attic insulation..?


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Old 09-19-16, 07:44 AM
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attic insulation..?

Hey everyone,

My attic is above my kitchen and living room. Currently, the attic has blown-in insulation sitting between the joists. Is this sufficient insulation for New England (Massachusetts)? Or should I use fiberglass like r30?
 
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Old 09-19-16, 09:12 AM
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How deep is the blown insulation? If it's just sitting between the joists and not covering them you don't have enough.
 
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Old 09-19-16, 09:22 AM
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Your area requires around R-50 of insulation.
Add more blown in and make sure there's baffles to keep the soffit vents from being blocked.
https://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm...sulation_table
 
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Old 09-19-16, 12:14 PM
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If you are going to add more yourself get rolls of fiberglass or Roxul and lay them perpendicular to the joists. Any kind of flooring up there to walk on or do you walk on the joists? If you have to walk on the joists get a piece of plywood that you can work off of.
 
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Old 09-23-16, 08:15 AM
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THere is a LOT of blown in. I moved it up there from the other rooms I replaced with fiberglass. It def goes above the joists. Id say about 7-8 inches of blown in.
 
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Old 09-23-16, 09:59 AM
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If I'm not mistaken that gets you in the neighborhood of an R-25
 
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Old 09-23-16, 10:15 AM
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I have more than two feet of blown-in in my attic, 7-8 inches sounds like nothing more than a beginning.
 
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Old 09-23-16, 10:22 AM
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I was recently reviewing the newer 2012 insulation requirements and see that MA appears to have moved from R-38 in zone 5 to R-49, that is moving from 2009 IECC (international energy conservation code)to 2015 IECC. And effective 1/1/17 they will move to the 2017 IECC.

As always, check your local code office for what they need, but looks like current is R-49.
I'm not from MA so relying on internet searches, here are two:
https://www.energycodes.gov/sites/de...ectiveness.pdf
https://www.energycodes.gov/adoption.../massachusetts

Bud
 
 

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