Best Attic Insulation - What Is The Insulation Best Suited For Your Attics

Written By Admin on Senin, 25 Juni 2012 | 01.28

By Pavel Romanzi


The vote for best attic insulation will always be a controversial topic. But many will agree that fiberglass batts will never win that vote. That's because even though it is easy to install batt insulation to all areas of the home, they are hard to fit snugly into nooks and crannies. Coming in solid batt form, these insulating materials can be carried to whichever part of the building requires insulation, and then bedded down. However there are invariably gaps and leaks between the batts, which leaves portions like joists exposed. As a result, heat and cold can leak through the spaces resulting in loss of insulation.

Heat as everyone knows flows naturally from hotter areas to cooler ones. This is the natural property of heat. The heat is transferred by conduction, convection and radiation. Attic insulation help prevent heat transfer by one or all these methods.

The best attic insulation is one that chosen based on the local climate and temperature needs. For extreme temperature changes higher r-values are recommended. So, the chosen insulation should have high r-values. To provide complete coverage of every single surface to a sufficient depth and to fill the gaps and create air seals the best attic insulation that can be recommended is spray foam insulation.

There are two types of spray foam available open-cell and closed-cell. Open-cell foam is less expensive and has insulation capacity of R-3.9 per inch. While closed cell foam has insulation of around R-6.9 per inch.

Closed foam insulation has around R-6.9 per inch. At around 2 inches of thickness closed cell foam acts as excellent vapor barrier. Care should be taken to spray the foam evenly all over the attic surfaces. It acts as perfect air-seal and creating a barrier that cuts of all air movement through gaps and crevices. This keeps the heat or cold inside the home as it is meant to be rather than being conducted away through conduction, convection or radiation.

One of the best attic insulation solutions is the spray foam which is also costly compared to other forms of insulation. Also, this is not an easy DIY project and so, it is better handled by professionals to get the best possible results. It has to be sprayed with special spraying equipment that does the mixing at a controlled temperature which gives the maximum yield of the foam. The ambient temperature should also be in the range prescribed on the cans to get maximum coverage and yield. Very low temperatures does not cause adequate expansion of the foam and you need extra material for the same area, too high temperatures causes the foam to expand too rapidly causing it to collapse and gives thin coverage. An expert will now how to do this properly and get the stated r-values.

One serious drawback to foam insulation is that it is flammable. But with careful application and staying away from heat sources like recessed lighting, foam insulation can be applied safely. With its excellent insulating properties this is definitely one of the best attic insulation options around these days.

When applied directly to the top of the attic and cured, the hardened closed cell foam is strong enough to support your weight if you need to walk on it. Two inches of foam will work just as well to insulate the attic as several layers of any other alternative. Recommendations for the best attic insulation effect is to reach R-38 to R-50. But some locations will require the higher figure and others the lesser one. A good reference to follow is the government mandated charts which rate the R value for best attic insulation by zip code for the ideal outcome.




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