Ducts Sweating Between Floors in Williamsburg, VA
Challenge
This Williamsburg, VA family reached out after noticing a humidity problem in their basement. They were noticing mold around the HVAC and on the ceilings in basement bedrooms. They were unsure where the humidity and moisture were coming from, but knew it was a problem they needed to address to protect their home and their health. The first step was to confirm if this was a humidity issue or not then work with the homeowners to develop a solution.
Upon inspection, the homeowner’s suspicions were correct. Humidity was occurring between the first floor and the basement. This was a result of the rim and band between the floors needing to be sealed. The same issue can occur between the first and second floors of a home. The floor above, in this case the first floor of the home, is leaking air allowing it to get under the floor and above the basement ceiling. As this air meets the duct work the temperature difference causes it to condensate. The moisture eventually leads to the mold the homeowners were seeing.
Solution
To stop the air leakage and ultimately the condensation and mold growth, we need to seal the rim and band between the floors. To achieve this, we’ll access the rim and band by removing the facing, in this case the lower couple pieces of vinyl siding and drill a hole for each cavity. A mesh bag is used a blocker and densely packed with insulation then the cavity is filled with dense packed cellulose to the holes that were made. This process is repeated in each in each cavity, then the holes are plugged, and siding is put back in place.
As a result, the homeowners won’t just have solved their sweaty duct problem, but they will also notice warmer floors on the first floor and less drafts ultimately resulting in lower energy bills.
