It's never easy on a retrofit but for new construction/attics, there's a lot of data suggesting air sealing/spray foaming the vertical walls and rafters. And then conditioning the attic. The space then becomes usable for storage and less likely to develop mold/mildew.
That is a great question, in a situation where there is no existing insulation, faced batt insulation should be used with paper side down. The paper acts as a moisture barrier. Unfaced batt insulation is used when there is already an existing layer of fiberglass down in the attic. For most of Texas it looks like an R-30 is recommended over living spaces, however this does not apply to garage spaces as these spaces are not tied into the homes HVAC system. This is why there is currently there is no insulation up there. On my home inspections, if the garage is insulated it usually means the owner works on cars during the winter, but winters in Colorado are a bit more cold than Texas.
Thank you for your video, i do have a question. Live in TX have an attatched 2 car garage, above garage is attic space with my home heating unit in there. I want to insulate the ceiling of the garage. it is just drywall right now on garage side. do i use faced or unfaced? which direction do i face the "facing" thanks for any help you can give.
I get up in my attic aleast once a season. Check for leaks or anything else out of the ordinary. I don't have any mechanicals just 18" of cellulose and an insulated crawl way.
Heat doesn’t rise, hot air does.heat transfer occurs through convection, radiation and conduction. The amount of heat being lost to your attic is due to conduction through the ceiling/air space/ roof construction and is driven by the area times the temperature difference between inside and out side air times the resistance to heat flow of the structure. Improving the thermal properties of the ceiling /roof structure will reduce the overall heat loss of the house. The same principle applies to all elements of the house construction so external walls, ground floors, glazing and roofs can all have improved thermal qualities to reduce energy consumption.
The Rafters in the attic do not need insulation, the idea is to keep the home warm, not the attic. Insulation installed on the rafters and sheathing can actually trap condensation and lead to mold issues. There are however reflective thermal barriers which are breathable and can be added to the roof sheathing and framing which reflect heat back into the home. These can save even more on energy efficiency than insulation alone. As for spray foam, this is a necessity. If your doing this yourself, spray the expanding foam at all ceiling penetrations such as around wiring and venting, do your best to seal anyplace air can escape from the living space into the attic. Someone commented a few days ago about how I didn't mention expanding foam in the video, however any insulation installation contractor would build this into their quote, it's that important. You can have ten feet of insulation in the attic but if it's not sealed first. you're still going to be losing heat energy into the attic.
@@bestpricehomeinspection Thank you for the response! I was wondering instead of having the ceiling insulated to just have it insulated in the rafters with the spray foam? But it sounds like to save with energy, have this ceiling foam sprayed and sealed off any air infiltration areas, and add thermal reflective barriers along the rafters and roof sheathing.
Clear, direct, succinct. Can't ask for a better vid!
Is important to articulate the info..You are really good at articulating the info. Thank you.
Great video
It's never easy on a retrofit but for new construction/attics, there's a lot of data suggesting air sealing/spray foaming the vertical walls and rafters. And then conditioning the attic. The space then becomes usable for storage and less likely to develop mold/mildew.
That is a great question, in a situation where there is no existing insulation, faced batt insulation should be used with paper side down. The paper acts as a moisture barrier. Unfaced batt insulation is used when there is already an existing layer of fiberglass down in the attic. For most of Texas it looks like an R-30 is recommended over living spaces, however this does not apply to garage spaces as these spaces are not tied into the homes HVAC system. This is why there is currently there is no insulation up there. On my home inspections, if the garage is insulated it usually means the owner works on cars during the winter, but winters in Colorado are a bit more cold than Texas.
Thank you for your video, i do have a question. Live in TX have an attatched 2 car garage, above garage is attic space with my home heating unit in there. I want to insulate the ceiling of the garage. it is just drywall right now on garage side. do i use faced or unfaced? which direction do i face the "facing" thanks for any help you can give.
I liked the reasoning to why we should have proper insulation but I thought it was going to be a how-to and recommendations on which type to put in 😅
I get up in my attic aleast once a season. Check for leaks or anything else out of the ordinary. I don't have any mechanicals just 18" of cellulose and an insulated crawl way.
AIR SEAL!
Heat doesn’t rise, hot air does.heat transfer occurs through convection, radiation and conduction. The amount of heat being lost to your attic is due to conduction through the ceiling/air space/ roof construction and is driven by the area times the temperature difference between inside and out side air times the resistance to heat flow of the structure. Improving the thermal properties of the ceiling /roof structure will reduce the overall heat loss of the house. The same principle applies to all elements of the house construction so external walls, ground floors, glazing and roofs can all have improved thermal qualities to reduce energy consumption.
Do you recommend having the rafters/ roof portion insulated too? I was considering having the spray foam done in the attic to insulate more.
The Rafters in the attic do not need insulation, the idea is to keep the home warm, not the attic. Insulation installed on the rafters and sheathing can actually trap condensation and lead to mold issues. There are however reflective thermal barriers which are breathable and can be added to the roof sheathing and framing which reflect heat back into the home. These can save even more on energy efficiency than insulation alone.
As for spray foam, this is a necessity. If your doing this yourself, spray the expanding foam at all ceiling penetrations such as around wiring and venting, do your best to seal anyplace air can escape from the living space into the attic. Someone commented a few days ago about how I didn't mention expanding foam in the video, however any insulation installation contractor would build this into their quote, it's that important. You can have ten feet of insulation in the attic but if it's not sealed first. you're still going to be losing heat energy into the attic.
@@bestpricehomeinspection Thank you for the response! I was wondering instead of having the ceiling insulated to just have it insulated in the rafters with the spray foam? But it sounds like to save with energy, have this ceiling foam sprayed and sealed off any air infiltration areas, and add thermal reflective barriers along the rafters and roof sheathing.
Now sure when the " How To" will happen..
Completely ignored the critical need for proper venting.
Or air sealing