*
Heres the situation– New construction. 2600 sq ft house on one level. 5 ton Trane 12 seer. All ductwork is in one huge attic with hipped roof. Deep south heat and humidity. The attic at this time has about 10 inches of blown cellulose over everything. Continuous soffit vent all the way around the house. all can lights, fans, electrical fixtures, etc were carefully foamed and sealed before the cells were blown in.
I have a couple of concerns here– first I want to have the most effecient cooling system posssible within reason. Second, I have a fear of overheating the attic if I dont provide a path or means of ventilation high upon the roof (there is no ridge for ridge vents to sit on)
So my question is- where is the weakest link? Would my effort be better spent blowing in another round of cells or should I concentrate on lowering the attic temperature( with a power vent)? The ductwork in many places is too high to practically cover with cells– would wrapping the ductwork with fiberglass batts be worth the effort? Right now that attic is hotter than hell. to me that seems unhealthy to the framing the shingles and the wiring. Would the addition of a power vent do any real good? Are my fears of too much attic heat unreasonable? Thanks to all for your opinions.
Charles Elkins
Replies
*
Heres the situation-- New construction. 2600 sq ft house on one level. 5 ton Trane 12 seer. All ductwork is in one huge attic with hipped roof. Deep south heat and humidity. The attic at this time has about 10 inches of blown cellulose over everything. Continuous soffit vent all the way around the house. all can lights, fans, electrical fixtures, etc were carefully foamed and sealed before the cells were blown in.
I have a couple of concerns here-- first I want to have the most effecient cooling system posssible within reason. Second, I have a fear of overheating the attic if I dont provide a path or means of ventilation high upon the roof (there is no ridge for ridge vents to sit on)
So my question is- where is the weakest link? Would my effort be better spent blowing in another round of cells or should I concentrate on lowering the attic temperature( with a power vent)? The ductwork in many places is too high to practically cover with cells-- would wrapping the ductwork with fiberglass batts be worth the effort? Right now that attic is hotter than hell. to me that seems unhealthy to the framing the shingles and the wiring. Would the addition of a power vent do any real good? Are my fears of too much attic heat unreasonable? Thanks to all for your opinions.
Charles Elkins