"Fiberglass is definitely a pain sometimes—had a similar moisture meter issue last year, thought I was losing my mind until I realized it was just condensation trapped in there."
Had the exact same thing happen to me a couple years back. Thought I'd sprung new leaks everywhere after a storm, but nope, just condensation fooling my meter. Switched to mineral wool in one section as a test run, and honestly, the difference was noticeable—better moisture resistance and easier to pinpoint actual issues. It's pricier upfront, but fewer headaches might save you money (and sanity) long-term...
Yeah, condensation can really mess with your head when you're trying to track leaks. I've had similar issues, but I'm still a bit skeptical about mineral wool being a total fix. Sure, it's better at resisting moisture, but doesn't it still trap some humidity if ventilation isn't spot-on? I mean, I've seen cases where people switched insulation types but didn't address airflow, and they ended up with mold anyway.
Did you notice any ventilation improvements when you switched to mineral wool, or was it strictly insulation-related? I'm curious because I've been debating making the switch myself, but I don't wanna spend extra money if the underlying issue is airflow. Seems like no matter what insulation you use, if the attic isn't breathing right, you're gonna have moisture problems eventually...
"Seems like no matter what insulation you use, if the attic isn't breathing right, you're gonna have moisture problems eventually..."
Yeah, that's exactly what happened to me. I switched to mineral wool thinking it'd solve everything, but honestly, it didn't make much difference until I tackled ventilation. Ended up installing a couple extra soffit vents and a ridge vent—only then did things finally dry out. Insulation helps, sure, but airflow is king. Learned that the hard way after wasting money chasing insulation types...
I feel this pain. Had a similar issue a couple years back, and it drove me absolutely nuts trying to figure out if the stains were old or if I had a fresh leak somewhere. I wasted way too much time poking around with a flashlight after every rainstorm...
"Insulation helps, sure, but airflow is king."
This is spot-on. I also chased insulation solutions for a while before realizing that moisture was building up because of poor ventilation. Once I added some decent ridge venting and cleared out my soffit vents (which were half-blocked by blown-in insulation from the previous owner), the attic dried out noticeably.
One thing that helped me differentiate old leaks from new ones was marking the edges of existing stains lightly with a pencil and dating them. Sounds tedious, but it saved me sanity-wise. After the next heavy rain, I could immediately see if any stains expanded beyond the pencil marks. Also, using a moisture meter can help—cheap ones aren't perfect, but they'll at least clue you into whether the wood or drywall is actively damp or just stained from past leaks.
And yeah, mineral wool is great stuff for insulation value and fire resistance, but it's definitely not a magic bullet for moisture control. Learned that lesson myself after dropping money on it expecting miracles. Ventilation and airflow are really what make the difference in attic spaces.
The pencil marking trick is clever—wish I'd thought of that a few years ago when I was chasing phantom leaks. I spent weeks convinced I had a fresh leak because the stains looked darker after rain...turned out it was just humidity making old stains look worse. Agree on airflow being key, but sometimes even good ventilation won't solve everything if your flashing or shingles are compromised.
I ended up using a moisture meter too, and it definitely helped narrow things down. One thing I'd add: check around chimneys, vents, and valleys carefully. I found a tiny gap in my chimney flashing that only leaked during heavy storms with wind from a certain direction—talk about frustrating to track down. Fixing that small spot made more difference than all the insulation upgrades I'd tried before.
Mineral wool's great for insulation value, but yeah, it's not going to fix moisture issues by itself. Learned that lesson the hard way too...
