What's Wrong with this Picture: Attic Foam Insulation
ANSWER: Improperly installed foam insulation.
U.S. Inspect Maryland Inspector, Eric Carpenter was called to inspect a home for the homeowner – it smelled musty and the client wanted to see what was going on. This picture is just one of many issues found. Apparently, the client had a recommendation to have spray foam insulation sprayed on the underside of the roof sheathing for additional air loss control and better thermal efficiency. Unfortunately the insulation contractors completely foamed all walls, roof sheathing, ridge vents, attic fan and the process blocked any (minimal) soffit vents. The odor in the second floor (particularly closets with limited air flow) was very noticeable. The humidity at the trusses/sheathing already measured 16% or more at most surfaces.
The way the vents are all completely covered is either simply a mistake due to inexperience, or it could have been an attempt to convert the attic to what is called, "conditioned space." This is becoming a popular option in certain states. Basically you convert the attic to a completely un-vented, insulated, conditioned space. The idea is that such efforts will reduce cooling bills. It works well in hot climates with mild winters--Florida, Nevada, Mississippi etc. It is not recommended, however, for areas that have cold winters due to moister problems and ice damming issues. So even if this were an attempt to condition the space, the job is not complete, and besides, in Maryland, it's probably not a good idea anyway.
The fix? Unfortunately, remove it all and restore the venting systems, or completely replace the roof and all sheathing (and possibly a truss or two). If it's not fixed, another problem with this process is that it will hold a lot of heat under the shingles and will promote early replacement of the shingles as they curl from excess heat build up.
Comments
Unacceptable
Any real professional would have known this is the compeltely incorrect way to insulate the attic. Next time make them pay you back
Shouldn't insulation
Shouldn't insulation contractors know better? I would be so mad if I were the homeowner. It sounds like trying to save on their air conditioning bill has cost them more than it should have. Did the company thaat sent out the insulation contractors pay for the repair?
Botched Job
They did an amazingly bad job on blowing in the foam. I sincerely hope the removal was at the expense of whomever they contracted to do the work. As far as the other people mentioning odor issues, some companies may install a dedicated ventilation system in your attic if the odors atypically remain after a few days.
We just had closed cell
We just had closed cell sprayed under our mobile home and had an odor for about 24 hours but it got better. Its my understanding that if the odor last very long its becuase it was not applied in the right mixture.. One side of the mixture was to rich. If this happens the foam will look right but if you cut out a chunk of it it will look crumbly on the inside... If this is the case then the operator didn't know what he was doing.... Make them fix it before to much time has gone by. It will out gas for a very long time and you will loose your r-value over time as the ages...
Odor
spray foam odor
Dangerous
Improperly installed foam insulation