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Mold growth can affect your home when you least expect it. All it takes is a single spore of mold to find a good place to grow, and eventually, it’ll spread through your walls, ceilings, and the rest of your belongings in your home.
Unfortunately, when this happens in a place like your attic, where there’s rarely anyone up there, it’s likely to grow undisturbed until someone spots it. Like many other cases of common black mold, attic mold removal can be a difficult and costly undertaking on your own.
It is always best not to give the problem room to grow, which is why you’ll want to establish attic mold prevention methods. Here are some ways you can prevent attic mold throughout the year.
Protect Your Roof
Your roof is your attic’s first line of defense against water damage that can lead to microbial growth. By performing regular roof maintenance and ensuring your roof is working properly, you can prevent roof damage that can lead to rainwater leaking into the attic and creating damp and humid conditions that can boost mold growth.
Aside from having a professional perform maintenance at least once a year, some things you can do include:
- Clearing away any roofing debris that can add unnecessary weight to your roof and cause cracks.
- Ensuring the gutters and downspouts aren’t clogged with debris.
- Checking for signs of mold around the roof that can spread to the attic insulation.
- Trimming large tree branches that can scrape your roof or fall onto your roof.
Check for Attic Ventilation
Without a roof leak, your attic is still prone to moisture. During the colder months, hot air rises to the top and creates condensation on the cold surfaces of your attic. This leads to moisture being trapped in the attic, and it can’t escape because of little to no ventilation cycling out humid air. The moisture in the air is absorbed by porous materials in your attic, such as wooden structures. This leads to water damage and, under the right conditions, mold.
Before the colder seasons, have a professional check if your attic vents are clear and free of any obstructions. You can also install certain types of vents, like soffit vents and gable-mounted vents, around your attic to ensure moisture can escape.
Install Adequate Insulation
Aside from ventilation, your attic should have the right level of insulation under the attic floor and along the roof. Insulation on the attic floor prevents warm air from the lower floors rising to the attic and causing condensation. On the other hand, attic roofing insulation can help maintain consistent temperatures.
Ideally, your attic should be at least five degrees warmer than the temperature outside. This will prevent ice dams from forming and damaging your roof. If your insulation currently has signs of mold, is thinning out, or is flat, consider contacting a professional to have proper insulation installed.
Isolate Your Furnaces and Water Heaters
Many areas have codes regarding furnaces and water heaters installed in attic areas requiring these to be placed in a separate, insulated room. If these codes don’t apply to you, but you still have these installed in your attic, consider creating a separate room for them to prevent attic mold from developing. Also, consider using double-wall pipes for these appliances.
Due to the heat radiating from these appliances, it’s possible for condensation to build up and occur in the attic. This will cause moisture to build up faster and create a good environment for mold to grow.
Let Restoration 1 of Austin Deliver Mold Remediation Services That Protect Your Property
Attic mold can be tricky to deal with on your own, which is why it’s best to take precautionary steps to prevent your attic from becoming an ideal habitat for microbial growth. However, if you see signs that mold has already started to take over your attic, you should contact the experts who know how to effectively perform attic mold remediation on your home.
At Restoration 1, our team of certified technicians understands the health and safety hazards of mold growth and the water damage that causes it. Leave it to us to restore your attic back to a safe condition that’s free of mold. Get in touch with Restoration 1 of Austin today.
