How To Condition Attic

Require air sealing and air barriers including attic hatches flues piping lighting wiring chases attic eaves dropped ceilings and knee walls.

How to condition attic.

It can easily. Portable air conditioners do need to be vented to pump the hot air outside. The loss of conditioned air increases heating and cooling demand. Use owens corning 2 rigid board insulation r 10 panels cut to rafter spacing and put in between rafters flush with inside edge of rafter so that an air flow space is left to allow passive air flow from vented soffit to ridge vents.

Moving the insulation layer from the attic floor to the sloped roof brings the attic into the home s conditioned envelope and greatly reduces the energy penalties associated with attic ductwork. A portable air conditioner is the easiest solution for cooling your attic. Install electric ventilators and attic fans which remove hot air from an attic. It s a standalone unit that s about two feet tall and 18 inches wide and has wheels for mobility.

Using a circular saw set to the appropriate depth rip a straight line along both sides of the ridge. Most come with a window kit for this purpose that attaches to a hose on the back of the unit. Without proper insulation cool air could be lost and excess moisture could develop. In a roof attic assembly the builder has two choices.

If you are going to install an ac handler in the attic it is important that you have your attic properly insulated. Remove the existing ridge cap shingles. Install the ridge vent. A room conditioner offers you an air conditioned attic by installing it in a window or wall opening.

Alternatively install passive vents such as gable soffit and ridge vents which are openings in the roof that allow hot air to escape. They have thermostats that turn the fan on at a recommended preset temperature of 100 110 degrees. The thermal boundary can be at the ceiling plane leaving the attic space above uninsulated and vented or the thermal boundary can be located at the roof line creating a sealed insulated conditioned or semi conditioned attic space. Air leakage that is not addressed can lead to several problems.

Fine homebuilding more musings of an energy nerd ventilation requirements in the covid era. Humid indoor air that escapes into the attic can. In addition to making the unit hard to get to for service high attic heat can trigger the high pressure limit switch turning your condenser off.