Insulation..when is too much too much?

[tneumann]

I think mom n laws condo has too big of a pile of insualtion in an area.....The attic utilizes ridge venting....no soffit or gable vents at all...even if there were they would be covered by this pile....it is 24-30 inches deep..is it possible that when they had the blown in stuff "blown" in, they just piled the old batts on top?

[Dale Duffy]

Originally Posted by tneumann

I think mom n laws condo has too big of a pile of insualtion in an area.....The attic utilizes ridge venting....no soffit or gable vents at all...even if there were they would be covered by this pile....it is 24-30 inches deep..is it possible that when they had the blown in stuff "blown" in, they just piled the old batts on top?

You should have got yourself itchy (dig). There is no such thing as too much insulation, unless your compromising the integrity of the sheetrock ceiling (if present). An engineer would have to do load calculations. I wish I had two feet of insulation.....

[tneumann]

I did "some" digging.....and I did get itchy....what's your point?

I wasn't really looking for a defect here..just general info....ty....!

[Michael R. Boyett]

Originally Posted by tneumann

....no soffit or gable vents at all...even if there were they would be covered by this pile....

That's a common problem, for the insulation to cover up any soffit vents. That's what baffles are for. Could you not see any soffit vents from the exterior?

[Dale Duffy]

Originally Posted by tneumann

I did "some" digging.....and I did get itchy....what's your point?

I wasn't really looking for a defect here..just general info....ty....!

I would rather kneel on Ball Bearings than get laced with fiberglass......

[phinsperger]

Originally Posted by tneumann

....The attic utilizes ridge venting....no soffit or gable vents at all...even if there were they would be covered by this pile....

That's a problem. How old is the roof and what did the nail tips look like on the attic side?

Originally Posted by tneumann

....it is 24-30 inches deep..is it possible that when they had the blown in stuff "blown" in, they just piled the old batts on top?

Yes, very possible. More often its the other way round. Blown-in on top of batts.

[Dale Duffy]

Originally Posted by tneumann

The attic utilizes ridge venting....no soffit or gable vents at all...

?....

[ekartal5]

Tony,
I get this feeling there are soffit vents that have been blocked. That area must be open for proper air circulation. In the picture it appears that the roof decking is not the original. Did poor circulation damage the original sheating? Was batt insulation added to the attic after the blown in was rendered useless from moisture?

Just tossing some of the real life encounters we face when ventilation problems are identified.

Erol Kartal
ProInspect

[ekartal5]

Just noticed..The paper side of the insulation should be faced towards the heated area of the home.

Erol Kartal
ProInspect

[tneumann]

The attic is about 600 square feet..it is a townhome.....and there are 3 ridge vents at the peak of the roof..and they are about 1 to 1.5 square feet....so I think there is enough ventilation. I did not see any soffit vents....that doesn't mean there aren't any....this was an attic in the 2nd story of this home....and roof covered w/ snow...so I could be wrong. But I think the 3 vents should be enough based on the size of the attic...please correct me if I'm wrong.

[ekartal5]

There's nothing wrong with the roof vents. The problem is that soffits or gables are required for air to circulate. This and the insulation facing backwards are potentially serious issues.

Erol Kartal

[gbeaumont]

Originally Posted by ekartal5

Just noticed..The paper side of the insulation should be faced towards the heated area of the home.

Erol Kartal
ProInspect

Erol, the vapor barrier should be on the warm side of the insulation, in AZ and many southern states that would be away from the conditioned space, however the paper should still not be exposed

Regards

Gerry

[tneumann]

I think mine are installed loke that also....but my attic is over my unheated/cooled garage...so it's ok right? I remember this from the course I took but I guess I missed it...that is the beauty of learning this way..you can be your *ss I won't ever forget it again.....thanks.

[Ted Allen]

Everything you ever wanted to know about insulation.

http://www.ornl.gov/sci/roofs+walls/...on/ins_12.html

[Ted Allen]

Originally Posted by gbeaumont

Erol, the vapor barrier should be on the warm side of the insulation, in AZ and many southern states that would be away from the conditioned space, however the paper should still not be exposed

Regards

Gerry

The vapor barrier goes toward the "Conditioned" or "living space".

At leaste in my neck of AZ.