Attic Insulation in Dover, DE

Monday, October 16th, 2023 by Mike Sites

Challenge

The upstairs of this home in Dover, DE was difficult to heat and cool year-round. Many modern homes experience this problem even though the attics appear to be well insulated. Building science has revealed quite a bit about these mysterious and elusive problems since 2002 when this home was built. And Dr. Energy Saver has developed the best practice solutions. These solutions aren't the best just because they're Dr. Energy Saver's, these solutions are Dr. Energy Saver's solutions because they ARE the best.

Contrary to what we have been led to believe by door & window manufactures, home comfort problems are not typically solved by installing new windows and doors, but rather by air sealing and upgrading insulation.

This home had an additional problem, also quite common - the HVAC equipment and ductwork is located in the hostile environment of the attic. You might think winter would cause the greatest problems when temperatures in the attic can dip to 30° F, and below, but did you realize in the summer temperatures inside an attic can soar to well over 140° F. This is the worst possible place for this equipment.

Solution

Cellulose is the most cost effective solution when it comes to attic insulation. You might wonder, "why can't we just blow the cellulose over top the existing insulation and be done with it?' If only the solution were so simple. But you've likely heard it before, maybe from your parents or grandparents: "Do it right the first time". Lawson Home Service's crew installed 17 inches of TruSoft™ cellulose insulation bringing the insulation value to R60, more than tripling the R19 of the old open-face fiberglass batt insulation.

The second problem in this house were the hundreds of tiny air leaks that were left behind from the original construction. Hidden underneath that old insulation and added all together, these air leaks result in huge losses of conditioned air the homeowner paid to heat or cool. It got sucked up into the attic, right through the old insulation, and then escaped into thin air through the attic ventilation system. So in order to treat the leaky attic properly we had to pull up all the old dirty insulation and thoroughly clean the attic floor. Once clean, the process of sealing those cracks and holes with expandable foam begins.

Since we really don't have the choice of moving the HVAC equipment and ductwork to a better location the most cost effective measure is a method we call "Tight N True", where we seal the ductwork with 1" of foam and then bury it in a deep blanket of TruSoft™ cellulose insulation. Lawson Home Services went one step further by performing our Platinum Duct Cleaning Service and then sealing the ductwork from the inside using the revolutionary AeroSeal™ process.

When you compare the cost of all these measures it might seem high. But realize over time if you do nothing you are going to spend the same amount of money and still not be comfortable. The occupants of this home are going to be very cozy for many winters to come and will be cool and dry while the weather is hot and humid outside. They made the choice to invest in "Doing it right."

Have a look at the photo gallery and see all the meticulous detail Lawson Home Services amazing crew did on this home.

Here's how it looks before any of the work was started. This R19 open-faced fiberglass insulation was installed nicely and may have been state of the art back in 2002, but we can do much better in 2023.

Lawson's crew began the attic work by removing all the old R19 fiberglass insulation in order to start with a clean, bare attic floor. Now the process of sealing all the hundreds of cracks and holes that contributed to uncomfortable rooms below can begin.

A fresh clean start for installing the cat walks and insulation dams that will contain the TruSoft™ Cellulose insulation.

Dams and cat walks have been installed that will contain the TruSoft™ Insulation and allow access to the HVAC equipment.

The ductwork has been covered with 1" of expandable foam, part of Dr. Energy Saver's "Tight N True" process which insures the air will stay inside the ductwork and will not be subjected to the extreme temperatures inside the attic air space above.

The bath fan has been sealed and insulated to prevent the hot humid air inside the exhaust lines from condensing and dripping back down into the bathroom, potentially causing damage to the drywall ceiling and creating wet spots on the bathroom floor. You can also see the pink foam used to air seal the cracks and holes in the attic floor. This stops conditioned air from being pulled up through the hollow wall cavities below, ultimately escaping into the atmosphere through the attic vents.

This is what the insides of the ductwork looked like before and after Lawson Home Services Platinum Duct Cleaning Service was performed. The before may look nasty but believe it, we often see much worse (mold, hair, dust, and dirt).

This shows the difference in the air leaking of the ductwork before and after Lawson's savvy crew applied the Aeroseal™ technology. Imagine cracking open a typical-sized window 3-4 inches, and leaving it open the whole time you are running your air conditioning or heating. That's what a 98 square inch hole does. We reduced that leakage down to about half the size of a typical smartphone screen.