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Attic Air Sealing & Insulation Project - Step 1 - Radiant Barrier
Posted on 8/21/20 at 2:56 pm
Posted on 8/21/20 at 2:56 pm
So I'm going to tackle an attic renovation here in a few weeks once it's not 100 ever day, I'm going to do it myself and in stages over the winter.
I plan on air sealing all penetrations between the attic and conditioned space, installing a radiant barrier on the under side of the roof joists, and then finally once those jobs are complete renting a machine from lowes/home depot and blowing in some cellulose.
I plan on buying this Foam gun and foam and doing the air sealing.
Main point of the thread is to ask for opinions on what style or specific product to use for the radiant barrier? I'm thinking of going with Atticfoil.com, and was curious as to thoughts on that type of product and brand specifically if anyone has used it? Videos make it seem pretty simple and straight forward to install with a staple gun. Anything else I should use instead?
I plan on air sealing all penetrations between the attic and conditioned space, installing a radiant barrier on the under side of the roof joists, and then finally once those jobs are complete renting a machine from lowes/home depot and blowing in some cellulose.
I plan on buying this Foam gun and foam and doing the air sealing.
Main point of the thread is to ask for opinions on what style or specific product to use for the radiant barrier? I'm thinking of going with Atticfoil.com, and was curious as to thoughts on that type of product and brand specifically if anyone has used it? Videos make it seem pretty simple and straight forward to install with a staple gun. Anything else I should use instead?
8
Posted on 8/21/20 at 4:47 pm to DukeSilver
Interested in following your progress on this project, and I’ll hope you update us as you proceed.
The radiant barrier from atticfoil from everything I’ve read or watched appears to be a good product and I think they’ll send you free sample of the product that you can look at to see if it is as “rugged” as they claim. I’ve gone so far as to measure my roof area calculate how of the radiant barrier material I will need. I’ll be following as I’ll also be interested in other posters experiences with this.
It’s 120 F in my attic as I type this (have a Bluetooth temperature/humidity meter up there).
it’s been topping out at near 130 F the past few weeks.
The radiant barrier from atticfoil from everything I’ve read or watched appears to be a good product and I think they’ll send you free sample of the product that you can look at to see if it is as “rugged” as they claim. I’ve gone so far as to measure my roof area calculate how of the radiant barrier material I will need. I’ll be following as I’ll also be interested in other posters experiences with this.
It’s 120 F in my attic as I type this (have a Bluetooth temperature/humidity meter up there).
it’s been topping out at near 130 F the past few weeks. This post was edited on 8/21/20 at 7:51 pm
Posted on 8/21/20 at 5:09 pm to DukeSilver
Radiant barrier is simple to install. I installed some in a rental property I bought when I found a big roll of it in the attic the previous owner had bought but not installed. I installed it in June and it brought the attic temp down dramatically. I was able to spend hours up there in July replacing the old knob&tube wiring which I had to do before blowing in insulation.
Posted on 8/21/20 at 5:56 pm to Zappas Stache
Please post updates as you go. I was planning on air sealing and insulation this winter as well, but I'm interested in the radiant barrier now too.
Posted on 8/21/20 at 6:05 pm to DukeSilver
Not sure but there is a foil product I sold that would tension itself between rafter. Easy to install. I’m not a fan of the radiant barrier. Good insulation goes a long way. I’m a big fan of the rock wool product
Posted on 8/21/20 at 6:36 pm to Art Vandelay
Ok
This post was edited on 8/21/20 at 6:37 pm
Posted on 8/21/20 at 6:51 pm to DukeSilver
quote:
installing a radiant barrier on the under side of the roof joists
Foil barriers will negatively affect your cell reception in your home. It will also kill the signal before it reaches any TV antenna in the attic. If your cell signal is very strong you may be ok. But I’ve built a house with radiant sheathing and I could mount a tv antenna in the attic and I had to buy a cell signal booster. The microcell sucked and I had terrible service for the 5+ years I lived in that house.
Posted on 8/21/20 at 7:24 pm to DukeSilver
I put radiant barrier in myself about 7 or 8 years ago ...
- My energy bills were never really excessive, but my air conditioner always struggled to keep the house cool, and that is why I put the barrier up. With the barrier, the air conditioner definitely seems to work less, and can keep up even on days over 95 degrees.
- I received a quote for $3K to have the barrier installed, so I decided to do it myself.
- My house has a shallow attic (ranch style), so it was very difficult to put the barrier up. Ah the highest part of the attic, I cut the barrier rolls into rectangles and stapled them up to the rafters. For the lower parts of the attic, where I could not staple, I put up the pre-cut sections that have a spine and simply snap into place between the rafters. All-in-all, I believe I have about half the surface area of the roof covered.
