Black mold in attics.
Attic plywood wet.
There are many signs that an attic is wet.
Buckled or damaged roof sheathing.
Mold usually causes a musty odor and may cause staining that may be black brown gray white yellow or green.
If you suspect you have moisture problems in your attic check for the following indications of excess moisture in the attic.
Though attics are typically hot and dry a leaky roof or pipe condensation or severe weather can cause water to enter your attic.
The black attic mold shown here confirms that this attic had a serious venting and moisture problem including moisture from sources lower in the building.
If any moisture makes its way to the plywood the damp plywood will dry out on hot sunny days.
Most attics are dry plywood is a smart vapor retarder with variable permeance.
Often this is first noticed when re shingling.
This occurs when the temperature of the sheathing drops below the dew point creating a thin layer of moisture on the substrate.
Water in your attic can damage wood beams insulation and even.
It s not a vapor barrier.
Mold growth on attic roof sheathing is a common issue in cool climates such as the pacific northwest.
Moisture or frost on the roofs sheathing.
Trapped water will boil when the sun heats the roof and the shingles will then have small pits where the.
It is never a good idea to install a roof over wet plywood or any type of roof sheathing.
In the vast majority of cases the mold growth is caused by condensation.
If you have ceiling leaks only in the spring it may be that ice has been forming on the sheathing all winter and it suddenly melts when a warm spell arrives.
Moisture frost and ice buildup on roofing nails.
Reader comments q a.
In this photo of very dark mold in an attic in a wet attic mold which we found to be brown in the microscope looked black on the plywood.
The insulation was contaminated and we inspected the attic side of the ceiling drywall below for signs of leak stains or mold.
Moist or wet insulation.
Wet sheathing was found in attic area due to lack of venting.
Water or drip marks scattered on the attic floor.