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Hard lesson learned/ to much moisture in house from reef tank

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by fmsill, Mar 26, 2012.

  1. fmsill Well-Known ReefKeeper

    445
    Cedar Falls
    Ratings:
    +6 / 0 / -0

    I thought i would make people aware of the problems to much humidity from your tank can cause. I found mold in my attic the other day. Part of the problem is incorrect ventilation in the attic but the problem is also compounded by to much moisture in my house from my tank. I run a dehumidifier in my basement but i still have to much humidity. From what i learned is the moisture travels up the walls into the attic and with improper vents caused severe mold problems.
     So now im probably going to have to take the insulation out of my attic which i just put in a year ago and get the mold removed. Also the roof doesnt look so good so on top of that im going to probably have to replace the roof while im at it. Im also going to put a whole house dehumidifier to prevent this again. Man this is going to get expensive!
     
  2. Bud Loves Bacon Website Team Board of Directors Leadership Team GIRS Member Vendor

    West Des Moines, IA
    Ratings:
    +1,821 / 14 / -0
    If you have moisture problems in your attic this is likely caused by inadequate ventilation. I used to be an insurance adjuster and in my current job I am involved in forensic investigations and many include residential insurance claims where the need for an engineer is called for. f you have roof problems this is a dead giveaway for inadequate ventilation. It is probable that in the process of re-insulating you attic they could have blown the insulation too far into the soffit area and blocked the vents. This will cause overheating in the attic and can lead to damaged shingles. It could also be bad shingles, there are a lot of those out there, believe me. The first thing I would do is call your insurance company and have an adjuster look at it. you insulation installer could be to blame. I had one claim where they had snow getting into the attic of a large apartment complex because the insulation was blown over the vents and the snow came in through the roof vents, I'm talking like 3 feet of snow in the attic. They also had ice dams which is also a result of poor ventilation. At this point I would say there are plenty of other signs other than your tank, which IMO is low on your cause list.
     
  3. fmsill Well-Known ReefKeeper

    445
    Cedar Falls
    Ratings:
    +6 / 0 / -0
    I actuallly was going to call them tomorrow and see what they say. I do know that i have vents on the roof as well as gable vents which come to find out work against eachother. They put those vents in that go to the soffit but i did notice one of them has insulation in it. I have talked to the insulation people and they just make excuses go figure ha ha. As far as the shingles go they dont look horrible but the sheeting is delaminating itself and is weak which it has been before i had insulation put in. I dont see the point of wasting time and money getting the mold off the sheeting because its so bad.
    I know my tank isn't totally to blame because i have other issues going on as well. Either way it really sucks!
     
  4. Big D Well-Known ReefKeeper

    889
    Center Point
    Ratings:
    +3 / 0 / -0
    this is a great subject , i went threw the same thing when i had that 538 , since then i went down to a 210 and i put 2 vents in with timers to kick the moisture outside , this helped 100 % . but i had mold growing on windows . Right there and then i knew it was that tank because i never had any trouble . I wish you luck on this because it can get very $$$ . gl fmsill
     
  5. iaJim

    iaJim Inactive User

    775
    Ratings:
    +0 / 0 / -0
    You might also consider a heat recovery ventilator for winter.
     
  6. iaJim

    iaJim Inactive User

    775
    Ratings:
    +0 / 0 / -0
    You might also consider a heat recovery ventilator for winter.
    Double post.....sorry. 
     
  7. fmsill Well-Known ReefKeeper

    445
    Cedar Falls
    Ratings:
    +6 / 0 / -0
    I have a buddy that works for a hvac company and he can get me one at his cost and cheap install.  That will help but their still around $7 or $800.
     Im going to do it though. I guess thats alot cheaper than destroying my house. I wish i still rented so i could call the landlord ha ha.
     
  8. iaJim

    iaJim Inactive User

    775
    Ratings:
    +0 / 0 / -0
    I have one, but I only run it in the winter because of the higher humidity in the other seasons.
     
  9. iaJim

    iaJim Inactive User

    775
    Ratings:
    +0 / 0 / -0
    I have one, but I only run it in the winter because of the higher humidity in the other seasons.
    Did it again. Posting from an iPad. 
     
  10. Bera

    Bera Inactive User

    27
    Ratings:
    +0 / 0 / -0
    Keep in mind that a whole home dehumidifier will wreak havoc on the water evaporation speed in your tank. If yo have an auto top off, no big deal, but if you refill on your own you'll notice an increase. The only exception would be if you keep a nearly airtight lid on the tank (and sump if you have one). I'd make 100% certain it is the tank before you go that route, and possibly even consider a nice snug lid on tank too. Just my 2 cents.

    Justin
     
  11. Big D Well-Known ReefKeeper

    889
    Center Point
    Ratings:
    +3 / 0 / -0
    trust me you can get bye with 2 bathroom exhast fans thats what i did and no trouble at all .. and thats my 3 cents worth, lol.
     

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