Insulating Roof Trusses

The quest for greater energy efficiency in buildings has led to increasing interest and need for insulation improvements in hvac equipment more airtight construction new materials and assemblies.

Insulating roof trusses.

Then feed the rolled insulation under wires and pipe if either is present. Like ordinary roof trusses scissors trusses come with or without a raised heel sometimes called an energy heel. If you ended up with scissors trusses without raised heels. Senior engineer manager at icynene john broniek makes the case for the unvented attic assembly and why insulating the underside of the roof makes sense.

With a regular roof insulation isn t a problem. If the plastic sheeting is in pieces overlap the pieces. To insulate the underside of the ceiling between rafters you ll want to add insulation to the exterior portion of the finished ceiling. Place the plastic sheeting on top of the rolled insulation.

Roof insulation configurations for unvented rafter truss assemblies. The relatively costly application for example can also save money by lowering your energy bills and enabling you to add your own insulation with a contractor s help. Like many other building materials insulating spray foams for use on roof rafters and attic surfaces come with advantages and disadvantages. Ibc dictates acceptable placement and composition of roofing materials in chapter 15 but describes required thermal efficiency of the roof in chapter 13 which references the international energy conservation code iecc the minimum required thermal resistance varies.

For rolled insulation place it between roof rafters. Images courtesy simpson gumpertz heger. However if you have a cathedral style garage roof you will need a scaffolding to get into the upper areas of the roof. In either case you will need to follow the general steps below to insulate your garage roof.

Look for water stains on the roof sheathing or damp or moldy spots on attic joists and existing insulation as a clue to where leaks might be. Water is insulation s enemy. It creates a breeding ground for mold and mildew and ruins the air trapping pockets that block heat flow. The bigger issue comes around when you are dealing with a roof that has exposed trusses cathedral ceilings or specialty open ceilings.