Chaplin, CT Reliable Attic Insulation

This homeowner in Chaplin, CT reached out to us hoping that we would be able to help him. He had a mold problem in his basement, which meant that his old insulation needed to be removed. That left the rim joist exposed. The “rim joist” is the perimeter of the floor framing system along the exterior of the house. The joints and gaps between all the framing members allow for a lot of air leakage into the house. The rim joist is seldom insulated and never air sealed. Basement ceiling insulation, especially fiberglass batts, doesn’t stop the flow of cold air into the home. Results - cold floors, drafty, uncomfortable rooms, cold basement/lower level, higher heating and cooling bills and more condensation in the basement or crawl space in the summer.

We had the perfect solution for this homeowner. In this solution, we spray foam the rim joist in the basement in order to seal and insulate it. Two part expanding spray foam is installed on the rim joist and over the sill plate to seal all air leaks from the outside and insulate this important area of the home. Our spray foam has a high insulation value per inch of R7, and because it expands, it seals all cracks and gaps and joints where air from the outside enters the home. Results - warmer floors, less drafts, more comfortable rooms, the house is easier to heat and costs less to heat, less summertime condensation on cold basement surfaces.

This homeowner in Chaplin, CT called us saying that she had a lot of drafts in her home. Our Home Comfort Specialist arrived in the home and noticed that the scuttle hole was not insulated. This presents a problem. A scuttle hole is necessary to access an attic. The problem is they leak a LOT of air that the homeowner paid to heat from their home to the vented attic where it is lost. All this air leaving the top of the house is replaced with cold out-side air entering at the lower levels of the home, causing drafts, cold floors and uncomfortable rooms that are hard to heat. In addition to these problems, the scuttle hole is a big area in the ceiling that is not insulated - and an attic can be 30˚F in the winter and a blazing 130˚F in the summer! Result - cold, drafty rooms that are hard to heat, high overall home air leakage, and higher heating and cooling (fuel and electric) bills.

We had the perfect solution for this homeowner. In this solution, we air seal and insulate the scuttle cover. The scuttle cover is weather-stripped to stop air leakage. Then the cover is insulated with a SilverGlo™ foam insulation panel. SilverGlo™ has graphite infused into the foam which bumps up the R value (insulation value) by 24% over standard EPS foam. In addition, it has a radiant barrier on top to reflect heat from a hot summer attic. Result - a tighter, more comfortable, less drafty home. Rooms easier to heat and lower fuel and electric bills.

This homeowner in Chaplin, CT called us saying that he wanted to be able to use his attic as storage space in his home. Vented attics are hostile places - 30˚F in winter and 125˚F in the summer. They are very bad places to store things, and the worst place to locate ducts because they are the extreme opposite temperature as the air in the ducts that the homeowner paid to heat or cool. The attic floor allows air from inside the house to leak into the attic where it is lost. For each cubic foot of air that leaks out, a cubic foot of air from the outside enters the bottom of the house, making the lower levels cold and drafty. Heat from the house in the attic melts snow on the roof where it refreezes at the eaves causing destructive ice damming. In the summer, the sun heats the roof to 160˚F, which radiates to the attic and then to the ceilings and rooms. Results - Major heat loss to the attic from house and ducts in winter, and heat gain in summer, uncomfortable rooms, more drafts upstairs and downstairs, higher fuel/electric bills.

We had the perfect solution for this homeowner. In this solution, we install our SuperAttic™ system in the attic. SilverGlo™ EPS foam insulation board with graphite is installed on the underside of the roof deck. The graphite gives it superior R-value and a foil face on both sides reflects heat out in summer and back in during winter. The roof is still vented, kept cold in winter to prevent ice damming. In summer, excess heat is vented out. The attic is now part of the conditioned space in the home, and ducts in the attic are no longer in a hostile environment. The attic is clean, less dusty and suitable for storage. Results - The home is less drafty, warmer in winter and cooler in summer, lower fuel and electric bills, less dust.