Finished Attic Ventilation Insulation

Hvac i recently moved into a 1922 2 1 2 story colonial in baltimore md hot humid summers and fairly cold winters.

Finished attic ventilation insulation.

So i ll start by saying something that might sound controversial but really isn t. Improving insulation ventilation in finished attic tags. A finished attic should be insulated much like the rest of the house with insulation in the walls and ceiling. Without properly insulating your finished attic room will also be cold in the winter.

Water is insulation s enemy. Sure installing roof vents for older homes can reduce your hot air during the summer but there are probably more low risk cost effective ways to increase your home s energy. How to insulate a finished attic. Attic ventilation works on the principle that heated air naturally rises primarily utilizing two types of vents.

Good roof ventilation can do this but shingle color sun exposure and insulation are exponentially more important to overall energy efficiency than ventilation. With a finished attic insulation must help keep the attic areas comfortable. A vented attic where insulation is placed on an air sealed attic floor is one of the most underappreciated building assemblies that we have in the history of building science. If the finished attic is simply a storage area without the need for climate control you can leave the attic floor insulation in place but must forgo adding anything between the rafters.

It creates a breeding ground for mold and mildew and ruins the air trapping pockets that block heat flow. Look for water stains on the roof sheathing or damp or moldy spots on attic joists and existing insulation as a clue to where leaks might be. The soffit vents allow convective air movement from the soffits of the residence to the ridge vent. That means insulating the attic floor only not the walls and having vents in the roof.

Or insulation baffles install in any rafter. Most codes require a specified minimum amount of headroom and it s tough to meet this requirement when insulating a finished attic especially since most. Box out light fixtures. Since parts of a finished attic are usually very close to the roof insulation often blocks proper ventilation that is needed under a roof structure.

What about finished attics. So much information has been devoted to the subject of roof venting that it s easy to become confused and to lose focus.