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Thanks all. I really appreciate the help. Hopefully one of the (now three) different insulation folks I have coming out tomorrow can provide some insight and competitive pricing. If anyone has good HVAC recommendations in the Houston area please let me know and I may reach out to them as well.

So would the simplest/cheapest solution be to fully seal-off the attic (including all soffits/other vents and the floor of the attic) and add a dehumidifier? One HVAC company quoted me for a whole home dehumidifier which ran about $5k. Its capacity is around 4,500 sq ft so it should be good for the whole house + the attic. I’ve also read online that I could potentially get by with a dehumidifier just for the attic space which would run around $600 (without installation) and it can be hooked up to a drain line so I wouldn’t have to go empty it out every couple of days.

I’m just trying to find a way to not have to redo all of the insulation (I’m fine with adding more) or upgrade the system to a 90%.

The LEDs don’t have any thin foam gasket. I think my contractor went cheaper on the job with it so now I’m trying to find an affordable fix.

The solar vent doesn’t really allow much airflow when it’s off, but we also have two non-electrical vents that turn by wind power. They just don’t seem to do much.

My GC said the air intake into the AC units would bring more warm air into the unit. They think the condensation in the ducts is because our house is getting too cold and the AC unit is pulling in cold air/not getting enough pressure to push the air through hard enough. As a result there’s super cold air in the ducts. I think the ducts are sweating more from the humidity though rather than through sucking in cold air.

Hi all, first-time poster, long-time lurker. I’m hoping maybe there is an HVAC knowledgeable person to give some advice. Or maybe suggest a company that is great in the Houston area.

I recently bought a home and started renovating it. The house was a tad bit of a fixer-upper but otherwise in good shape. The house is 1988 two story brick with 2900 sq ft. The prior owner loved his AC and had two 3-ton Carrier Infinity Systems that are about 8 years old. He had also redone the ductwork and I think the insulation when he put in the new systems. The insulation was traditional carbon fiber on the floor of the attic and blow insulation on top. It looked pretty gross up there though when we went though it.

As part of our remodel, my general contractor said he has a guy who does spray foam. They removed all the insulation and spray foamed the attic lining with the roof. The attic looked great. They also replaced traditional canned lighting with LED wafer lights.

Now there are three problems in the attic and I’ve had multiple HVAC companies tell me different things.

1. The ducts now sweat, usually in the morning and it dries out by 12 pm or so. I think this is attributable to the new vent fan we put in (solar) running, as it stops running at night when the sweating starts to happen.

2. There is now humidity in the attic. It ranges from 61%-78% throughout the day. Again it tends to be higher in the morning right before the vent fan clicks on.

3. Air is seeping through the new wafer LES lights in the second floor (right below the attic). So you can smell the attic throughout the second floor (I think the air gets pulled through whenever the unit is running). Alternatively, I think humidity may be seeping up through the lights whenever the unit isn’t running.

I have two insulation companies coming on Tuesday to give me advice (I’ve had multiverse HVAC companies come out. Two suggested I need a 90% system). My general contractor had his AC guy come and install a fresh air intake but it didn’t work. He said they’ve spray foamed many similar attics like this without issue and without switching to 90% units.

I appreciate any advice y’all can give.