"
I think that this study may be more to the point on problems in "selling…"
Insulate Your !#@!$ Attic Hatch
My attic hatch insulation kit came in the mail this morning and I am very excited. Excited enough to go into a hot dusty attic to install it over the weekend.
I promised Michele that I will practice the Yoga of home improvement projects and keep the cursing down to a minimum. My home improvement projects usually involve some cursing. I worked part time as a janitor when I was in high school and that is where I learned some pretty spicy language. I didn’t intend to write about cursing here, but since I am in this so deep now, then damn it, I may as well connect the topic to some cutting edge scientific research. You got a problem with that?
British scientists found that cursing takes away pain. When people put their hands in a tub of cold water and cursed, they could hold their hands in longer than if they said things like, “butterscotch”. If you don’t want to take my word for it, you no-good so-and-sos, the research results were
published in the online journal NeuroReport.
The attic hatch insulation kit will save us some energy losses and utility bill pain in the long run. According to the DOE Weatherization Assistance program, a gosh darn uninsulated 10 square foot attic hatch in a 100 square foot insulated attic can decrease the overall R-value of the attic floor by more than 50%! For example, an attic with R-38 insulation everywhere but on top of a stinking quarter-inch plywood hatch with an R-value of approximately 0.3 will have an overall R-value of only R-17. What a freaking waist! Bloody hell!
You can find out more about insulating attic hatches at the Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Web site. Do it now!
Views: 451
Comment
-
Comment by Steve Waclo on November 12, 2010 at 7:23pm -
Jim...no red underline in comments :-(.
A pull down door, of course !
-
Comment by Jim Gunshinan on November 12, 2010 at 4:09pm -
Tom, sorry for the late response. No, the kit did not include a door.
And Steve, didn't "minize" get underlined with red when you wrote it in the comment box? My attic hatch has a pull down ladder attached to it, so I couldn't bring it down to the floor to work on it. Wish I could have...
-
Comment by Steve Waclo on November 12, 2010 at 3:27pm
-
This site is in desperate need of "spell check" !!
"not to minize " OUCH!!
Or was that done purposefully to estimate the education level (and thus, veracity) of posters?
Administrator, anyone ?
-
Comment by Steve Waclo on November 12, 2010 at 3:24pm
-
Jim:
Hmmm...thats a mighty small attic (100 sq'). Works out to just 10 x 10. (I did that in my head :-). And believe me, not to minize the import of hatch insulation, but that's a rather exterme example from our DOE friends.
Kinda wondering about this part too:
"Excited enough to go into a hot dusty attic to install it over the weekend."
Over here in the colonies, we generally climb a ladder, remove the hatch, bring it down and work on it in the comfort of the conditioned space...but that's just us :-). Of course, I don't know your attic configuration, so that may not have worked for you :-).
Regarding a kit, what I did in my home was simply use some adhesive to fasten appropriately sized R-19 to the top of the hatch (while safely and comfortably on the floor in the conditioned space...couldn't resist :-).
A bit of weatherstrio along the perimeter and back into place. Works for me!
Cheers!!
-
Comment by Tom White on November 9, 2010 at 3:07pm -
I've just reset our 2007 Home Energy article on sealing attic hatches from paid to free (one of the pleasures of my job as publisher). One of our authors' chief findings is that a thick, heavy door seals better than a flimsy thin door. Does your kit include a new door?
-
Comment by Jim Gunshinan on November 9, 2010 at 2:40pm
-
I guess If I don't need to cuss, I won't. But I bet there will be other reasons. Take politics, for example...
-
Comment by Dale Sherman on November 9, 2010 at 2:28pm -
Hi Jim! According to your research on cold exposure research, cussin' is what made that cold attic hole tolerable. So can we surmise that airsealing and insulating the attic hatch will reduce domestic swearing?
Home Energy Pros
Home Energy Pros was founded by the developers of Home Energy Saver Pro (sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) and brought to you in partnership with Home Energy magazine.
Latest Activity
Ben Jacobs replied to Jose Macho's discussion Why Are Energy-Saving Home Inprovements Down??"I think that most homeowners lack proper education on the proper way to achieve significant…"
Tom Delconte replied to Johnny Ritzo's discussion Selecting a Water Heater"J: natural gas is the cheapest, at least until prices skyrocket. Nearly everyone has gotten rid of…"
Jeena Smith commented on Molly Banton's blog post Install a Pellet-Burning Fireplace Insert and Save Money"Fireplace burning insert must be of very good quality. It should be a combo of lower price and high…"
Johnny Ritzo posted a discussionSelecting a Water Heater
I am looking at updating the heating and water heating systems in a rental home I recently…See More
Eric Kjelshus replied to Patrick Michaelyan's discussion Hot Upper Stories"When I am asked to fix this home. I start with a Heat Loss and gain, blower door IR sq…"
Bud Poll replied to Bachi Brunato's discussion Boxing and Insulating Around Non-ICAT Cans"This is a topic I have discussed many times, but unfortunately cost is all too often the deciding…"
Sean Lintow Sr replied to Bachi Brunato's discussion Boxing and Insulating Around Non-ICAT Cans"If you can't talk them into replacing with IC rated...
Look into Tenmat - those are designed…"
Bachi Brunato posted a discussionBoxing and Insulating Around Non-ICAT Cans
I have a client with 16) 4" halogen recessed light fixtures in the attic.I'd like to cover the cans…See More
© 2013 Created by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
You need to be a member of Home Energy Pros to add comments!
Join Home Energy Pros