Troubleshoot 24/7/365
Are you having trouble with the house after Stellrr’s work? We often uncover unrelated problems when we do our work. Sometimes, things happen when we are working, and the issue isn’t noticed until we are no longer on site. We want to get you the fastest help possible. So please check this list to see if your issue is addressed, so you can solve it ASAP, before we can get out to see you.
Home Defect Issues
A. If you have a gas furnace, there is a light switch at right next to your air handler. Sometimes, this switch gets turned off during our work. Please visit your attic HVAC unit, find the "light switch," and turn it back on. That should power up your Thermostat and HVAC unit.
B. If it does not, there may be a breaker that flipped off. Go to your Electrical Breaker Panel and see if a Breaker got tripped. Turn it back on. Everything should work fine.
C. If neither of those options worked, then this may be something we need to come check out or bring one of our preferred HVAC Contractors to diagnose. We recommend certain HVAC Contractors because what we do is unique, and most technicians are very unfamiliar with what we do and get confused.
A. It is not uncommon for us to uncover brittle old, and not-up-to-code HVAC or Water Heater condensate lines in the attic. When working around, those defective condensate lines can get an unnoticeable hairline crack or just fall apart.
Go up to your attic HVAC or WH unit and inspect the white PVC line coming out of the metal pan under the unit. You can follow that line to see if you find the water puddle.
Quick answer is to 1. Get a bucket, put it under the line, and check it to prevent overflow until we can get a Tech out to address the issue. 2. Turn off the HVAC/WH until we can service it. 3. Fix it yourself. It is pretty simple.
The fact that we exposed additional defects in the home does not make us liable for the defect.
We can, however, ensure it is fixed right for a significantly discounted rate than we would have charged to put it in your initial proposal.
The wire for doorbells and garage doors is very thin and flimsy since they are low voltage. It is not uncommon for these wires to have a short in them.
1. The fastest solution is to go up to the attic between where the doorbell box is and where the doorbell itself is located. See if the line is connected. Is there a staple from the original install that may touch the metal inside the wire?
2. Is there a GFCI box in the house that got tripped and other outlets are not on? Reset the GFCI in the electrical plug.
If there is power to the door, then check the safety sensors located about 6" above the concrete on the garage door house frame.
1. There is a good chance that either some dust is obstructing the sensor. Or that during moving stuff around, the sensor had something brush against it, and moved it out of alignment.
2. If the sensor is not solid green on one side, then the sensor needs to be aimed with your hand at the sensor on the other side. If it is blinking, you are close, but not quite there. Once you have a solid green, try shutting the door again. You should have solved the problem unless there is an item obstructing the path.
If your HVAC unit is up to code, it has a safety float switch located in the PVC condensate line and in the pan underneath the unit.
Part of your HVAC maintenance should include pouring Bleach, Peroxide, White Vinegar or another Fungal elimination solution down the Condensate line.
Go to your HVAC unit, and pick up the Float sensor to see if it was compressed, thereby shutting off the unit.
If it was compressed, this means the unit stopped working to prevent water leaking. It also means NOW is the time to pour your fungal eliminator into the condensate pipe that goes up vertical (probably 4-6"). While a funnel is nice to have, you can also use a measuring cup with a spout. Don't be stingy, preferably pour a gallon through that puppy.
If you are having trouble getting anything down it, you may want to try Draino, and a Sink Snake for getting hair out of the sink pipe.
Once that pipe is clean, the float switch should no longer be compressed, which will allow the HVAC unit to run.
Most lights we find in the attic need to be replaced with LED lights anyway. We apologize if we damage the light bulb by overspray from foam/paint. Grab yourself a new, brighter light bulb. We'll happily send you a check for $5 to cover the cost of a standard LED bulb from Home Depot or Lowes.
Dehumidifier Issues
SaniDry dehumidifiers have a safety float switch located in the unit just before the PVC condensate line where the water comes out and drains out of the house.
So the unit should not leak. But you can check the condensate line to make sure it has a continuous slope downhill. If, by chance, it dips too low and goes back up, that could be backing up the machine, not allowing air through the line, and causing a leak.
OR
If your SaniDry has been installed for close to a year or longer, then it is time for our Annual Maintenance checkup service. That includes flushing out the drain line from any microbial growth, just like is done on your HVAC unit. We also switch the filter out and check the overall health of the unit. You can learn more about our annual maintenance service here: https://www.stellrr.com/annual/
If your SaniDry has been installed for close to a year or longer, then it is time for our Annual Maintenance checkup service. You can learn more about our annual maintenance service here: https://www.stellrr.com/annual/
At that time we will work on diagnosing your SaniDry and take the appropriate steps to fix it.
