Answer these before going up
- How hot is it up there? Summer attics in Denver can be dangerous by late morning.
- Is there a floor, or only joists with drywall between them that will not hold weight?
- Can you see wiring, junction boxes or nails coming through the roof deck near the search area?
- What insulation is there? Gray-brown pebbly vermiculite should not be disturbed.
- Are there droppings, nests or signs of a live animal?
- Is someone at the bottom of the ladder who can call for help?
Go up, or call someone?
- Situation
- Floored attic, mild weather, smell near the hatch
- Reasonable to look yourself
- Yes, with gloves and a mask
- Better left to a professional
- Situation
- Joists only, smell far from the hatch
- Reasonable to look yourself
- Better left to a professional
- Yes
- Situation
- Vermiculite or unknown loose insulation
- Reasonable to look yourself
- Better left to a professional
- Yes, assess first
- Situation
- Heavy droppings or a raccoon latrine
- Reasonable to look yourself
- Better left to a professional
- Yes
- Situation
- Live animal sounds
- Reasonable to look yourself
- Better left to a professional
- Yes, a licensed wildlife operator
If you do go up
Reading the ceiling before the attic
Most of what you need to know can be learned from the room below. A stain, a sagging spot, flies at a nearby window or a fixture that smells worse than the rest of the room all point to a specific bay. Measure that spot from two walls, then find the same position from the attic hatch by counting joists. That way the search is short and you avoid walking across the whole attic.
If the strongest smell is far from the hatch, behind a knee wall or down in the eaves, that is usually the sign to hand the job to someone with the right gear and experience working in tight, hot attic spaces.
Common questions
Can I find the spot from below instead?
Often yes. Note where the smell or any ceiling stain is strongest in the room below and measure from two walls. That tells whoever goes up exactly which bay to check.
General information for Sloan's Lake, not a quote or professional advice. In an emergency, call 911.