One area of the home where everyone seems to keep all their skeletons is of course the attic. While dead rodents and insects can often be found in the attic, they should be removed! If you have an attic with anything dead in it, call a professional as viruses can be passed to humans from dead rodents and other pests. Mold is another serious threat to health that often comes from the attic. All things important to a healthy home are influenced by the attic or could be impacted by the attic being more efficient and safe. For example, we all want conditioned air, and all air ducts are run through the attic! So, air and temperature control are impacted by the attic. HVAC systems are often a major concern of a homeowner because they can be costly to run and maintain, but if your attic has inefficiencies, the HVAC system will too.
Maintaining a healthy attic is crucial for the overall well-being of the household. This article explores various factors that can impact your attic’s health and offers valuable tips to keep it efficient and safe.
Death in the Attic
While many will tell you that you do not want rodents in your attic, in fact we agree. However, having dead rodents in your attic will make you pick up the phone and call for professionals immediately. The smell of dead rodents and their waste may be contained to your attic, but the dangers are not! The most common horrible smell complaint about the attic is due to dead rodents. No other smell and health threat can be a more horrible smell. In addition to smell factors, these concerns are packed with health threats. Rodent’s dead bodies and waste can spread viruses to humans. Removal of this threat to your family’s health is essential!
Other Health Threats Coming From the Attic
Mold is easily one of the most common threats to home health because of how easily it spreads and can go unnoticed. If you suspect mold in your attic you should consider calling an attic professional. Mold can cause serious lung health issues, but also, if mold growth goes untreated, mold can also eat away at the value of your home. While there are various types of Mold, there is not a single mold type that is good for your home’s value or health. Consider contacting a mold remediation company to remove your mold growth and restore things to the way they should be.
Water Leaks in Attic and Crawl Space
Having a flood or even added moisture in your attic or crawl space is easy to avoid with proper maintenance. No attic should ever flood, but often a leaking pipe might lead to a flood of mold. A small leaky pipe can add moisture to your attic that acts like a highway for spreading mold. Conversely, the crawl space is the lowest part of the home, so it is quite susceptible to flooding from external causes or internal causes such as a pipe bursting or a toilet overflow. In either case, leak detection and properly having a plumber to inspect old pipes is key to prevention. Making sure either space is free from moisture is key to keeping mold at bay, but in addition, you may want to consider proper ventilation.
Proper Attic & Crawl Space Ventilation
Preventing water leaks and moisture build-up in the attic and crawl space is crucial. Proper ventilation helps maintain a dry environment and reduces the risk of mold growth. Regularly inspect for leaks, and consider hiring a plumber for proper maintenance to avoid potential flooding issues.
Electrical Issues That Can Lead to Death!
Imagine you are in bed at your home on a hot evening and the air conditioning clicks off with a thud, the home is being cooled. Actually, the thud sound was the air conditioning abruptly stopping as it just blew the circuit breaker. The AC blew a fuse because a frayed wire just allowed for an electrical arcing (spark) that just set light to some cheap old blown-in insulation the previous attic insulation company supplied over 15 years ago. Your attic is heating up and you still do not know about it because the fire is above all your smoke detectors. The attic is perfect for a fire, so it gets roaring hot and burns without notice. Only 1% of attic fires are contained within the attic alone. So rapidly the attic fire can spread to other parts of the home given the exposed wood and other fuel sources.
HVAC Efficiency Starts With Attic Insulation
When seeking to cool or warm your home, the main factor is not how well your AC or furnace works, it is about air sealing and insulation. If your home is all closed up, doors and windows, your home should keep a controlled temperature environment, however, air leaks and insulation greatly impact heat or conditioned air. If your home loses its cool or warmth rapidly, you may have an air leak or may not have proper insulation. It is easy to troubleshoot this, but resolving the issue may still require a professional attic insulation installer or an air leak specialist. Either way, resolving an air leak or insufficient attic insulation will lead to a healthier home due to better temperature control and consistency. Another area of concern for the attic are those that get into the attic and do not belong.
Summary
Health can be a constant battle with the environment for your home, but a well maintained home that gets inspected regularly for wear and tear will be the best. Keeping your home free from mold, rodents and electrical hazards may extend your lifetime but added comfort can come from an efficient HVAC system. While we all are trying to avoid death, we can also agree that a more comfortable home will lead to a more healthy home. These tips for attic health should help your home to avoid threats, and if you maintain your attic and crawl space by hiring professionals to keep coming back to inspect regularly, your home is probably safer than the neighbors.