Air Barrier Attic

Air water vapor movement.

Air barrier attic.

Whether using loose fill or batts put the vapor barrier closest to the warm side of your installation where hot moist air would get in facing the house s interior in cold climates beneath floor insulation and the attic s interior in hot climates on top of floor insulation. Some regions don t require a vapor barrier. I never dreamed that it would make such a difference in the attic temperature. Hey i ve bashed fiberglass here in this blog.

A proper air barrier reduces heat loss in winter overheating in summer and prevents moisture build up in walls which can lead to mould. A good building will have control layers that control the flows of heat air and moisture. Ideally no services such as hvac distribution ducts air handlers plumbing or fire sprinkler systems should be located external to the air barrier. My ac run time is significantly lower now dennis in tx.

In addition ideally all water vapor would be managed with mechanical systems. In a perfect world none of the conditioned air from the house would enter the attic and none of the unconditioned air from the attic would enter the house. Recessed light fixtures penetrating the thermal envelope are air tight ic rated and sealed to drywall. This acts as a barrier to keep heated moist air from rising up into the attic during cold weather.

Air barrier in any dropped ceiling soffit is substantially aligned with insulation and any gaps are sealed. Just because a failure in the air control layer air barrier shows up in the heat control layer insulation doesn t mean it s the fault of the insulation. This is an awesome product. The key to this discussion is understanding the movement of air and water vapor.

Attic insulation should always be installed with the paper backing facing toward the living space the ceiling in this case. Aerobarrier is a non toxic acrylic spray that quickly and affordably seals air leaks in attics and homes we cannot overstate the importance of airtightness in homes and attic rooms. Therefore an air barrier at the ceiling line such as sealed gypsum board should be present to isolate the attic space from the conditioned space. Attic access except unvented attic knee wall door or drop down stair is sealed.