Replace wet insulation or let it dry?
schreibdave
| Posted in Energy, Heating & Insulation on
Due to a roof leak, the blown in insulation in an area of our ceiling got saturated with water. As part of the repair should I have the wet insulation removed and replaced? Or let it stay and dry on it’s own. Here in upstate NY we are not hitting more than 45 degrees for more than a few hrs a day so I would think it would dry slowly. Once dry, will it return to it’s previous r value or will it be matted down and therefore less effective? Thanks
Replies
Is it fiberglass or cellulose? Not sure either one will really return to its former self. I know that cellulose is sometimes sprayed wet and dries in place, but I don't know if regular cellulose will hold up to being wetted and drying out--seems like it would matt down and not be as insulating. I'd be a little concerned about mold and stuff growing it it (except, as you say, it is cold, it is probably too cold for mold).
I believe it is cellulose but I am not sure. It was kind of the color and consistency of shredded paper products. Thanks
I've stopped using cellulose because of how long it takes to dry. I'd watch it and if it's still not drying in a week or so just pull it out and replace it. In summer in NC with the air conditioner running we couldn't get damp cells in a wall to dry after a minor plumbing leak even with removing the sheet rock and letting it sit open to the conditioned air for a week and a half. We ended up removing it and filling the void with great stuff so we could repair the Sheetrock.
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