Comments on: DIY: 3 Attic Insulation Methods to Seal in Savings

By: Alan

Alan — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 15:11:43 +0000

Cellulose is a great insulator, but not for the long haul. It breaks down and condenses over a short period of time and becomes less effective. Also, since it’s a paper product, rodents like to next in it. White fiberglass is best. Also, the attic gets HOT, so even in warm climates, a good amount of insulation needed to keep the barrier between the hot attic and the air conditioned home.

By: bentheengineer

bentheengineer — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 06:00:51 +0000

I have added two solar powered exhaust fans to my roof. Keeps the attick amazingly cooler. On sunny days, when the ceiling used to be very warm to the touch. No more. They really work. About $200 each, afternoon to install. No wiring required.

By: Steve

Steve — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 02:39:56 +0000

Adding an adhesive insulation to the underside of the top part of your attic/roof will stop a huge amount of energy loss even before it reaches your attic.

By: Bruce

Bruce — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 17:02:49 +0000

There is insulation known as “spider insulation” where an adhesive is blown in with the fiberglass, allowing it to adhere to the existing insulation and structure. How effective this is I don’t know but I am checking in to it. Our problem is wind through the attic; the wind actually picks up the large insulation blankets and moves them! Thus we can’t blow in or dump in loose fill fiberglass or cellulose. And the attic configuration doesn’t lend it to using more batts.

A tip…if using batt insulation over existing insulation and you have a kraft paper backing, be sure to slash the backing to prevent moisture buildup. Most people use unfaced batts but I do know where people used faced batts thinking the kraft or foil facing would be an “extra” and were sadly mistaken. Instead of keeping the moisture out, it kept it in!

By: Ghostryder

Ghostryder — Sat, 29 May 2010 05:39:53 +0000

While not entirely clear from your photos, it appears as though you have no vapour barrier on your attic hatch. Without it you could be in for mold problems in the future. I found that our attic hatch was not properly insulated so I put vapour barrier on the back, then insulated using pink board, several layers glued together until I had about 8″ of insulation. I couldn’t put any more than that otherwise I would not be able to open the hatch.

By: Mike

Mike — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 12:32:04 +0000

I started the insulation process, however my approach is slighty different. I wanted to use the attic also as a storage area, so I first added additioanl 2X6’s perpendicular to the existing ones. I replaced some of the existing insulation with the itch free fiberglass I found at home depot – this has a vapor barrier insome areas. where I did not need to replace, i added a 2 -4 mil plastic sheet as a vapor barrier, and added another 6″ of fiberglass insulation over the new or orgiginal, between the new 2X6’s. Plywood sheets cut in half (2′ x8′) wre then screwed oto the upper joist for a flat storage area. Since my hatch included pull down stairs that fit within a casing, I cannot follow the insulation suggestion you shared for the hatch. Bsed on what I have read about a product called BAttic, I will be adding some plywood over the stairs (yes, it will clear the stairs, with insulation mounted on topp of them.

By: Kren

Kren — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 13:05:29 +0000

We have about 10″ of cellulose right now. What should be put over top of it? Please tell me the cellulose doesn’t have to be taken out!

By: Fox

Fox — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 19:33:36 +0000

@FupDuckTV Great point FupDuck! Attic ventilation is very very important!

@Carol I agree with you on the dog! Pivo is truly the star of this blog…I just write here.

By: Carol

Carol — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 19:18:40 +0000

Very good instructions for insulation but its the photos of Pivo that really captivate! His (her?) face is full of expression. Thanks for the smile.

By: FupDuckTV

FupDuckTV — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 19:03:00 +0000

You don’t want to add too much celluluse cause it can absorb moisture. If you have too much it can actually losen and crack the jibsome boards overtime. I wouldn’t go over 18 inches worth.