Mold Remediation & Spray Foam Insulation in Southampton, MA

This homeowner in Southampton, MA called us stating that he had mold in his crawlspace that was affecting his basement. Our Home Comfort Specialist came out to the home and confirmed that there was mold in the crawlspace. High relative humidity in a crawl space will cause mold to grow on the surfaces of framing lumber, sub floors, insulation, and everywhere. Spores are the airborne seeds of mold, which are produced when the mold is growing and active. These spores float on airstreams up from the crawl space into the living space, and people with sensitivities can react to them.

Mold-X2 Cleaner effectively eliminates mold and mildew stains on contact. It is non-abrasive and non-flammable, and is sprayed on effected areas. Once Mold-X2 Cleaner is applied, mold disappears instantly, leaving wood surface looking nearly new. Mold-X2 Botanical, a plant-based disinfectant with a pleasant, temporary scent, is sprayed or fogged on surfaces, which prevents mold from growing back. Now the crawl space is ready for our other solutions. Results – The mold is eliminated, with no odors or potential for wood rot. The crawl space is now ready for a permanent repair to keep humidity low.

This homeowner in Southampton, MA called us due to the fact that her floors were very cold the previous winter. Our Home Comfort Specialist came to the home and noted that the home was built on concrete footings with a crawlspace underneath. The crawlspace was open to the air. When the outside air flows under a floor it feels very cold and uncomfortable in the winter - especially with ceramic tile, linoleum or laminate floors. Since the floor is the surface of the room we are in contact with most, it’s very important to fix, in order to be comfortable. There are two issues - air leakage through the floor, and conductive heat loss through the floor, because heat moves from more to less through solid materials. Even if there is fiberglass batt insulation in the floor, because it sags down away from the sub floor, the same outside air gets over it (“thermal bypass”) rendering it useless. This what happened to this homeowner. Mold on the floor joists and sub floor is also a concern. Results - cold floors, drafts, uncomfortable rooms, greater overall home air leakage rate, higher fuel and electric bills.

Fogarty's Home Services had a very effective solution for this customer. SilverGlo™ foam insulation board was installed across the bottom of the floor joists with special long screws and 3” washers, SilverGlo™ is expanded polystyrene foam with graphite infused into the foam, which bumps up the insulation (“R”) value by 24% over standard EPS foam. Further, SilverGlo™ has a radiant barrier to reflect heat, so the insulation isn’t doing all the work by itself. All seams are sealed. We installed a skirt board around the home afterward. Result - Much warmer floors, less drafts and more comfortable rooms, quieter home, lower fuel and electric bills.

An uninsulated vented attic could make your house hotter in the summer and colder in the winter.

Vented attics are hostile places - 30°F  in the winter and 125°F in the summer. The attic floor (your ceiling) allows air from inside the house to leak into the attic where it is lost. For each cubic foot of air that leaks out, a cubic foot of air from outside enters the bottom of the house, making your lower levels cold and drafty. 

At Dr. Energy Saver we insulate vented attics to make homes more comfortable.

We got a call from a homeowner in Southampton, MA. This homeowner had an uninsulated vented attic and wanted to get it insulated. We used our SilverGlo EPS foam insulation board. This foam board has graphite installed on the underside of your roof deck. The graphite gives it a superior R-value and a foil face on both sides reflects heat out in summer and back during winter. No harsh chemicals are used in this process. This job resulted in a home that is now less drafty and warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.

This homeowner called us out to their home in Southampton, MA to take a look at the issues they were having in their home. They were having trouble keeping the first floor at a comfortable temperature no matter the season. They told our Building Science Specialist that the first floor was cold on their feet all winter. Another concern was their very high heating and cooling bills all year round. This homeowner mentioned to us that it was always so humid in their basements during the summers.

Upon arriving to this home, we spoke with the homeowner first to ask them all of their concerns and issues again. After this, we can begin our Dr. Energy Saver Full Home Energy Evaluation. We did a walk through of the home, and finally got to the basement. We realized that like most other homes, this basement did not have and air sealing on their rim joist. They only had old, nasty fiberglss insulation. This concerned the homeowners. If a homeowner is concerned, we are concerned. We sat down with them to go over treatments that would eliminate the issues that have been having in their home.

At this point, we knew what we had to do. We needed to air seal this customers rim joist to eliminate their cold floors, uncomfortable rooms, and high heating and cooling bills. First we remove all of the ol nasty insulation. Next, we sprayed our two part spray foam on the rim joist and over the top plates to seal all air leaks from the exterior of the home. This sealed up all of the cracks and gaps that were previously allowing air from hostile outdoor environments to enter the home. Thanks to Dr. Energy Saver by Eco Energy Solutions, this homeowner can now live happy, comfortably, and energy efficient all year round!