Wet ceiling insulation and carpet -- What to do??

[DLev]

So Ike blew the top off of a vent on my roof that leads to my A/C unit and water got into my attic, soaked the insulation, and dripped through the ceiling a bit.

Question 1: What can I do about the insulation? Will it need to be replaced? Can I wait a few weeks without problems?

Question 2: One part of carpet got pretty wet before I got a bucket and tarp. I'm obviously less worried about that, but any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[l00p]

I don't know about the roof issues and the insulation but you need to make sure that the carpet, the pad and the area around it is completely dry. Otherwise you get mildew and mold can be possible. It is a long lasting smell that is tough to get rid of. Take up the carpet and dry it all out maybe using dehumidifiers if the area is large enough.

The same may be able to be done with the insulation but depending on what you have, be sure to fan above it, not on it if it will blow around. Remember you prob. have poor air flow up there so take that into account. Maybe open up the vents to give more flow. How old is the insulation? Was it time to change it out anyways before the winter?

 

[zork]

fans, use lots of fans. the problem with the insulation is getting under it to get teh air in there to dry it out.

We used lots of bleach lysol spray too to keep the mold at bay but that was just carpet. We bought replacement padding from home depot cause it was so wet and hard to dry out effectively.

Might be salvageable, might not, but the main thing, in my opinion, is to get it dried out and mold free as much and as soon as you can.

The insulation question might also depend on what kind it was.

 

[NCAAFBALLROX]

Zork is correct... lots 'o fans.
You need to get air moving OUT of the attic. If you are a gabled roof on all or any parts, this is easier than a hip roof.

A hip roof isn't as easy to force air out of, but then again it can be.

In YOUR situation, hip roof benefits: If you have a ridge vent, this would give you one specific point of exit, especially if your ridge line is shorter than what my line drawing example shows (i.e. 10 ft. vs. a long 20 footer). A shorter ridge line equals less points of exit which means you can contain your air movement to one spot.

A possible drawback to a ridge vent is if you have a ridge vent that is slotted a longer distance, say in the 20' long range, then you are possibly sucking fresh air IN from the ridge vent & then back out... you've just short circuited the process & aren't pulling much air from low.

In YOUR situation, hip roof drawbacks to forcing out air is that you need to position some kind of fan up HIGH to pull the air out actively. This might be easier than you think however, if you can simply tie a couple of fans up @ the ridge area & plug 'em in so the air moves UP.

A gable roof benefits are that you can put a couple of fans up @ the gable ends, one on each end if that's what you have, & plug them in with air pushing OUT. Again, to nail a few ropes or plumber's straps (metal straps with a continuous series of holes in there; suitable for screwing - my suggestion - or nails) & hang the fans in the gable ends. The big difference is that it's often easier to get to a gable roof end up @ the top of the wall vs. a hip roof that has you working up @ the top of some truss work & maybe on your back.

Plumber's straps will probably work in either situation.

I suggest some sort of powered situation to get air out as described & then maybe a couple down lower within a few inches of the insulation (i.e. run a few pieces of plywood or 2x's down low & set in some screws with heads up an inch or so & box in the base to keep it from vibrating too far off the plywood or 2x's). The idea is to get air moving across & OFF the insulation ... get that circulation going ... then the higher vents will do the rest of the work.

Moving air out of the attic should he easy with those instructions.

Good luck...

 

[shorty]

Remove the wet carpet pad and trash it. Prop the carpet up so the fan will dry it from the bottom up.

I would probably toss the wet insulation in the attic too expecially if it is the roll insulation that can easily be replaced. I would put fans in the area to make sure the studs and sheetrock dried very well too.

 

[Summerof79]

fans fans and more fans in the attic. IF the stuff is roll insulation you can lift it and lay it across come 1x2's to get it up off the sheet rock. Or discarding it is another option. Your big enemy is mold now, and if you can't get it dried out quickly you sill be S.O.L. If you can't get the sheet rock dried you are going to end up ripping it all out as well.

If you have blown in insulation get garbage bags and start hualing that **** out of there. It's cheap to replace later.

 

[DLev]

Thanks, guys. Of course, I still don't have power so fans aren't an option. I pulled up the carpet and pad to see if they'll dry without getting any mildew. They were just damp, not soaking wet so I have some hope. If it doesn't seem like they're back to normal, I will trash them. I guess I am just going to have to have the insulation sucked out and replaced.

 

[AuburnTexas]

Shouldn't you wait for your insurance company to look at it before you do anything else?

 

[NCAAFBALLROX]

Auburn, if he can 'properly' document everything, it is in his & the insurance co's best interest for him to try & get it worked on now vs. waiting on an adjuster that may take up to 2 or 3 weeks due to the severity of the damages.

By "properly", I mean video, digital images, measurements, receipts from any contractor he may hire, etc.

If, on the other hand, he waits even 4 or 5 more days before doing anything about the water soaked 'whatever', that could be the start of a mold issue & believe me, niether him nor the insurance co. will be happy having to play that game.

 

[gardere_owns_OU]

the control of water intrusion is the number one method of minimizing the growth of mold.

 

[DLev]

I've taken pictures. I'm not in Houston right now (Austin for work). I will contact my insurance company, but if it's just replacing a small section of carpet and replacing insulation, it's probably less than my deductible.