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  1. #1

    Default White powder on insulation in attic

    Can anyone explain this white powder on the insulation?
    It is very light and spread throughout the atticDSCN0518.jpgDSCN0519.jpgDSCN0511.jpg

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  2. #2
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    Maryland
    Posts
    2,809

    Default Re: White powder on insulation in attic

    Borax ?


  3. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Osceola, AR
    Posts
    311

    Default Re: White powder on insulation in attic

    Yep, quite possibly boric acid, a ton of folks use this as a pesticide.

    Yet another reason to wear a good quality respirator when entering attics.

    Alton Darty
    ATN Services, LLC
    www.arinspections.com

  4. #4

    Default Re: White powder on insulation in attic

    Thanks for the feedback


  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    Southern Vancouver Island
    Posts
    4,607

    Default Re: White powder on insulation in attic

    Borax and icing sugar is ant poison.

    Check for Carpenter ant nests, piles of sawdust and debris. In the piles, check for dead ant body parts to confirm.

    John Kogel, RHI, BC HI Lic #47455
    www.allsafehome.ca

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    Maryland
    Posts
    2,809

    Default Re: White powder on insulation in attic

    Another idea.

    Naphthalene or it's substitute (mothballs,flakes) that had been used as a fumigant or repellent.


  7. #7
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Location
    MONTREAL QUEBEC-CANADA
    Posts
    2,075

    Default Re: White powder on insulation in attic

    What part of the country you in Bob?

    1: The insulation is a single batt. <4" = ><R12.
    Poor R for any part of the country if the home is conditioned.
    2: An even pattern of staining on the exposed batts.
    3: Stains on the ceiling joists.
    Suspect water intrusion at one point in time.
    staining.JPG


    White powder, likely borax.

    Robert Young's Montreal Home Inspection Services Inc.
    Call (514) 489-1887 or (514) 441-3732
    Our Motto; Putting information where you need it most, "In your hands.”

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