Mold Removal & Insulation Company in Springfield, MA

This homeowner in Springfield, MA called us hoping that we would be able to finish his basement. When our Home Comfort Specialist evaluated the home, he noted that the basement was not well insulated. Poured concrete basement walls are buried in the cool earth and are perpetually cold - about 17˚F cooler than we like the interior of our homes to be. In the winter the part of the foundation that sticks up above the ground is much colder than that. Heat moves from more to less. The dense concrete has a lot of mass and heat from our basement constantly flows into and through the wall by conduction. You can never heat them up. If you have a furnace, boiler, or water heater in the basement, the heat that comes off this equipment is wasted - lost into the cold concrete, instead of warming the basement and floors above it. In the summer, warm humid air from outside hits your cold basement walls and condensation forms, supporting mold. Results - cold basement, cold floors above the basement, higher fuel bills, more difficult to heat the house.

We had the perfect solution for this customer. We utilized our Foamax polyisocyanurate (Polyiso) foam insulation board. We installed this on their basement walls with our proprietary Foam-Tite fasteners. Foamax is not just any foam.  Foamax polyiso foam has the flame retardant properties to satisfy building codes to leave it exposed in a basement - unlike expanded or extruded polystyrene foam (EPS, XPS). In addition, the Foamax polyiso board has a foil facing to reflect heat so the insulation isn’t doing all the work by itself. Results - warmer, more comfortable basement, warmer floors above basement, less condensation in the summertime, lower fuel bills, house is easier to heat.

This homeowner in Springfield, MA called us hoping to get an evaluation of the insulation in their mobile home. Our Home Comfort Specialist came by to take a look and noted that they had inadequate insulation as well as mold that needed treatment. High relative humidity in a crawl space will cause mold to grow on the surfaces of framing lumber, sub floors, insulation, and everywhere. Spores are the airborne seeds of mold, which are produced when the mold is growing and active. These spores float on airstreams up from the crawl space into the living space, and people with sensitivities can react to them. When we fix a crawl space properly, the crawl space will dry out enough so mold will not continue to grow. But what can be done to treat and eliminate the mold that’s already there?

Luckily, Fogarty's Home Services had a perfect solution for this homeowner. We utilized our Mold-X2 cleaner and Mold-X2 botanical treatments for this customer's issues. Mold-X2 Cleaner effectively eliminates mold and mildew stains on contact. It is non-abrasive and non-flammable, and is sprayed on effected areas. Once Mold-X2 Cleaner is applied, mold disappears instantly, leaving wood surface looking nearly new. Mold-X2 Botanical, a plant-based disinfectant with a pleasant, temporary scent, is sprayed or fogged on surfaces, which prevents mold from growing back. Results – The mold is eliminated, with no odors or potential for wood rot. The crawl space is now ready for a permanent repair to keep humidity low.

Some homes or additions are designed with floors that have the outside air under them. Other times, a home or addition was originally used as a summer home or "three season room", and was converted to all season heated space later. When the outside air flows under a floor, it feels very cold and uncomfortable in the winter - especially with ceramic tile, linoleum, or laminate floors. Since the floor is the surface of the room we are in contact with the most, it's very important to fix, in order to be comfortable. There are two issues - air leakage through the floor, and conductive heat loss through the floor, because heat moves from more to less through solid materials. Even if there is fiberglass batt insulation in the floor, because it sags down away from the sub floor, the same outside air gets over it ("thermal bypass") rendering it useless. Mold on the floor joists and sub floor is also a concern. Results - cold floors, drafts, uncomfortable rooms, greater overall home air leakage rate, and higher energy bills. Any batt insulation in the floor is removed. Then, expanding foam insulation is sprayed to the bottom of the floor using special equipment. the foam fills all voids, gaps, and odd-shaped cavities - even around pipes, wires, and cross bridging. Unlike fiberglass, foam insulation stops air flow through the floor which is critical to get the results you want. The R-value is far superior to fiberglass insulation and has integrity with no gaps or air flowing through it. Spray foam is not completely flat and thicknesses will vary. Spray foam will also make a quieter less hollow sounding floor. (Need at least 36" under the floor to spray foam). Results - much warmer floors, less drafts, more comfortable rooms, quieter home, and lower energy bills. 

Steps from your basement to the outdoors are convenient, but the (metal) hatch doors that cover them are completely uninsulated and leak lots of air. Cold winter air gets sucked into your home continually in winter. In summer, warm humid hair enters the basement and causes condensation on cool floors, walls, and ducts. Results - Cold basement, cold floors on the first floor, drafts higher heating/fuel costs, condensation in summer, higher electric costs for A/C. Proper framing is installed and a new insulated exterior door with weather-stripping  and locking knob is installed. Now, "inside" the house is inside the door, and "outside" is outside the door, so it doesn't matter that the hatch door is uninsulated and leaks air. Results - Warmer basement and floors over the basement, drier basement in the summer, lower fuel and electric costs, less drafts, house is easier to heat, more security.

Millions of homes were built with vented dirt crawl spaces. Now, all building scientists agree - that was a big mistake. Now building codes are changing. In the winter, vents let cold air directly into our homes. Floor insulation sags away from the sub-floor and the cold air gets above it - rendering the insulation useless. In the summer, the vents let warm, humid air in which is cooled by the subterranean crawl space. This caused the relative humidity to go way up and condensation to form all over the crawl space surfaces including floor joists and ducts. Mold grows and wood rots, while insects and other pests flourish. Musty odors can be noticed upstairs as mold spores travel upwards into the living space. Eventually, rotted floor joists must be replaced and mold must be remediated. An unending stream of water vapor comes up from the ground adding to the moisture load in the crawl space and house. The damp air is harder to heat and cool. Result - condensation, mold, rot, pests and their odors, cold floors, drafts, uncomfortable home, higher fuel and electric bills.

Your vents and other air leaks to the outside are sealed, often using our insulated vent covers. Walls are insulated with SilverGlo™ foam has graphite infused into the foam to increase the R-value by 24% over standard foam. A dimpled plastic drainage matting is installed across the floor to  create an airspace and thermal break, and TerraBlock™ floor insulation is installed over it. Finally, the heavy duty crawl space encapsulation liner is installed permanently across the dirt floor - sealed with mechanical fasteners to the walls and spiked to the floor. Results - much lower humidity, much warmer floors upstairs, less drafts, more comfortable house, lower fuel and electric bills. 

A leaky can light can cause drafts and colder rooms downstairs

When it comes to making homes more comfortable, stopping air leakage at the top of the house is the #1 priority. When the light is on, hot air rises faster and causes the can light to leak faster. And gaps in attic insulation cause heat loss in addition to the can light air leakage problem. 

A homeowner in Springfield, MA had this exact problem

Our Team installed Titshell can light covers. These covers are fitted around wires and fixture struts and sealed air-tight with expanding foam. TiteShell covers are safe from the fire hazards of hot bulbs and fixtures. Once TiteShells are installed, TruSoft insulation can be blown into the attic giants and over them, eliminating costly gaps in insulation and adding R-value. After the job was done the homeowner experienced less drafts, more comfortable rooms and the home was easier to heat and cool.