Vaulted Ceiling Insulation Retrofit Cool Roof System

Super insulation retrofits refer to home improvements that go the extra mile to reduce the energy required to heat and cool a home.

Vaulted ceiling insulation retrofit cool roof system.

Once this happens the water drips into your insulation or soaks into the roof sheathing. From inside it is v groove pine probably no taped sheetrock beneath but i wasn t around when it was built and 12 inch fiberglass with kraft paper. I have a 22 year old home with a great room and cathedral ceiling. Cathedral ceilings that are properly designed to addresses the source of water vapor dissipate the movement of water vapor through the assembly and ventilate collected moisture will help to ensure long term roof system performance and enjoyment of the ceiling for years to come.

If the attic is finished with a sloped cathedral ceiling adding extra insulation is much more difficult. Cathedral vaulted or any ceiling that has insulation blocking the airflow from the soffit vents to the attic needs an attic baffle in each rafter bay. Venting a roof with vaulted trusses requires the installation of soffit vents. These assemblies are created by eliminating ventilation openings and moving the thermal moisture and air control boundaries to the plane of the roof deck.

Although the ceiling still vaults there is plenty of space between the drywall and the top chord of the roof truss. Once it gets into the attic space or the space between the roof and the ceiling of a cathedral ceiling the air cools rapidly and the water held in the air condenses on to a near by cold surface usually the underside of the roof or the roofing nails. Unvented roof assemblies such as conditioned attics and unvented cathedral ceilings are becoming common in north american construction. While fiberglass insulation is an excellent and effective product for insulating most building cavities in areas where there is extra risk of trapping moisture and thus rot or mold infections such as crawl spaces and cathedral ceilings where roof venting may be absent or minimal we prefer to use closed cell foam insulation products or spray in icynene foam insulation.

It has the built up down rafters you have mentioned. Having a vaulted ceiling may sound ideal but retrofitting a house with one is often cost prohibitive. There is a vented area above fiberglass probably about an inch and a. Thanks for this excellent blog.

Changing the roof structure adding the proper insulation and relocating mechanical components.