Expanding Foam Attic Insulation
abbycat9990
14 years ago
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macv
14 years agomanhattan42
14 years agoRelated Discussions
Foam Insulation in Attic Rafters
Comments (14)Our ducts are in the crawl space. I can't close off my crawl space though because my house is balloon framed. I can look up from inside the crawlspace all the way into the attic because of the space between the outside brick and the wood frame for the interior. The cold air would just flow up into the attic and out the vents. As for whirly-gigs, ours work real well. We have two of them plus gable vents and it's cooler up there than it was before we had the whirly-gigs installed. I wonder if styrofoam panels with foil would be a good idea for between the floor joists in the crawl space?...See MoreExpanding Foam Attic Insulation
Comments (2)Hi, I think the foam is a good way to go, but on the pricey side. There are several types of foam, so I'd look into that -- both R value per inch and permeability to air flow are different between foams. If you want a good and cheaper solution, then I'd say carefully seal all the openings between the living space and attic -- everywhere a wire or pipe penetrates, vent pipes, chimneys, ducts, light fixtures, can lights, ... Seal them all to prevent air from exfiltrating from living space to attic. According to one study, living space to attic airflow is larger than infiltration around windows, doors etc. Then blow cellulose in yourself -- the big box hardwares will loan you a blower. This is cheap, fairly easy, and is very good insulation. Make sure you also seal any heating/cooling ducts at every joint with duct mastic. the book "Insulate and Weatherize" by Harley is very good. Gary...See Morefoam insulation in attic rafters
Comments (8)"This method would keep the attic ventilated but cuts back on the radiant heat coming in from the underside of the roof sheathing". If you can use a straight edge, utility knife, and stapler, you can diy this for big savings using rolls of radiant barrier. The install is on the underside of the rafters using the rafter cavaties as channels to trap the heat gain and is pushed out by way of the soffit venting up and out the ridge venting. Here's a link to an outfit that offers different install methods and radiant types. I've used 50" wide x 1000" rolls one side foil faced. fiberglass mesh inbetween, with the opposing side kraft paper. You hold it up 3" from where the rafters meets the top plates and run it perpindicular to the rafters overlapping and foil taping the seams. You overlap at the ridge as well. Your soffit/ridge venting must be continous run meaning every rafter cavaty would be vented to allow the heated air to escape. The radiant blocks it from entering the attic. Very effective anvenue of keeping the attic cool. Here is a link that might be useful: radiant barrier...See MorePutting attic AC unit in insulated enclosure vs. spray foam
Comments (31)The moisture problem on the roof deck may occur when the deck is colder than the air rising into the attic. How is a whole house dehumidifier going to solve this problem in the winter. During the winter houses in SE PA are struggling to raise their humidity level to 40%. Many are running humidifiers in the winter which will further aggravate the problem. I have looked at a lot of new houses in the NJ and PA area. I can't recall any having HVAC equipment in the attic. I have never seen a house with a spray foamed roof deck either. I am skeptical you will find an insulation contractor who has experience doing this in a new residential home. If you do find one, you know the questions to ask. See if his answers make sense....See Moreabbycat9990
14 years agojoanni
14 years agoworthy
14 years agoabbycat9990
14 years agoandrelaplume2
14 years agoabbycat9990
14 years agomacv
14 years agohopesprings_gw
14 years ago
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