Dave Hoh's Home Comfort & Energy Experts Case Studies: Attic Kneewall Insulation in Holmdel, NJ
Challenge
Our customer in Holmdel, NJ needed our help insulating their attic. When inspecting the attic we came across a large Kneewall that had poor insulation to the adjoining room. The floor of the Kneewall space forms the ceiling of the room below it. The floor and Kneewall itself are open to the Kneewall space side with exposed fiberglass batts.
Looking at the Kneewall we can see dirt build up onto the old fiberglass insulation. This is a sign of air leaking into the fiberglass insulation and traveling underneath into the gaps, holes or seams. Fiberglass does not stop air flow and the insulation does next to nothing to air seal and insulate. The floor of the upper level, the ceiling of the lower level and the Kneewall are all cold in the winter and hot in the summer.
Solution
Our solution is sealing the rim joists by using spray foam to eliminate the outside air from leaking into the attic. We installed our SilverGlo foam insulation under the rafters up the Kneewall and sealed at the seams with our orange ZypFoam sealant. The purpose of SilverGlo foam insulation is to reflect the roofs heat out during the summer and house heat back in during the winter. Finally, we blew-in our TruSoft Cellulose insulation on top of the Kneewall to fully insulate the Kneewall or the adjoining room. We call the top space of the attic that forms a triangle the "Devils Triangle". Insulating the Devils Triangle eliminates unwanted air from seeping out the top or seeping back into the room below.
Our customer now enjoys lower fuel and electric bills. Also the homeowner has a significantly warmer upstairs room in the winter and a cooler room upstairs in the hot weather.
Project Summary
Products Used: SilverGlo, ZypFoam, TruSoft
