# how would you insulate this ceiling?



## Windows on Wash (Aug 30, 2011)

Pictures are helpful in this situation.

Look for some vents on the roof.


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## demandrew (Dec 9, 2011)

I will do my best to get some pictures up soon, but in the meantime, can you or anyone else comment on whether I need to vent or not? 

I'm sorry if this is incredibly noobish of me, but why is venting necessary? why in the ceiling but not the walls? 

This also relates to another question I've asked about leaving a small space behind insulation for air flow.

If I don't need to worry about leaving a gap between insulation and ceiling then maybe I can just gradually fill the increasing depth with more and more insulation. Just squish it all up there and one end of my kitchen ceiling will be extra insulated compared to the other. What do y'all think?


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## Windows on Wash (Aug 30, 2011)

Venting is ideal but you need to have make up air. Do you have any incoming air from outside (i.e. soffit vents, intake vents, etc)?


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## demandrew (Dec 9, 2011)

Windows on Wash said:


> Venting is ideal but you need to have make up air. Do you have any incoming air from outside (i.e. soffit vents, intake vents, etc)?


From what I can see (and I have the whole ceiling down) there are no intake vents. No soffit vents either as there are not really any soffits to speak of that can be seen from the inside. There are walls of brick that go brick brick brick all the way to the ceiling where they hit the joists and relatively flat roof. In between the joists there's more brick right up to the roof.

So I suppose if there is no new air coming in then maybe venting in this case is unnecessary. At any rate, there was never any venting before and the house has been fine. I just want to make sure that the addition of insulation won't through things off.

Still working on the photo...


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## Gary in WA (Mar 11, 2009)

Some reading for you before I get back again: http://www.buildingscience.com/documents/reports/rr-1001-moisture-safe-unvented-wood-roof-systems

http://www.buildingscience.com/docu.../irc-faq-conditioned-attics?searchterm=attic+

You need to air seal the wall/brick from the roof cavities for the "hot" roof. Use the required foam board equivalent R-value for comparable to our climate Zones. Nice sentence but I'm tired now..... Later.

Gary


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## AndyGump (Sep 26, 2010)

You might could do something like this?

Andy.


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