The building expert on the local radio station says that cellulose insulation is a prime culprit in the deadly house mold situation.

We have that in our attic. Anybody know anything about removing that other than shovels and a shop vac??

Rose (who had halucinatory dreams the night after we blew the darn stuff in place 20 years ago, and REALLY not looking forward to taking it out)

-- Rose (open_rose@hotmail.com), November 05, 2001

Answers

You may want to research that more before going at it.I have heard that to but i am wondering if it molds because of poor attic ventillation.I have the same thing in my attic and actually added 12 inches last fall,I know as of know my attic is poorly ventilated but I intend on re-roofing it soon and adding ridge vents and a solar power vent.My thought is if the moisture is removed by the ventilation the cellose cant absorb it but i am not sure.Take care. Dave

-- Dave.??? (duckthis1@maqs.net), November 05, 2001.

I doubt the night you blew it in there was mold. Mold is the result for poor air circulation. Also why is it an issue 20 years later? My bet would be not to remove it but cover it up with a new insulation.

Basicly the same way they handle asbestos. If you dont need to dont remove, just cover with something to hold it in.

Removing the cellulose is going to circulate more dust and spores then leaving it lay.

-- Gary (gws@redbird.net), November 05, 2001.

do you ahve aproblem with mold now,,or are you trying to prevent it? If this is preventive,, dont bother,, 20 yrs,, you would have known by now? You can always but some fungal killer in there, and increase the circilation, to get rid of the moisture

-- stan (sopal@net-port.com), November 05, 2001.

The information coming out on black mold really is scary, and you have a right to be concerned. At highest risk for illness caused by the stuff are people who are allergic to pennicillin. (I am one) Little was known about the dangers of black mold until recently and now everyone is pointing fingers as to who is to blame and who is responsible for damages. Regardless of who's to blame, if you believe you have a real problem, try to find a contractor who is knowledgeable on the subject. Many home inspectors are also being educated on what to look for and how to treat it. FYI, some new studies are showing that the mold can also form on the lime found in concrete blocks. That discredits the theory that black mold is cellulose based. -- Mary

-- Mary (zoots25@hotmail.com), November 05, 2001.

Rose, This guy may or may not know what he is talking about. Cellulose insulation made within the last 30 years has to have borate for fire protection & fungus/mold protection. In fact fiberglass insulation has been found to be more of a problem concerning mold.

Any type of insulation(except for petroleum based foams) sitting in water will eventually produce some time of fungus or mold.

Unless you have very poor ventilation up there combined with water leaks I wouldn't worry about it. ALL types of insulation needs to be combined with proper ventilation. To reassure yourself you can random check a few spots for any wetness with gloves & a mask on. I would bet that you don't have any problems and if you do, its not a problem with the insulation.

There is standards for Cellulose insulation. This includes coating it with a non-toxic borate solution. This is for fire protection and for fungus/mold protection.

The worse I've seen in pictures is fiberglass insulation. It was a ceiling with a plastic vapor barrier on the bottom and there was some accumulated water in the fiberglass insulation that eventually molded into black molds. This is definitely something that should be corrected as soon as possible. Also the wet spots lose a lot of their insulation value. Just because there is black does not mean it is the most dangerous type of mold but it needs to be checked & corrected.

There is potential problems with Any type of insulation but cellulose insulation made to standards is cheap & non-toxic. Even the installed blown in cellulose with the added non-toxic adhesive binders activated by a little water is only about 50% more than do-it yourself fiberglass insulation and much more energy efficient. It also fills in all the small gaps and is effective at preventing air infiltration which fiberglass does not.

Michael C

-- Michael C (nospamoon@webposts.com), January 20, 2002.