Spray Foam Insulation & Mold Removal in Suffield, CT

This homeowner in Suffield, CT called us hoping that we would be able to help them. They had an old home with a very humid crawl space, and they wanted to get it fixed, as it was starting to affect the stability of the floor above. High humidity in a crawl space is caused by a number of important conditions. High humidity causes many problems in a home such as mold (which grows at Relative Humidities [RH] above 75%), rot (which happens above 90% RH) odors, airborne mold spores that aggravate allergies and asthma, increased pests and insects such as termites, and higher air conditioning and heating costs. Result - cold floors above, condensation, mold, rot, odors, drafty, uncomfortable home, higher fuel and electric bills.

We had the perfect solution for this customer. The SaniDry™ Sedona air system is a powerful but energy efficient dehumidification and air filtration system in one unit. Able to remove an incredible 100 pints of water per day and using only 5.9 amps of electricity, the SaniDry™ Sedona drains automatically to a sump or the outside with a condensate pump. It has a powerful 310 cfm blower to circulate the dry air completely around to dry building materials and contents. Mold doesn’t have a chance! An automatic control is easy - set it to 55% RH and forget it - the SaniDry™ Sedona does the rest! And there’s no buckets to empty! Results - Low Relative Humidity, mold stops growing, odors are reduced, crawl space is suitable for storage, lower air conditioning cost, upstairs is dryer.

This homeowner in Suffield, CT called us saying that he needs someone to come out and insulate his crawl space. The crawl space was very tight and he was not able to look and see what the insulation was like. When our Home Comfort Specialist came out to the home, he was able to get into the crawl space. Inside, there was a very very small amount of fiberglass insulation. He also noticed that there was a large amount of the support beams under the crawl space were damaged by humidity. Humidity can damage insulation a lot - it pulls insulation away from the sub floor it's supposed to be insulating. The same cold air under the insulation flows into the space on top of it - rendering the insulation useless. As the insulation gets heavier with moisture content, it falls away from the sub floor even more and can even fall to the floor. Fiberglass batt insulation has paper facing and organic material in the resin used to set the fibers into a batt - both are mold food. Results - mold, smelly insulation that is not providing any insulation value and has sagged or even fallen.

We helped this homeowner by removing the existing fiberglass batts from the crawl space. The insulation is very bulky and takes up a tremendous amount of space in trucks and our dumpsters which must be emptied. But it’s necessary to have a healthy home in the end. Result - now the crawl space is ready to be fixed properly with other solutions. No more nasty fiberglass insulation!

A kneewall space is created when a finished room is built within a sloped roof. A short wall called a “kneewall” forms a triangular space which may or may not be accessible with a short door or access panel. The floor of the kneewall space forms the ceiling of the room below it. The floor and kneewall itself are open to the kneewall space side with exposed fiberglass batts. Since fiberglass does not stop air flow, the insulation does next to nothing to air seal and insulate. The floor of the upper level, the ceiling of the lower level and the kneewall are all cold in winter and hot (from radiant roof heat) in the summer. The kneewall space is not suitable for storage since it is dusty and very cold or hot.

Blocks of SilverGlo™ foam insulation are installed between the ceiling joist bays. Outside the blocks, the surface of the ceiling is sealed with sprayed foam or SilverGlo™ foam.  SilverGlo™ foam insulation is installed under the rafters up to the kneewall and sealed at the top with foam sealant. SilverGlo™ is expanded polystyrene foam insulation with graphite infused into the foam, which increases the R-value by 24% compared to regu-lar EPS foam. SilverGlo™ also has a radiant barrier on both sides to reflect roof heat out in the summer and house heat back in during the winter. The addition of this radiant barrier gives some thermal benefit so the insulation isn’t left alone to do all the work. After installation, inside air can’t get out of the house through the kneewall spaces and outside air can’t get in. Insulation is added, with integrity, to the correct surfaces. 

The results are a significantly warmer upstairs room in the winter, cooler room upstairs in the hot weather, less drafts, more comfort, less dust and a kneewall space suitable for clean storage. Lower fuel and electric bills.

The building code requires that no combustible materials, including wood framing and insulation, be within 2" of a masonry chimney. This has left millions of homes with an airspace from the basement or crawl space right to the attic. Air that you paid to heat is continually leaking out of your home to the vented attic where it is lost. Results - a more drafty, uncomfortable house that harder to heat, and higher energy bills. First, the space between the wood framing and masonry is flashed with metal and then sealed airtight with special high temperature fire caulk. Then, completely fireproof "Rock Wool" insulation panels are installed around the chimney so that TruSoft™ cellulose insulation may be blown against the chimney. "Chimney Wrap" leaves no gaps in the insulation around your chimney, and seals one of the biggest air leaks in your home. Results - lower house air leakage, less heat loss, a more comfortable home that is easier to heat, and lower energy bills.