Let’s say that some roofing was not installed just right and that water percolated into a Icyenene-insulated house because the roofing was higher than the wooden window sill it was supposed to be installed under.
The space below the windows is wet, has led to some funky behavior on the part of the alarm system, etc. How to best dry it out if the only access I have right now is the alarm reed switch hole (i.e. a 0.75″ dia hole?) Or should I bite the bullet, break open the wall and let it air out that way?
No sign of the leak from below, but I imagine it would take a while for the water to penetrate all the way through the icynene. Any tips on how to best do it? The alarm company used my wet-vac to good effect, removing about a gallon of water from all three window cavities that were affected. Naturally, not all water can be removed with a wet-vac though, particularly if it’s via a 0.75″ dia hole.
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(help!)
Constantin - sorry about your roof issues. I thought I read in the archives you had just had this done in the last few years. Your roofer should be footing the bill for whatever you do - but maybe that's not a path you want to go down.
If you don't cut open the wall you are more or less relying on diffusion to dry it out which is slow and maybe not in the direction you want this time of year depending on what your sheathing and weatherwrap is.
I'm assuming we are talking about the area under 3 windows - not a lot of wall area. I'd rip open the walls, pull out the icynene, dry it out and reinsulate with the insulation of your choice (maybe EPS foam board and a couple cans of great stuff). More peace of mind if you see what's going on in there and if there's any more severe damage.
But get the roofing fixed before you rebuild the wall.
By the way, when you are done, that switch hole should be well sealed so there isn't an air pathway into your wall.
Yes, the roof is new, which is why the GC will be here on Friday with an roofing expert to fixing the current mistake. The wall area is limited by the entry point (under the three windows) and the ceiling one floor down shows no signs of moisture yet.Given that its winter, I doubt I can make Andy's suggestion work. Perhaps next summer... but what I could do is run a lot of air through the compartments to hopefully entrain some moisture. I simply wonder if we should open one wall cavity to see how "bad" the problem is... one of the windows is in the laundry, so sheetrocking that back up wouldn't be as noticable/objectionable as in the master bedroom.
One thing you might do as insurance against mold is to stick some Impel rods into the bottom of the foam. They're borates, and will dissolve if there's any water, thereby moving around within the cavity.Andy
"Never try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and annoys the pig." Robert A. Heinlein (or maybe Mark Twain)
"Get off your dead #### and on your dying feet." Mom
"Everything not forbidden is compulsory." T.H. White, The Book of Merlin
Thanks Andy! The borate is on the list... I also wonder if we could accelerate the process by simply boring a number of holes from the inside to intersect with the cavities below the windows. Would that not speed the diffusion process? I was thinking 1/2" dia holes (like 2 or 3 per window) since they would not mess up the wall too badly and then plan on fixing the mess next fall.
You could probably bore some holes top and bottom and rig up some computer cooling fans to ventilate them. I think I'd use them to suck, not to blow. You can buy moisture probes that would give an idea of your success.Andy
"Never try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and annoys the pig." Robert A. Heinlein (or maybe Mark Twain)
"Get off your dead #### and on your dying feet." Mom
"Everything not forbidden is compulsory." T.H. White, The Book of Merlin
If you aren't going to open up the wall, make sure you get holes in every cavity. There's a lot of framing around a window - make sure you don't leave a cavity you don't open up. You should be able to squirt in some poly foam into the holes when you are done, cut it off just below the surface, and spackle or joint compound or plaster over it.
Icynene is open cell foam, so you're not sunk. The hard thing is creating a circumstance where the moisture drive works in your favor. Warm to cool and wet to dry. Assuming that the building materials prevent drying to the outside, but allow it to the inside, all you need to do is keep the inside cooler and drier than the outside. The ideal conditions may not occur until summer, but assuming that nothing is dripping, one winter's worth of dampness isn't likely to kill anyone.
Or you could rip it all out, dry the cavity, and re-insulate.
Andy
"Never try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and annoys the pig." Robert A. Heinlein (or maybe Mark Twain)
"Get off your dead #### and on your dying feet." Mom
"Everything not forbidden is compulsory." T.H. White, The Book of Merlin
If it were me I'd crank additional heat in those rooms, 90 degrees wouldn't be too much, add a box fan pointed at the wall, and rent or buy a dehumidifier for the area. The extra heat will warm the wall and encourage the most evaporation in that area. Opening up the drywall would probably be a good idea.
Since the foam is pourous I'd leave it alone and spend the effort on getting the most heat in and moisture out. Breaking out foam isn't my idea of a good time, especially with wires in the walls.
Crank the heat.
Beer was created so carpenters wouldn't rule the world.