Is it worth trying to insulate my attic
I have an home that was constructed in the late 50’s early 60’s. In the attic there are 2″x8″ joists, 24″ on centre with 4″ of fiberglass between them. I was thinking of blowing in additional insulation. Upon closer inspection of the attic however it seems I will never be able to consistently install the insulation. The roof is not very steep and therefore I do not have a lot of room. At it’s highest point I barely have 4′ of room. Approximately 7′ from the edge of the roof here is a large beam supporting the rafters that runs parallel to the edge all the way around. This beam is sitting directly on the joists. While I could slide up to this on my belly and try to blow insulation over it, there is now way I could get the insulation evenly distributed beyond it all the way to the edge.
My question is, is it worth adding extra insulation if I cannot install it to a consistent depth throughout the attic? Could someone suggest any possible alternatives if not?
Thanks
Lothar
Replies
Lothar:
Anyway you can get a picture or draw a schematic of the attic and rafter or ceiling joists. I feel you can do a decent job from the info we have but more would be better.
Below is a quick, not to scale, drawing of what it looks like. Again, the 2"x8" joists are 24" OC. Hopefully this helps.Lothar
sure you can, but can i guess that you are lefthanded? Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"We adore chaos, because we love to restore order"
Mauriets Chavailier Escher
You could easily "snake" a 2.5-3" hose out through the 2x4's under the top beam. Using cellulose and by adjusting the air/material ratio on a small portable insulation hopper, this area could be consistantly/evenly insulated.
Before you insulate, be sure to aireal the attic/ceiling at all electrical, pumbing & chimney pentrations, dropped ceilings (if any), weatherstrip the attic hatch. This will improve the efficiency of your installation by reducing warm (and moist) air leakage upward from below and help protect your attic/roof from condensation, since the frost/water that people find up there is moisture from below that gets moves upward by air leakage.