Re: [GBlist] Attic and Basement Temp/RH

["Mike Rogers" <rogers.mike@verizon.net>]

Just a few additional comments building on the comments below...

Luke, you didn't mention anything about attic insulation.  Depending on how
much you have, and given the large delta-T between the attic and the living
space, it may be cost-effective to add more insulation in the attic.  Before
doing this, it would be worthwhile to seal air-leakage pathways between the
attic and the living space.  And if your AC ducts run through the attic,
make sure they are well-sealed, and well-insulated.

Your roof is only four years old, so this probably won't apply soon, but
changing the color and, especially, the reflectivity and emissivity of the
roof can make a significant difference in attic temperature.  See
http://www.fsec.ucf.edu/~bdac/pubs/PF-293/PF-293.htm

Regards,
Mike


Charles Brown <charles@brownandjones.com> wrote:


> Sounds like you do not have good soffit vents, and I would definitely
start
> there. The ridge vents are doing very little if there is not a vent in the
> soffit at a lower elevation. The gable vents are basically useless also,
> though they are not penalizing you. The ridge vents work by convection and
> needs a continuous soffit vent to work properly.
>
> Second plan would be to install a foil radiant barrier under the rafters.
It
> does not need to be air tight, just needs at least one surface exposed to
an
> air space (attic). I prefer installing on the bottom of the rafters as the
> bottom surface can not collect dust, which reduces emissivity of the foil.
> Let the soffit vent to ridge vent path be above the radiant barrier. In a
> former home of mine this method reduced interior temperatures by about 5
to
> 8 degree F.



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