Remediating Mold in Nashua Attics

11/16/2017 (Permalink)

Not having enough insulation in your attic can be a cause for mold growth.

SERVPRO's Mold Remediation Process

Nashua homes can handle some of the worst storms and come out often needing no more than some new trim or maybe replace a garden shed. It is often a quiet disaster like mold that owners never notice until the restoration costs approach putting on an addition to their home.

When they find mold in the attic, Nashua homeowners at first cannot believe it. Most think our weather is too cold for mold or mistakenly believe since the attic is clean of food, that it should not be able to grow. After decades of cleaning and removing mold from homes, SERVPRO knows that attics are a perfect place for spores to expand and grow, spreading over the top of the entire home.

One factor that promotes mold growing in an attic is not having enough insulation. Too little insulation allows heat from the home rise into the attic where it meets with the colder air. It leads to condensation, which can form small pools of water across the attic that mold spores can use just as easily as those from a leaky pipe or stormwater. Since condensation can occur throughout Fall and Winter, the potential threat is even greater.

To change this, SERVPRO technicians check the amount of insulation and if it has become compromised by the moisture and mold. Both can weigh down blown-in and rolled insulation, making it less efficient and causing even more condensation. If the insulation is still clean and useful, we can add to it after removing the mold.

Since we want to avoid contaminating the existing insulation, technicians first secure plastic sheeting over it. It allows us to bring in vacuum hoses connected to commercial grade pumps. We insert HEPA filters designed to capture the tiny spores and remove most of the mold present.

Next, we spray or use a fog device to deploy anti-fungal and anti-microbial agents throughout the attic. Our chemical agents kill the spores on contact, making it much safer for our technicians to scrape and brush the remaining spores by hand out of the attic.

Our last cleaning step is to remove the plastic sheeting and perform a final inspection. Then, we add to the insulation unless the homeowner wants to use another service.

Mold can expand and grow in any home in New Hampshire. Not having enough insulation should never be the reason for the process to start though. If you have mold or suspect there may be a problem, contact SERVPRO of Nashua at (603) 889-2311 today. We are here to help.

For more information regarding the city of Nashua, visit https://www.nashuanh.gov/.