If your SaniDry is out of the 60-month warranty, then you will need a Service Call where we will diagnose the unit. We will advise on the price to fix or replace the unit.
Yes, this is a mechanical unit just like any other it will make noise when running.
We have had homeowners turn up the humidity set-point so it doesn't turn on as much. That is an option, but we prefer to set the humidity toward 40%. This set point will help keep the humidity inside your house to a lower level. Inside your home may be 60% humidity even if the attic or crawlspace is at 40%.
If you set the dehumidifier to 60%, then your indoor humidity will be even higher.
In the attic, we hang the dehumidifier from the rafters so that there is not vibration of the unit into the rooms below.
In the crawlspace, we set the dehumidifier on the floor so that it is not connected to the floor joist, where it could vibrate.
After some time, this essential equipment should become background noise that is not offensive.
Gas HVAC or Water Heater
Did you have an HVAC or Water Heater tech come out and mention their concern for having an 80% gas unit in a spray foam encapsulated attic?
This is common because most companies and their technicians have never seen what we do in attics. This is why we always recommend working with a vendor whom we trust. A vendor who is educated on the systems we install. Text us the company, tech, and phone number of the individual who expressed concern so we can connect with them and help bring them up to speed - 512-520-0044.
Concern #1: The Combustion Appliance needs makeup and exhaust air brought into the system to function properly.
Yep, that is true. We solve this problem by building a Utility Closet in the attic. Or there may already be a Utility Closet in the house.
On either option, we meet code IRC G2407 (304.5.3 & 304.6.1) by extending ducting to the outside so that we can bring both makeup and exhaust air into the closet.
The technicality of the code is that you need 1 square inch of duct per 1,000 BTU of heating. So, a 5-ton HVAC unit may have 60,000 BTU for heating. That means we need a 60 cubic inch pipe. We standardly use two 8" ducts. 8x8=64. So we are bringing in as much air as needed, if not more, which is fine.
See Shawn's book, Pink Panther to Space Age Cleanse, pages 22 and 39-40, for more thorough explanations.
We always propose installing a rock-wool wrap around the flue (metal pipe) that goes through the roof. We install and wrap it for an air tight attic.
Rockwool burns at about 4,000 degrees and is a byproduct of the steel manufacturing process.
We install this in compliance with Code NFPA 8.2.2.2.
Learn more and Avoid the Costly Mistakes. Read Shawn's paperback book Pink Panther to Space Age Cleanse pages 21 & 39.
If the foam is an off-white, yellowish color, then yes, you have a problem.
In every proposal we address the code requirement of a 5-Min Ignition Barrier Intumescent Coating
An ignition barrier coating must be installed when an attic is foamed and the attic is greater than 32sq ft and 30”+ tall. See code IBC 2603.4.
Learn more and Avoid the Costly Mistakes. Read Shawn's paperback book Pink Panther to Space Age Cleanse pages 30-33.
Spray Foam Causing Mold
Yes, this can happen. In every proposal, we recommend a SaniDry whole-home dehumidifier. We do have clients who decline the dehumidifier and regret it later.
When the attic is encapsulated, you can now regulate the humidity in compliance with the code IECC R806.5.1.5.
"Seal it tight; ventilate it right." As a home becomes more efficient, the HVAC won't run as much, which means less humidity is removed from the air in the more moderate temperature months. SaniDry manages the humidity to prevent mold, dust mites, viruses, and more.
Learn more and Avoid the Costly Mistakes. Read Shawn's paperback Pink Panther to Space Age Cleanse book, pages 34-38.
Any bath fan or kitchen vent currently exhausting moisture into the attic must be exhausted outside, IRC M1505.2.
If that fan is dumping moisture into the attic, and it is not taken outside, then you can easily grow mold in your attic.
Stellrr always proposes we connect a 4” metal flex duct to the exhaust fan in the attic and run the duct to the house’s exterior. Run the duct to an existing gable, soffit, or roof vent if available. If none of those options work use a 4” hole drill to create a hole venting the duct outside. Insert the vent cap with pest-prevention wire mesh. See Shawn's paperback book, Pink Panther to Space Age Cleanse page 21.
When a house becomes spray foam encapsulated, it is essential to remove the old insulation for the system to work properly.
There are many reasons to remove the insulation, including the fact that by leaving it in you have two thermal and air boundaries which can contribute to fungal growth. Plus, the attic cannot be completely sealed to the exterior top plates, which bring in moisture.
