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Posted by marson on May 30, 2007, 4:29 pm
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> > > My son and I are building him a house, framing the walls with 2x6
> > > studs and sheathing with 1/2" Advantec. The house is in a cold region
> > > and we're insulating the walls with 5 1/2" R21 fiberglass batts and 1"
> > > styrofoam bridging the studding on the inside walls (with 1/2"
> > > drywall applied over the styro). We'll caulk the edges of the
> > > styrofoam and seal the joints with tape.
> > > However, we're concerned that any moisture that may penetrate the stud
> > > bays will condense on the cold, inside surface of the Advantec,
> > > possibly leading to the formation of mold.
> > > Question: Is there a proven, relatively inexpensive, anti-mold
> > > construction spray that we could use in the stud bays prior to
> > > insulating that will inhibit the growth of mold/fungus over time? Is
> > > this step necessary?
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> > First off, I have never heard of a mold preventative spray.
> > Fiberglass insulation itself will mold---how would you spray that so
> > it penetrated the batts? If you were going to plan on letting a wall
> > assembly get wet, I'd suggest you better use treated studs covered
> > with treated plywood.
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> > I believe that the approach should be to prevent water and vapor
> > intrusion. First, you need to be absolutely anal about your exterior
> > drainage. Windows and doors should be flashed, Building paper should
> > be applied "shingle style" to shed water, your siding should be
> > carefully detailed to prevent water intrusion. You also need to be
> > anal about your interior vapor barrier to prevent moisture from inside
> > the house getting into the stud cavities.
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> > An approach that many builders are taking where I live (Northern MN)
> > is to apply a layer of foam to the outside rather than the inside.
> > Part of the reasoning for this is that the foam outside will raise the
> > temperature of the sheathing/stud cavity and make condensation less
> > likely. One concern I'd have about this approach is that you would
> > need to be sure that your stud cavities are dry before you close them
> > up. (probably a good policy anyway).
>
> > Why are you using Advantec?
>
> Thanks for your reply. We used Advantec because it doesn't
> delaminate under wet conditions (such as downpours during
> construction), and because it's manufactured in Maine, where we live.
> We've already put 20 squares of cedar shingles to the exterior walls,
> using Grace Ice and Water shielding around the door and window
> openings, and carefully lapping 30# felt paper everywhere else.
> We decided not to insulate the exterior of the building since it
> seemed a lot easier for our father and son crew to apply it across the
> interior surface of the studding, considering the fact we'd need to
> strap the exterior insulation to apply the cedar shingles. We were
> hoping to spray the bare stud bays with an anti-mold solution and let
> it dry before we installed the fiberglass batts.
> We'll be "anal" about sealing the styrofoam across the interior
> walls, but we hoped there might be an affortable way to "inoculate"
> the stud bays against any possible mold formation.
Well, seems like you're covering your bases. If you come up with an
affordable mold preventer, let us know!
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