White Fungus In Attic

Mold usually causes a musty odor and may cause staining that may be black brown gray white yellow or green.

White fungus in attic.

Attic mold cleaner attic mold removal how to clean attic mold how attic mold gets there in the first place and what to do to help prevent attic mold. Tea tree oil and white vinegar are both completely natural and safe for wood but have strong fungicidal properties. White mold is usually found in cool and damp areas such as basement walls. If your attic sheathing doesn t look like new construction and is visibly black or white stained like this picture you likely have a ventilation issue that needs to be addressed and mold remediated.

White mold in attics. Additionally efflorescence will typically dissolve under the application of a water mist while mold growth will not. This occurs when the temperature of the sheathing drops below the dew point creating a thin layer of moisture on the substrate. Common areas of white mold growth include attic sheathing and crawlspace framing.

Why does attic mold rarely if ever affect indoor air quality in homes. Attics contain plenty of food sources for mold including wood and insulation. White mold can be confused with efflorescence a mineral deposit caused by water seepage. Closer inspection under good lighting will reveal a fungal growth pattern of spots like tiny mushrooms.

Mold growth on attic roof sheathing is a common issue in cool climates such as the pacific northwest. Attics usually have a passive ventilation system in which outside air comes in through the soffit eave vents at the bottom warms up in the attic and escapes through the can or ridge vents at the top because hot air rises. As such roof leaks from rainfall or melting snow condensation resulting from temperature fluctuations and or leaky pipes can give mold the moisture it needs to thrive in attics. The photo at page top shows white attic mold on the roof sheathing and rafters and some brown or black mold on the attic side of ceiling drywall where we pulled back insulation.

In the vast majority of cases the mold growth is caused by condensation. The most common cause of attic mold by far is blocked or insufficient ventilation of the attic space. The mold itself may have a cottony texture but can also be velvety leathery or. In the attic photograph at left we show a mix of green gray and white attic mold.

A trained mold inspector can readily determine if the growth structure is from white mold or efflorescence. White mold will look white cottony flakey and stringy and grows on organic materials.