# Insulating attic pipes



## thew60 (Jan 10, 2014)

I have a colonial on Long Island. The second floor bathrooms have the water supply pipes running behind the wall in the open attic space of the den below. The pipes are well insulated however I had the unfortunate experience of having one of them freeze and burst this last couple of days causing significant damage. Interestingly enough I know exactly why this happened. the attic was built with a minimal R4 insulation in it to allow the heat from the den to keep that attic warm enough to keep the pipes from freezing. A few years ago I had a significant layer of blown in insulation placed into the attic, thereby making my den toasty warm and making the attic probably subfreezing. Now after the restoration company came and tore my den down to a shell it has to be rebuilt from the studs up. I know that these pipes now have to be isolated in some way, the installation contractor is recommending having the rafters insulated instead of the joists over the ceiling he said this way the entire attic space will become insulated thereby protecting the pipes. These pipes are running about three or 4 feet above the joists behind the bathroom walls so there's no way to bury them per se. Putting up a false wall in front of these pipes and insulating in front of or behind that wall is also an option but it will make it impossible to ever give me of those pipes again if God forbid there is a problem. My question is if the rafters are insulated CORRECTLY with the correct baffles and types of insulation will this become an acceptable method of protecting the pipes as well as keeping my living space below comfortable and warm. Thank you so much for reading this lengthy post and I appreciate any feedback.


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## mikegp (Jul 17, 2011)

Without seeing your actual home, I would recommend just moving the pipes so that they run along a wall inside the home very close to the ceiling and build tiny little mini soffits around them. How far do they actually need to travel?

As far as being worried about access to the pipes if there's a problem in the future, how many pipes do you have buried in the walls of your home? Do you worry about those too often?


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## thew60 (Jan 10, 2014)

1- they can't be rerouted. Just can't. take my word for it. 
2- these pipes are "buried" in an attic, losing the ceiling in the process of repair. 
Question remains if my contractors option is a viable one.


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## Windows on Wash (Aug 30, 2011)

Can you post up a picture?

Best way, usually, is to build up a containment around them and box them out with some rigid board and insulate the newly created chase.


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## thew60 (Jan 10, 2014)

Windows on Wash said:


> Can you post up a picture? Best way, usually, is to build up a containment around them and box them out with some rigid board and insulate the newly created chase.












If you look at the photo, you see the PVC riser. Right above the romex spanning the joists you can see a glimmer of silver, that is the tape in the insulation. Zoom in and you can see the pipes. I don't know why the contractor mentioned insulation in the rafters and sides when I know that a false wall and boxing in the pipes is a good option as well. I just need to know if rafter insulation ( which will work too) is an inferior choice than boxing in. 

Look at photo and let me know


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