Further, the existing attic is full of combustibles, “dust” from many sources, 365 days of allergens each year that settle into the insulation, wood chips from each nail during the shingle roof installation, tree tassels, leaves, pest nesting materials, hidden droppings, all original construction chips, and dust mites. Code NFPA 652
A spark or short from any wire, a bath fan, a light fixture burning out, or a junction box can catch the “dust” on fire and smoke out or burn the entire attic. Which results in major fire remediation.
See Shawn's paperback book Pink Panther to Space Age Cleanse pages 6-11 and 52-60.
Odors Still Present
While we do install arguably the greenest spray foam available, it still does have a reaction when the two materials mix and grow. During installation, we run fans to suck out the odors.
With the intumescent paint coating, like every other paint, there is an odor that comes with it.
In both cases, these odors will dictate in time. It depends on how sensitive you are to and how much you focus on the odor.
After the OSHA-recommended time to be away from the space where the work was performed, you will be safe to re-enter.
You can speed up the elimination of the odors by opening windows and turning the fans on high. You also have to remember that the odors of the old insulation, which you were used to, are gone. Now, there is a different product installed, just like a new couch or rug. You will smell the different materials for a period.
If you have allergies, or just want the cleanest air possible in your home, then you should check out our Aspen. Shawn, has two in his house, and two at the office. You want to have one Aspen Air Purifier per 1,500 sq ft of house. Set it to constantly run, it is the strongest air scrubber on the market. You can call us at 512-520-0044 to buy one. Definitely check out the videos we have on the Aspen here: https://www.stellrr.com/aspen
We will never guarantee the elimination of an odor. Everyone's nose is different, and odor is very subjective. We can do our job perfectly, but still, there is odor hidden in the walls inside the home that we did not propose to address.
We provide you with a process of elimination to remove the odors.
Your home is built of organic materials, and in humid environments, organic materials decompose. So, there is a certain level of decomposition in your crawlspace, attic, floors, walls, and other places.
1. The initial goal is to create a controlled environment where you can manage the moisture and control the status of your home's organic materials. That is where the Space Age Cleanse (attic) or the CleanSpace Cleanse (crawlspace) comes in. For most clients, this solves the problem.
2. Set your HVAC unit FAN to run 15 minutes per hour to constantly circulate and filter the air. This also brings healthier into the room anyone is in for a while where there is carbon dioxide buildup. Also, set your HVAC to run 20 minutes if it turns on. This will ensure it does not short cycle, and will pull more humidity out of the air, which helps reduce odor by keeping stuff from growing/living.
3. Install one Aspen Air Purifier per 1,500 sq ft of house. Set it to constantly run, it is the strongest air scrubber on the market. You can call us at 512-520-0044 to buy one. Definitely check out the videos we have on the Aspen here: https://www.stellrr.com/aspen
4. We have other steps, like putting the attic or crawlspace under slightly negative pressure with a Radon Mitigation fan system. But to date, we have successfully fixed the odor issues before going to level 4.
Crawlspace Moisture
We believe in recommending what we believe will solve the problem and not encouraging you to invest in items that are unlikely to be needed in your crawlspace.
Did we install Stage 1, with the liner, dimple matting, and dehumidifier? If so, then it may be time to take your crawlspace to the next level if water is coming into the crawlspace and getting on the liner.
We can come inspect and see where the water is coming in. At that point, we would most likely resort to adding an inside perimeter drain and a smart sump pump. At that point, we could guarantee that there would not be groundwater that gets onto the liner.
The other items we would need to look at and address are your gutters, gutter covers, and downspout extensions. You may have water coming off your roof, being dumped at your foundation, and then pouring back under the house. We have a lot of solutions in our toolbox for gutter issues.
A common solution is to spray closed-cell foam between the floor joists in a vented crawlspace. This is a much better solution than using vapor-permeable insulation.
However, the pitfall is that while vapor previously moved up through your floor decking and joists evenly, now it doesn't. The foam on the decking is blocking vapors as it should. That vapor is still coming up from the ground and it has to go somewhere.
So what is happening is the vapor then goes up through your joists, taking them from semi-dry to very wet, rotting wet. How much do you think it would cost to replace all of your flooring joists, and decking, and floors?
A lot more than having the crawlspace encapsulated.
There are scenarios where the crawlspace must stay vented. If your home is 6ft in the air like a balcony, with no skirting, then a closed cell between the joists is okay.
We guarantee our liner against tears for 20 years. However, sometimes people do puncture their liner due to rocks underneath it, or a plumber accidentally cutting it, etc.
This can easily be taped back with the white liner tape that we used to seam it all together in the first place.
We don't expect the liner to be 100% sealed. We do expect some vapor to find a way to enter the crawlspace, which is one reason why we install a dehumidifier in each crawlspace. To manage the inevitable humidity.