EcoRenovator  

Go Back   EcoRenovator > Improvements > Conservation
Advanced Search
 


Blog 60+ Home Energy Saving Tips Recent Posts Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 10-12-09, 11:47 AM   #1
Higgy
The Gardener
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Manitoba - Canada
Posts: 492
Thanks: 17
Thanked 8 Times in 7 Posts
Default Attic Insulation Issues

Hey there,

So now that it's cooler, I FINALLY got up into my attic. I wanted to fix some stuff up above the garage and seal up some of the fixtures and what not. I already knew I wanted to blow some extra insulation into the attic, so I also wanted to make sure that they had the rafter vents so that air could travel into the attic through the soffits. What I found wasn't encouraging...at least I don't think it was. I think in my 1446 sq ft bungalow...I found maybe 12-18 rafter vents....MAYBE. The rest were just covered up with the insulation. And in some spots above the garage, the spot where air is suppose to travel through the soffits, they had covered it up with wood.

So here are the pics.

This is the split between the garage and attic. As you can see most of the soffit vents are covered up. There is one rafter vent near the back.






Above the front living room.


This is above the garage (regular bat insulation that I put in)...as you can see whoever built this house covered the soffit vents with wood. A new home...let's go ahead and slap a piece of wood in front of the soffit vents...that oughta get us back to repair the roof in a few years.

Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	01.jpg
Views:	4922
Size:	66.7 KB
ID:	379   Click image for larger version

Name:	02.jpg
Views:	2207
Size:	61.3 KB
ID:	380   Click image for larger version

Name:	03.jpg
Views:	4172
Size:	76.0 KB
ID:	381   Click image for larger version

Name:	04.jpg
Views:	4891
Size:	78.0 KB
ID:	382   Click image for larger version

Name:	05.jpg
Views:	2037
Size:	70.3 KB
ID:	383  

Higgy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-12-09, 11:55 AM   #2
Higgy
The Gardener
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Manitoba - Canada
Posts: 492
Thanks: 17
Thanked 8 Times in 7 Posts
Default

One WHOLE rafter vent above the garage...I think there's another one on the other side. WOOOOO...aren't I lucky.


This is above the front door. Lots of air coming up this part.


This is above the living room. About 9-10 inches of insulation.


Above the rest of the house...it's about 12-13 inches. Starts to make me understand why my room is so warm and the living room is so cold. Well...at least part of the reason.


This is the air tube thingy for the bathroom...and that's the technical term for it. I was thinking of spray foaming that.


So that's it...let me know your thoughts. Lazy construction on the part of the builder as far as I'm concerned...the house is about 7 years old. I guess I'm lucky I caught some of these things now.

Suggestions...comments. If you've got em, let me have em. Thanks!
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	06.jpg
Views:	7368
Size:	68.2 KB
ID:	384   Click image for larger version

Name:	07.jpg
Views:	2522
Size:	65.6 KB
ID:	385   Click image for larger version

Name:	08.jpg
Views:	1997
Size:	58.1 KB
ID:	386   Click image for larger version

Name:	09.jpg
Views:	1826
Size:	63.8 KB
ID:	387   Click image for larger version

Name:	10.jpg
Views:	1844
Size:	67.4 KB
ID:	388  

Higgy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-12-09, 12:40 PM   #3
Daox
Administrator
 
Daox's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Germantown, WI
Posts: 5,525
Thanks: 1,162
Thanked 374 Times in 305 Posts
Default

Like we talked about, I think that just punching a few holes in those boards with a 1" spade drill will do just fine to allow air through it.

I'd definitely caulk/seal up that pipe hole though.
__________________
Current project -
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.



To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
&
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Daox is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-13-09, 10:23 AM   #4
Higgy
The Gardener
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Manitoba - Canada
Posts: 492
Thanks: 17
Thanked 8 Times in 7 Posts
Default

Well I went up there again yesterday unfortunately...and even with a mask I breathed in WAY too much fiberglass...stupid fiberglass. My throat and lungs are all nicely full of it by now. Yay.

My roof is just way too low for me to reach with the spade drill, so I'm not sure what I'll do there.

I also tried to seal some stuff up...but that didn't work either...mainly because I couldn't find anything and it was too hard on me to balance on the angled 2x4's and try and move the blown in inulation around. I had hurt my abs a few months ago and they aren't completely healed, so I'm not as agile as I normally am, nor as strong.

What I was able to do while I was up there, was fix up my bad bat insulation job that I did last year...things I didn't know about. So it should be a lot better now above the garage. So now it's just the main attic that I need to do.
Higgy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-13-09, 04:20 PM   #5
wyatt
Helper EcoRenovator
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 75
Thanks: 3
Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post
Default

can you access them from outside and punch through them, or knock them out? I would guess that removing the venting on the outside and using a BFH (big freekin' hammer) and a 2x4 to knock out those plugs would work. It's at least worth looking into.
wyatt is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-14-09, 12:17 PM   #6
Higgy
The Gardener
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Manitoba - Canada
Posts: 492
Thanks: 17
Thanked 8 Times in 7 Posts
Default

Ya, that's a thought. I'd have to see how well the soffit vents could come off.
Higgy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-15-09, 06:56 PM   #7
truckncycle
Helper EcoRenovator
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Roseville, CA
Posts: 81
Thanks: 0
Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post
Default

If you are not already using one, I would switch to a half face respirator instead of the disposible kind. They work better and the valve keeps you cooler. Installing soffit vents and their related channels is a pain in the butt. It is made more difficult with the nice fluffy insulation that you have. I raked mine out of the way and then put a piece of plywood over the rafters so that I could lay down while installing the channels.

truckncycle is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 10:04 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Ad Management by RedTyger
Inactive Reminders By Icora Web Design