Is Chipped Styrofoam Good To Insulate My Attic

Earlier this year i got a question about a home that had spray foam insulation in the attic.

Is chipped styrofoam good to insulate my attic.

Yes using spray foam we have added your attic to the conditioned space. Step 2 install insulation boards. When installing foam insulation boards in the attic make sure you start from one corner and work your way around the room. However in a traditionally insulated attic insulation on the ceiling the attic is vented.

The superattic system creates a continuous air and insulation barrier directly beneath the attic roof with no thermal bridging to compromise energy. If you leave the existing insulation in the attic it interferes with the foam installation. Nothing unusual about that. Foam insulation boards can be attached to concrete walls as well and in such a case care should be taken not to chip the cement.

In an attic the eaves are one of the most critical places to get good coverage with the foam. Gaps in the attic or between the lower floors and the attic will let heated or cooled air escape to the great unconditioned outdoors making any insulation you add essentially useless. Remove all blown in insulation 2. Some types of thicker foam board insulation are available but they may need to be special ordered.

I think with his method i can achieve 6 8 inches of foam. When we seal the attic with spray foam it s as tight as a butter tub. Insulating an attic usually means you have a lot of room for insulation and you will need high r value so that is why the cheaper options are more popular blown cellulose or blown fiberglass. Find a diagram of common air leaks here.

Here s the answer to the question posed in my article title. Use spray foam to seal the foam between the joists this will both insulate and create my air barrier for this portion of the attic. That styrofoam insulation will work but it is not cheap per r value however it gives you a great r value per inch. Yeah if you do a really good job raking the insulation back you can still do a good job with the foam.

The superattic system utilizes proprietary silverglo rigid foam insulation panels to fully seal and insulate the attic directly beneath the roof rafters and directly inside the gable ends. It comes in standard size 4 8 sheets and smaller sizes in many different thicknesses from 1 4 inch to 2 inches. Cut foam board to fit in between joists. Place more foam board pieces perpendicular on top of the joists.

A lot of builders and homeowners are going with spray foam insulation because of the airtightness benefits but then the questioner mentioned that the spray foam contractor had intentionally left big holes to the outside by not sealing the gable vents.