Removing Wet Attic Insulation

If the leak is more extensive the cellulose will have wicked up the moisture and spread it throughout a large area.

Removing wet attic insulation.

When a leak allows water to seep in through. Batt and blaket insulation. Wet insulation is bad for your roof your building and its occupants. Coping with wet insulation if the fiberglass within your wall cavity or in your attic becomes wet from a leaky roof or burst pipe it will lose insulating effectiveness until the material dries out.

How to remove attic insulation asbestos testing. Lift the insulation in this area to find the pooling water. Find the water leak. Use the tape measure to roughly locate where the water is dripping through the ceiling below.

To clean up droppings you need good respiratory protection masks and clothing that can be bleached or discarded. If the attic is not large enough for a person to move around try tying a rope to the vacuum. When a roof leak leads to saturated insulation that insulation almost always needs to be replaced. Believe it or not there are situations in a home when you should remove the old attic insulation before adding more over the existing and in this short video.

However you ll need to drain it frequently in order for it to function properly. Wet cellulose is generally not salvageable and needs to be removed then new material blown in to replace it. The plant fibers of cellulose wick water right up. Before you begin the project to remove insulation from the attic verify the insulation does not.

During that time it will also degrade wooden structure and trigger attic mold growth. Place a large tarp wherever you plan to unload the filled garbage bags. If your leak is very small you may be able to simply remove the affected area of cellulose insulation and let it dry out that will take a while. Soaked cellulose insulation will retain absorbed water for an extended time and resists drying.

Cellulose insulation is made from. Gradually pull the vacuum toward you as it sucks up the insulation. For walkthrough areas place a sheet of plastic over the opening and secure with tape. Insulation sits just below the roof s membrane.

To maneuver around the attic safely lay large planks at least 6 inches wide across the joists. Some attic spaces are very small and tight finding creative ways to maneuver the vacuum inside the attic will go a long way. Once the dehumidifier s storage tank is full it won t be able to remove any more moisture. Blown in insulation comes in two types.