- I bought the materials online from Home Depot, and had it shipped. Think I spend about $800 total.
- My energy bills were never really excessive, but my air conditioner always struggled to keep the house cool, and that is why I put the barrier up. With the barrier, the air conditioner definitely seems to work less, and can keep up even on days over 95 degrees.
- I received a quote for $3K to have the barrier installed, so I decided to do it myself.
- My house has a shallow attic (ranch style), so it was very difficult to put the barrier up. Ah the highest part of the attic, I cut the barrier rolls into rectangles and stapled them up to the rafters. For the lower parts of the attic, where I could not staple, I put up the pre-cut sections that have a spine and simply snap into place between the rafters. All-in-all, I believe I have about half the surface area of the roof covered.
- I bought the materials online from Home Depot, and had it shipped. Think I spend about $800 total.
Posted on 8/21/20 at 7:47 pm to DukeSilver
Attic foil brand is legit. I can't tear their foil without some purposeful effort and even then I'd rather use a blade. It dropped my attic temp a good 10-15 degrees which helped my AC keep up on any day. Easily the best couple hundred dollars and DIY time you'll spend.
It's super easy to install if you can maneuver (crawl/crouch) at all in your attic. I just ordered some more for another building.
It's super easy to install if you can maneuver (crawl/crouch) at all in your attic. I just ordered some more for another building.
Posted on 8/21/20 at 8:52 pm to DukeSilver
Keep us posted. I plan on doing this exact set of tasks. I have my first 1k feet of barrier sitting in the box for a bit cooler weather.
As far as that gun and foam, I bought that kit from Amazon a few years back for sealing an outside office project. If you have ever used the foam with the plastic straw tip, you will be amazed at how great that gun works. So much control and you get to use every drop out of each can. It holds sealed for a long time as well. Just miles better than the crappy all-in-one applicator cans.
As far as that gun and foam, I bought that kit from Amazon a few years back for sealing an outside office project. If you have ever used the foam with the plastic straw tip, you will be amazed at how great that gun works. So much control and you get to use every drop out of each can. It holds sealed for a long time as well. Just miles better than the crappy all-in-one applicator cans.
Posted on 8/21/20 at 9:25 pm to Outlast101
Curious if just doing part of an attic will help? What about just near the peak of the roof?
Posted on 8/21/20 at 9:58 pm to LEASTBAY
quote:I think partial coverage will help, but I would focus on the part of the roof that gets the most afternoon sun.
Curious if just doing part of an attic will help? What about just near the peak of the roof?
Posted on 8/22/20 at 9:25 am to DukeSilver
Planning on doing this exact project this winter, thanks for the post. My AC bills were high this summer (old house).
Posted on 8/22/20 at 10:01 am to LEASTBAY
quote:
Curious if just doing part of an attic will help? What about just near the peak of the roof?
It’s a cumulative effect so yes it will help wherever you put it. If only doing partial it would be best to do wherever gets the most direct sunlight.
Posted on 8/24/20 at 10:11 am to CrawDude
quote:
Interested in following your progress on this project, and I’ll hope you update us as you proceed.
I'll try and remember to take photos and keep track of the temps with my infrared thermometer to see what my return on actual real world temps are.
quote:
I installed it in June and it brought the attic temp down dramatically. I was able to spend hours up there in July replacing the old knob&tube wiring which I had to do before blowing in insulation.
Good to hear. Seems like the trifecta of the radiant barrier lowering the attic temps plus the air sealing and added insulation should have a snowball effect of benefits.
quote:
Foil barriers will negatively affect your cell reception in your home. It will also kill the signal before it reaches any TV antenna in the attic.
I should be ok here as everything I do while at home is over wifi, TV included.
quote:
With the barrier, the air conditioner definitely seems to work less, and can keep up even on days over 95 degrees.
#1 goal
quote:
Attic foil brand is legit. I can't tear their foil without some purposeful effort and even then I'd rather use a blade. It dropped my attic temp a good 10-15 degrees which helped my AC keep up on any day. Easily the best couple hundred dollars and DIY time you'll spend.
Fantastic news, I'll probably buy a couple of rolls here in the next week or 2 and have all of my supplies ready for October.
quote:
As far as that gun and foam, I bought that kit from Amazon a few years back for sealing an outside office project. If you have ever used the foam with the plastic straw tip, you will be amazed at how great that gun works. So much control and you get to use every drop out of each can. It holds sealed for a long time as well. Just miles better than the crappy all-in-one applicator cans.
Great news. This will obviously be a a multi day project, and I plan on buying a can of that gun cleaner fluid, but how tough is it to keep clean and clog free when the project goes past a day and even more importantly over multiple weeks?
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