan in attics to increase ventilation a solar attic fan is a great way to accomplish this without increasing your home energy costs. This will help to avoid premature damage to the shingles or mold building up in moist hot. Attic mold can happen in warm or cold weather. If you eliminate just one of these elements mold will starve and die.
Mold will survive in almost any environment that is the right temperature has moisture even in the air and has something for food e g. Frost buildup on the underside of the roof sheathing in winter. Sure mold can smelllike a lot of things but an attic with mold will always have a pretty musty type odor. Dryer vents plumbing vents kitchen or bathroom fans vented into the attic.
Mold located on ductwork on roof decking trusses or just about anywhere in the attic is simply a problem of excessive moisture. And occupants who use the attic for storage can disturb mold growth. Building codes throughout the u s.