Has anyone had trouble with blown-in insulation? I’m working on a house where all the painted casings on exterior walls is splitting at the miterjoints, and there is also some paint bubbling. Upon investigation, it was found that the blown insulation is off the scale iin moisture content, as are the studs. Where the casings are clear coated, the problem doesn’t exist. I know we have to replace the casings, but is there a way to dry the insulation without removing all the sheetrock? The house is 99% finished, including floors, and it’s 14000sq ft, so any suggestions will be Greatly appreciated. Thanks alot
Dave
p.s. This house is in S.E. Texas, where humidity is a factor
Replies
sorry to tell you but i believe that wet insulation is dead forever ,i would replace-------first find out why this is wet or you will have mildew forever
Was it blown in dry or sprayed on wet?
Apparently it was blown in wet and never really dried before the sheetrock went up. The problem didn't show up until the the finish paint was applied, and I think the moisture is drawn to the window casing and jamb extensions because they are the boundary between hot and moist --cool and dry. sort of like a cold can of coke on a hot day, I guess. What we are going to do is remove all the casings, get a bunch of de-humidifiers, put fans everywhere, turnup the speed of the a/c fans and wait. We're hoping that will do the trick. What do you or anyone elsa out there think?
Dave
I think that next time, you'll give it a few weeks to dry out before drywalling. Sorry, you didn't need me rubbing it in fellah but we've all been there - learn the hard way and you'll NEVER forget. That's why some of us have VERY opinionated views here. Join the clubExcellence is its own reward!
Thanks for not being too harsh. I am a woodworker, and we weren't on the job until after the s/r was hung. The info I gave you was what we gleaned from the client and the GC. I guess next time He'll wait so as not to have to pay twice to have the windows and doors cased twice. Not to mention getting to hear our opinions regarding his insulation sub.
Dave
Dave
This might not be your part of the project. But I would get someone with a moisture meter and do some probing other parts of the wall. There is minimal area around the trim for moisture to escape. And depending on the type of paint and primer on the walls you might not get much drying through the walls. And by any chance did they put poly under the sheet rock? Which they should not do in that climate anyway.
In the Building Science book for cold weather climates. He specifically warns against using damp spray cels for insulation and then covering the wall with poly because it will never dry out.
Bill
We did have the moisture in the walls checked with a probe, and the "expert" said the insulation had a moisture content of at least 14% in the majority of exterior walls. Apparently the super had made them use drier insulation after seeing the first batch, so thankfully it isn't a whole house problem. We've pulled off a bunch of casing and some of it was so saturated that the glue had dissolved and split the joints, which were biscuited. `The paint was very high quality, and stopped the drying process cold. Also, the house has been sealed, 29 fans have been placed strategically and de-humidifiers have been also put into use. The a/c has been turned up and we're hoping for the best. To answer your question, no poly was used in the wall. That is an extreme no no in SE Texas. The wall cross-section is brick, space,Tyvek,plywood,studs,sheetrock. I've worked on several houses with this construction and never before had a problem. Thanks for the help
Dave