We need more venting and insulation

Scott Stevens

Our house was very hot this past summer. After doing a bit of research into this (our first house) we don't have enough venting. We have 2 whirlybird turbines, and our house is 2000 sq. ft. Apparently you have to have a vent for every 300 sq. ft. So we should have 6, or 7. Or the other possibility is a ridge vent.

So I was quoted on a ridge vent installed, with turbines taken out and holes repaired. Fair enough.


1)We have about a R20 insulation value. If we get this ridge vent, won't we just lose tons of heat because we do not have enough insulation?

I'm currently installing the rafter vents (egg carton things) on the underside of the roof between each rafter. There isn't enough airflow INTO our attic.

I assume that if I finish installing all the rafter vents around the attic, and get this ridge vent installed I would HAVE to get more insulation? Otherwise I'd just be wasting gas heating the house, correct? Apparently its supposed to be a cold winter.

But the thing is we probably can't afford to do all of it at once. If indeed its supposed to be a cold winter then I'd probably not bother with either the insulation or the ridge vent.

I can't just add insulation then the heat would be trapped even worse than it is now, right?

So here are my options:

A)Finish installing the rafter vents and leave the insulation and ridge vent alone for now.

B)Get the ridge vent installed and rafter vents installed.

C)Just finish installing the rafter vents and leave the insulation and ridge vent until next spring.

Any advice, thanks!

handy man88

Good gosh.

You have R20 and you live in Canada, and my neighbor has R69 and we live in the midatlantic US.

Gary in WA

In your case, I would air seal the attic against leaks, wedge the turbines from moving, add more insulation to the attic, and paint a vapor barrier primer on the ceilings near attic (if no v.b. there now). Keep an eye on the inside humidity. Seal the holes in the crawl space or basement perimeter upstairs walls, and insulate with foam board the rim joists. If you've had previous ice dams, use foam board over the outside walls in the attic. If you see water vapor condensing on the roof sheathing in the attic (mildewing), add the vents after all the other things are done. Make sure there is a vapor barrier plastic on the crawl space dirt.
Air seal: http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/residential/p...ap4.cfm?attr=4
Foam boards at walls to stop wind-washing: http://www.homeenergy.org/archive/he...96/961110.html
Ice dams: http://www.buildingscience.com/docum...d-135-ice-dams
Coastal ventilation: http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/pdf1999/tenwo99a.pdf
Cost/value on insulation: http://www.enersavesystems.com/pdf/E...Insulation.pdf

Gary

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Scott Stevens

It's pretty mild in the lower mainland part of BC. Did you watch the 2010 Winter Olympics? They had to truck the snow in as it was so mild!

jlhaslip

Is your ceiling batt insulation or blow-in?
How deep is it?

Code is R40 in ceilings, if I recall. Do you have enough depth above plates for R40?

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Scott Stevens

It's blown in. But maybe 10" or so. I want to get more obviously, but I have to get the rest of the rafter vents in there first. Otherwise it would be hard to add them after the fact. I'll try and get a picture this weekend.