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This homeowner in Granville, MA called us saying that he had found mold and damp insulation in his attic. Our Home Comfort Specialist came out to the home and was able to do a full evaluation. He noted that among other issues such as improper ventilation, the attic was not air sealed and had ineffective insulation.
In order to help this attic customer, we first had to remove the old fiberglass insulation. There were two types of insulation, blown-in fiberglass and fiberglass batt insulation. We bagged the batt insulation and vacuumed the rest out with a long hose.
We then set to work re-insulating the attic. We first air-sealed all cracks and gaps in the attic floor using Zypfoam one part spray foam. We used our TiteShell™ can light covers to cover up the can lights and sealed around them.
After that, we insulated the attic floor using our TruSoft™ blown in cellulose insulation. We insulated to R-60, which is the recommended level of insulation for attics in our region.
Now, this homeowner has a much more comfortable home - he was already feeling a noticeable difference less than a week after this job was completed!
This homeowner in Granville, MA called us hoping that we would be able to help him with mold in his attic. He wanted his insulation replaced and the mold removed. Since attics are vented, we should think of them thermally as outside in the winter. In summer because of the suns radiant heat, they are much worse than outside, reaching 130˚ on summer days. Clearly, we need to keep an absolute boundary between our living space and the attic so inside air doesn’t move to the attic in the heating season (convection), and heat doesn’t pass up through our ceilings in winter (conduction), and down from our ceilings in the hot summer (conduction, radiation). To reduce overall air leakage, the attic is the first priority because warm air rises to the top of the house and finds any and all holes to leak out into the cold vented attic and is lost. Holes, gaps and joints include between drywall and framing at the top of walls, around pipes, wires, electric boxes, fixtures, duct, penetrations, ceiling grilles and joints in framing. And the only reason cold air leaks in from the outside at the lower levels of the house, is that warm air leaked out of the top and created a suction at the bottom.
We had the perfect solution for this customer. Adding insulation in an attic without sealing all air leaks first should never be done, because it is just burying air leaks and making them impossible to seal later - and insulation DOES NOT STOP air leaks. That’s why, in this solution, we first carefully air seal the many various points where air from the home leaks up into the attic and is lost. Our premium TruSoft™ cellulose insulation is blown to the optimum R-value (typically R60). TruSoft™ will not burn, get moldy, or attract pests. Blown insulation fills all gaps and odd shaped voids, and by filling over framing members, “thermal bridging” is avoided.
This homeowner in Granville, MA called us hoping to talk to us about her basement. Her basement had recently started getting a lot of water. It had been an issue some years previously, however, that stopped. When it restarted, she knew she needed to reach out to someone for help.
We had the perfect solution for this customer. We installed a SuperSump® sump pump system into the basement. It features a sturdy liner, airtight lid, 1/3 hp cast iron pump which can discharge up to 2200 gallons per hour, 8 feet high, and a stand to keep the pump out of silt and sediment. A WaterWatch® Alarm System alerts the homeowner to pump failure before the basement floor gets wet. We also installed a perimeter drainage system that connects to the pump. The homeowner is very excited to have a new sump pump for her home!
This customer in Cummington, MA reached out to us as the contact person at a children's music camp. He stated that they had recently built new cabins at the camp and needed to insulate them for the comfort of the campers. Our Home Comfort Specialist came out to the home and examined the cabins to formulate a plan.
We first went into the cabins and sealed all of the cracks and places where air would leak in and out. We installed baffles and used Rockwool to block parts of the eaves around the baffles. We then used a large hose to blow cellulose insulation into the attics. This will ensure that the cabins are more temperature-controlled and comfortable for the children attending this camp. The cabins will be enjoyed for years to come!
This homeowner in Cummington, MA called us saying that she needed her bulkhead door replaced. Her husband built the home, and they had a wooden bulkhead door that had been in place since it was built 10 years prior. It was rotting, and she stated she had fallen through it. She needed it replaced as soon as possible due to the hole in it.
We were able to help this customer. We installed a beautiful new bulkhead door. We caulked around the edges and installed flashing behind the door to ensure a tight fit. Now, this homeowner has a new, beautiful bulkhead door that will look nice for years to come!