Why would somebody do this??

[Douglas Cossar]

Don't know about your part of the country but I write it up and suggest it be removed.

Insulation on the underside of the roof sheathing will cause the shingles to deteriorate very quickly.

Insulation should only be on the attic floor. IMHO

Cheers

[Roy D. Cooke, Sr]

Originally Posted by dcossar

Don't know about your part of the country but I write it up and suggest it be removed.

Insulation on the underside of the roof sheathing will cause the shingles to deteriorate very quickly.

Insulation should only be on the attic floor. IMHO

Cheers

A good read ........... Cookie
http://www.buildingscience.com/documents/digests/bsd-102-understanding-attic-ventilation/view?searchterm=unvented%20attics

[sfalvey]

Originally Posted by rcooke

A good read ........... Cookie
http://www.buildingscience.com/docum...ented%20attics

It is a good read, thank you

[Russel Ray]

I had three similar attics: February 2006, October 2006, and March 2007:

February 2006
October 2006
March 2007

In February 2006, I called it out and included that picture in the report, which showed the instructions and a phone number to call. For those who don't like to click on my pictures ( ), the facing says:

"The facing on Fiberglass insulation will burn. [That sounds pretty definitive.] Do not leave exposed. [That also sounds pretty definitive.] The facing must be installed in substantial contact with an approved ceiling, wall, or floor construction material. ["substantial contact" doesn't sound very definitive.] Protect facing from any open flame or heat source."

Note this next paragraph, though:

"For most applications, apply this side [the facing side] toward living space. See package for installation instructions."

So what does "for most applications" mean?

Well, this installation had been done by the home owner/seller (hereafter, "HOS"), and he was quite upset at me for telling him that he had done it wrong, notwithstanding what the instructions on the facing said. The HOS also had the printed instructions, which said the same thing, but he was claiming that his installation was outside of "most applications." When I followed up with my Clients at the 10-day mark, they told me that they had, indeed, called the number on the facing and talked with an Owens Corning representative, who told them to follow the instructions on the facing and in the installation guide, so if it says it's combustible and should not be left exposed, then it is combustible and should not be left exposed. "For most applications," according to the representative, takes into account those who will insulate the complete attic as my HOS had done. However, as stated, the facing must not be left exposed, so if one is going to insulate the whole attic, then those batts on the attic ceiling will have the facing toward the roof, which is not "living space" and, thusly, is not one of the "most applications" where the facing is towards the living space. In other words, the batts on the attic ceiling had been installed wrongly and needed to be reversed so that the facing was against the underside of the roof, the "not living area" space, so that the facing was not left exposed. She was quite adamant that the facing should not be left exposed under any circumstances.

Just recently (last month), I called this one out as improper installation as well.

[klott]

Originally Posted by dcossar

Don't know about your part of the country but I write it up and suggest it be removed.

Insulation on the underside of the roof sheathing will cause the shingles to deteriorate very quickly.

Insulation should only be on the attic floor. IMHO

Cheers

The baffles are to keep air flowing on the underside of the sheathing to prevent premature deterioration of the roof covering.

[arussell]

If this space is attic only, why in the world would you want insulation on the deck of the roof? If this home is located in a cold climate area, then you want the attic to be as cold as the outside air temp (or as close to it as possible). Proper vents are only used to provide a channel for air to travel when sheetrock is applied to the rafters or when you need to move air from behind a knee wall to the ridge (proper vent only provide about 2 - 2" x 4" channels). By what they have done, they have severely restricted the amount of air flow in the attic. You want to move as much air through the attic as possible - up into the soffit and out through the ridge vent.
As others already pointed out, if they felt the need for more insulation, they should have added it to the ceiling joist area.

alan