Can I dry out insulation behind drywall?

Question

Thanks to a leak in my roof I believe I have quite a bit of wet fiberglass insulation behind one of my walls. I discovered a fair amount of water on my kitchen floor which I believe came in through the roof then down through the wall and out the bottom.

Is there an effective way to dry out the insulation behind the drywall without having to open up the wall? The surface of the drywall appears to be fine still and I'd prefer to not have to remove and replace it.

I've already patched up the roof and do not believe it to be leaking anymore. My concern now is just the possibility of mold or damage in the wall due to the wet insulation.

Answer 1

Everything depends on the degree to which your insulation is wet.

I'd cut an exploratory trench about 6" wide across the entire width of the affected wall, both top and bottom. (Don't cut right into the ceiling corner -- stay a few inches down.)

If everything is wet, just keep pulling the drywall down. (It's not that hard to re-rock...)

If everything is just a tiny bit wet, leave the channels open for a while and check periodically.

If you're in doubt about what constitutes 'a tiny bit', I'd suggest you err on the side of demolition. Mold is not your friend.