u/PrgrmMan

Hey guys, I'm really panicking and don't know where to turn.

I had a Heatpump system installed last October for heating and cooling in upstate New York Zone 5. It's ducted in the upstairs bedrooms+bathrooms, and mini splits everywhere else.

This April, I decided to try to fix some high heating bills (3000kwh for a really cold month) with an attic insulation. I had passive gables on a raised ranch, no vented soffits, and a few passive vents near the ridge. I had read somewhere briefly that I could condition the attic with spray foam, bringing the HVAC system inside the conditioned space, better air sealing, etc.

Then things went wrong.

An energy auditor company referred me to an insulation sub contractor (call them company A) who took me to r38 open cell foam and r22 closed cell on the gable walls. They sealed up the limited aforementioned vents before spraying.

What I have now is the following:

- I'm almost positive that open-cell was wrong in the roof deck because of roof rot concerns and code for my climate (dc315 ignition paint but NO vapor retarder paint). Minimum of a class 2 vapor barrier is required for zone's 5-8.

- they attempted to remove all of the visible old r13 fiberglass insulation in the ceiling joists, but did not use a vacuum, and half the attic has osb (where the air handler sits) that they did not access. Another company (call them company B) claims that the smell I get is from the spray foam residue mixed with fiber glass. They offered to remove it and do better air sealing on my ducts.

- attic humidity swings from 55 percent in the morning and can top out around 70% on the hottest part of the day. It doesn't seem to do this on cloudy days, and seems to correlate with the sun.

- I had company (B) come and do a blower door test and they claimed that my humidity was stack effect driven from my rim joists, and that the results of the blower door test indicated that I now need an ERV. The same company had previously quoted me to put an attic dehumidifier in in addition to removing the remaining fiberglass but now wants to do the ERV instead.

I attached an image from my humidistat, and I think my primary issue is solar vapor drive

During the blower door test when the house was under negative pressure, all of that attic smell came into the living space. My wife started coughing and had to leave the house or faint..I fared a little better but now I'm super concerned. We also have a young child.

I found the following building science: https://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/article/high-humidity-in-spray-foam-attics which mirrored the problem I was having. They suggested cutting a supply for the attic or adding a dehumidifier. I don't see an ERV here. I feel like I have analysis paralysis and don't know what to do.

My goals:

- take a deep breath

- not be killed by my house

- resolve the moisture issues

- fix air quality issues

- fix vapor retarder.

Any advice on how to unpack this and move forward is invaluable and greatly appreciated

15k Daikin split unit for upstairs half of house (large kitchen and living room). Attic air handler on other side of house.

Raised ranch 2000 square feet.

If you guys check my previous post, I was complaining that the water was not really going outside (the drain was bone dry)

I had the installer come back, and surprise surprise, they had never connected the drain from the initial install 🫪

Now I've noticed the unit is making a chirping sound, and the water drains outside, bit fairly slowly. The unit seems to struggle to keep the house at 55% humidity, but in the evening will swing to 62%. When it does this, I notice a musty smell coming out of the unit.

My theory is that the unit runs longer in the afternoon, but is blowing the moisture back into the room and the moisture isn't getting to the drain fast enough.

When I turn the unit in dry mode, I can finally get a little (little) pool of water outside the drain, but I've noticed the drips are slowish, and if I stick my hand into the unit, I can feel a good amount of water on my finger tips.

Installer is coming back in a little over a week, and I'm wondering what I should do

• what could be causing the chirping? Video might now show it well, but it's fairly high pitched and persistent? Problem with the blower?

• could the unit have been damaged by not having the drain connected for a month while I was running AC? Should they replace the unit, clean the coil, something else

• what might explain the slow drainage? Is that likely causing the humidity?

I had this Daikin mini split installed last October and I think I'm having a condensate issue.

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The condensate drain seems to poke out of the line set outside, but I've never found any moisture in it. Additionally, the puddle underneath it seems to be forming away from the drain (The picture attached shows that water droplets are forming elsewhere)

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My pinless moisture meter is measuring 30% by the mini split.

I still have a one year install warranty from my company.

What are the chances that water is running down the inside of my wall?