Proper Attic Ventilation And Insulation

A radiant barrier is a high performance product that comes in a foil or spray insulation.

Proper attic ventilation and insulation.

Proper attic ventilation natural ventilation. Attic ventilation works on the principle that heated air naturally rises primarily utilizing two types of vents. Baffles are available at home centers. The soffit vents allow convective air movement from the soffits of the residence to the ridge vent.

Generally speaking you need a ratio of 1 300 where for every 300 square feet of ceiling space you need 1 square foot of attic ventilation. Proper attic ventilation attics should be insulated to r 38 which is approximately eighteen inches of insulation material. When you use this you are blocking not only the hot summer heat but the cold during the winter months. Doing the job yourself.

Because the simplest and cheapest way to insulate an attic is to add material to the floor. The solution is to add baffles which allow air to flow past the insulation photo 9. Owens corning s raft r mate attic vent is an extruded polystyrene foam vent designed to assure unrestricted airflow from the soffit to the ridge vent. Attic fans are intended to cool hot attics by drawing in cooler outside air from attic vents.

An attic fan is used to cool down a hot attic by taking in cooler air from outside through attic vents. You ll want to pull out the six inches remaining and put a full fluffy eighteen inch piece of material in place. About attic ventilation natural attic ventilation. Intake vents located at the lowest part of the roof under the eaves allow cool air to enter the attic.

Hot air exhaust vents located at the peak of the roof allow hot air to escape. That means air can t flow from the soffit vents to the roof vents. In other words the entire vent opening doesn t count as vented space. Plan to pull up the flooring and layer new insulation on top of the old.

That said air resistance and interference such as vent grates reduces the area of true ventilation. If your attic is well insulated the insulation might be plugging the spaces between rafters just above exterior walls. At first it may seem odd to add insulation for warmth and then purposely allow cold air to. But if the floor is covered in plywood you can t stuff enough insulation beneath it to do the job sufficiently not even in warm climates.

The optional air stop or insulation block prevents loose fill insulation from filling the eave space during installation of cathedral ceiling or attic floors by closing off the opening. By using proper attic insulation and a radiant barrier you can deflect up to 97 percent of the sun s rays. If there are portions of insulation that have been eroded down don t just slap some extra material on top.