# Some mold on inside of plywood roof



## Ron6519 (Mar 28, 2007)

capecodfun said:


> IS there a way to clean it off without ripping of the roof and plywood?
> 
> The roof itself is not bad. The airflow was obstructed from the soffit vents to the ridge vent by too much insulation and no baffling. Is there a way to clean the plywood and re-baffle? Or does all of it have to be ripped off. The plywood is NOT rotted. Some bays have small amount of mold some dont. After removing insulation the plywood dried right out and the mold appears to be dormant. I asked similar question before but got no response. Help?
> 
> I have heard clorox but research suggests that does NOT kill all mold. This mold is not in a living space and I realize tearing off the entire roof is probably the best option even though its 14 yrs old and the outside shingles have at least 5 years left. The roof does not leak. Cape Cod Style house.


They sell mold killing solutions at the grocery store. They used to have one called, "X-15" you used in the bathroom. I don't know how well they work at low temps.
Ron


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## Jackofall1 (Dec 5, 2010)

A 15% bleach solution will kill the mold.

But I am sure you will get many replies to this posting, as there a many experts on mold registered here.


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## capecodfun (Jan 26, 2011)

*hmm*

Experts on mold...........Anyway anybody that has had a similar situation or ideas is helpful. I doubt that im the only one that has had improperly installed insulation cause a problem like this. This situation is occuring in the side attics. The actual attic has only floor insulation and no insulation on the underside of the roof. I have also had various opinions on the way to insulate after removing the mold. Some say baffle and reinsulate and others say tear off the insulation under the roof and insulate only the outside of the kneewalls and the floor of the "Side attics". 

I didnt realize before i bought the house the various issues cape cod style houses present. I do now.:yes:


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## Ron6519 (Mar 28, 2007)

capecodfun said:


> Experts on mold...........Anyway anybody that has had a similar situation or ideas is helpful. I doubt that im the only one that has had improperly installed insulation cause a problem like this. This situation is occuring in the side attics. The actual attic has only floor insulation and no insulation on the underside of the roof. I have also had various opinions on the way to insulate after removing the mold. Some say baffle and reinsulate and others say tear off the insulation under the roof and insulate only the outside of the kneewalls and the floor of the "Side attics".
> 
> I didnt realize before i bought the house the various issues cape cod style houses present. I do now.:yes:


The rooms in the second floor should only be insulated around the room structure. The roof rafters that wrap the room get insulation, not the areas in the crawl space behind the knee walls.
Check out any insulation manufacturer's website. They'll have a visual of what I just decscribed.
Ron


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## Maintenance 6 (Feb 26, 2008)

Here we go again. :laughing: Wipe it down with a good cleaner. Be thorough in wiping everything. Let it dry. Treat it with a fungicide. Walk away. As long as you've resolved the moisture issue, it's not likely to return. Any off the shelf product that says "kills mold and mildew" will work. Most contain bleach (sodium hypochlorite). There is absolutely no reason to remove the roof sheathing if it hasn't rotted or somehow come apart. Just don't brush the crap off and let it fall into the insulation. And wear a respirator, just in case you find yourself allergic to the stuff.


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## mrgins (Jan 19, 2009)

Maintenance 6 said:


> Here we go again. :laughing: Wipe it down with a good cleaner. Be thorough in wiping everything. Let it dry. Treat it with a fungicide. Walk away. As long as you've resolved the moisture issue, it's not likely to return. Any off the shelf product that says "kills mold and mildew" will work. Most contain bleach (sodium hypochlorite). There is absolutely no reason to remove the roof sheathing if it hasn't rotted or somehow come apart. Just don't brush the crap off and let it fall into the insulation. And wear a respirator, just in case you find yourself allergic to the stuff.


Hi M-6. Thats good to know, but you still have to address the cause of the mold so it won't return


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## capecodfun (Jan 26, 2011)

*ok*

I wont rip of the sheathing. I see many other's have probably asked this question before. On a scan of the threads i didnt really see any. 

To ron, i'm interpreting your response as baffle the roof and reinsulate but dont insulate the kneewall. I have been to many websites and most say you can do either but not both. I'm planning on cleaning the mold, putting up styrofoam baffles on the inside of the roof, fiberglass batts on that and then something like low-e over that. Then leaving the knee wall alone. When i'm done i should be able to see light looking down from the top attic coming from the soffits so i know air has a clear path from the soffit vents to my ridge vent. Anybody see a problem with this solution?

You may be surprised or not but i really have had different contractors advising both solutions.


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## ccarlisle (Jul 2, 2008)

Chlorine bleach will only do part of the job - that's the main reason pro's don't use it. Surface mould can be removed but you'll need to follow advice along the lines of what Maintenance-6 post says to do a proper job. Certainly no need to scrap the sheathing.

But hand in hand with this advice is to deal with the condensation issue first.


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## Ron6519 (Mar 28, 2007)

capecodfun said:


> I wont rip of the sheathing. I see many other's have probably asked this question before. On a scan of the threads i didnt really see any.
> 
> To ron, i'm interpreting your response as baffle the roof and reinsulate but dont insulate the kneewall. I have been to many websites and most say you can do either but not both. I'm planning on cleaning the mold, putting up styrofoam baffles on the inside of the roof, fiberglass batts on that and then something like low-e over that. Then leaving the knee wall alone. When i'm done i should be able to see light looking down from the top attic coming from the soffits so i know air has a clear path from the soffit vents to my ridge vent. Anybody see a problem with this solution?
> 
> You may be surprised or not but i really have had different contractors advising both solutions.


The whole point of insulation it to keep the living areas warm. So the insulation wraps the living area(insulation stays in the knee wall). I see no point having it in the roof rafters in the storage area. 
Ron


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## capecodfun (Jan 26, 2011)

*ron*

The house is a cap cod that is 48 feet long which has a side attic going the whole length. We are not talking about just a 'Closet space'. My friend has the same setup with almost the exact same dimensions and his house has baffled side attic batts going down the length of the side attic roof. It is much warmer than mine which is insulated at the knee walls. The whole thing with the kneewalls is you can insulate them however you want but if the floor of the side attics are leaking hot air (which i think mine are) then you have wasted your money. My side attics have a floor on them with fiberglass faced batts underneath but i dont think they are air sealed. Thats why im considering insulating the side attic roofs. Not the above actual attic roof though. Will be expensive though.


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## capecodfun (Jan 26, 2011)

*Yeah*

I appreciate everyones help. I believe the mold was caused by complete lack of airflow. I think if its baffled next time with a two inch gap in insulation right below the sheathing it wont do it again. The bathrooms are vented out the roof and are working properly and there is no mold in the actual attic. Only the side attic roof has mold. So i would think if i had air leaks in the second floor ceiling the actual attic would have mold too.


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