# Cardboard Attic Baffles



## Msradell (Sep 1, 2011)

Is that looking from the bottom up to the attic? I really don't see cardboard blocking the airflow, there's something there but it's nailed in place which could lead me to believe it was put there when the home was built. Can you take some more pictures from the attic side?


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## randyb23 (Jun 5, 2016)

i'll see if i get edit the first picture to give you a better sense of what i'm talking about.

I've attached here a picture of after they finished the foam to the attic; before the blown in went it.


Please note for my first post and picture...that picture is taken from inside of the soffit looking towards the attic space, so if you look at the top of the picture that is the underside of the roof and that cardboard is the baffle. It appears as though the baffle is folded closed like a cardboard box, when I think that fold in the cardboard should be open and opened away from the roof. Hope that makes sense. I'll see if I can edit the photo with some arrows drawn on it.


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## randyb23 (Jun 5, 2016)

note also on the first post/picture, You can see the foam on the left and right side of the cardboard baffle.

thanks for looking,
Randy


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## randyb23 (Jun 5, 2016)

The house is a Ranch style built in 1975 so it's 2 x 4 construction.

Here is the first picture edited, again this picture is taken from outside in the soffit looking up towards the attic; you just can't see the hole or vented hole going to the attic because the cardboard chute or baffle is closed/not opened.

All the baffles appear to be closed, at least on the back side of the house, I haven't opened the front side soffits yet.


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## Bud9051 (Nov 11, 2015)

It appears to me that they intentionally sealed off the air path above the baffles for some unknown reason.

Does your attic have a ridge vent, gable vents, or other high vent?

Did they give any explanation as to why they did this?

Bud


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## randyb23 (Jun 5, 2016)

no ridge vent, only like 5 roof vents. We bought the house in December and gutted the 1st floor up..i.e. all new insulation and sheet rock. 

i agree it appears that they shut them off intentionally or forgot to open them on the bottom side.

I wanted to check here first before I go ask them if they should be open on the soffit side. I don't see how I have any air flow here.

Those should be open to have the air flow up through the attic from the vented soffits, I would think.

I remember when they installed them that they said I should have one between every rafter for better air flow....*&^%* but they don't appear to be open.


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## Bud9051 (Nov 11, 2015)

OK, having to mentally disassemble what is there to figure out what they did. Poor eyesight slows me down.

Last picture, there is a board nailed across below the rafters. Looks like they were closing off the exterior of the stud bays as the sheathing didn't go up to the top plate. The board is nailed to the top plate.

If that is how it is assembled it is called top chord overhang and provides only the depth of the rafters above the top plate. 

My guess is those baffles were intended for 6" rafters and when they stuffed them down to the top plate they failed to notice that they closed off the gap.

You are correct and they acknowledged it with their statement regarding adding more baffles. There should be a 1" gap above those baffles.

What they will come up with for a solution or excuse will be interesting. To redo all of the baffles would be an enormous job.

On the positive side, ventilation is necessary to remove heat and moisture that makes it way into the attic, you shouldn't have a lot of either coming from the house. But for summer solar it heat doesn't look good.

See what they offer.

Bud


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## Petervinge (Sep 7, 2019)

Good evening, I had horrible ice dams last year (our first winter in our new home) and when I went to install more soffit vents today and I found the exact same thing! What ended up happening to resolve your issue? Did you force the cardboard out or did they reinstall new vent baffles?


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