Attic Insulation Ceiling Vapor Barrier

Now with attic insulation heat is no longer lost from the living space such that.

Attic insulation ceiling vapor barrier.

If you live in a cold climate place the vapor barrier between the interior of your home and the insulation. Some regions don t require a vapor barrier. After the insulation is in place you will want to add a vapor retarder sometimes called a vapor barrier if you need one. A vapor retarder is a material used to prevent water vapor from diffusing into the wall ceiling or floor during the cold winter.

The insulation fiberglass or cellulose is then placed on top of the drywall with no vapor barrier above or below. Whether your vapor barrier is a facing or a film it must be placed on the warm in winter side of the wall. Attic insulation should always be installed with the paper backing facing toward the living space the ceiling in this case. When adding additional insulation to an attic that is already insulated never use insulation with a vapor barrier.

Before the introduction of attic insulation attics in cold climates were poorly insulated and plastic ceiling vapor barriers were omitted. If you do there is a chance that moisture that has slipped by the first vapor barrier will become trapped by the second vapor barrier decreasing the value of your insulation. Not every wall does. This barrier is meant to keep moisture from getting to the insulation in the walls and ceilings and it is required by building codes when insulating most houses.

Whether using loose fill or batts put the vapor barrier closest to the warm side of your installation where hot moist air would get in facing the house s interior in cold climates beneath floor insulation and the attic s interior in hot climates on top of floor insulation. Vapor barriers are sheets of plastic or other material placed on one side of insulation sheets. On the other hand an air barrier a properly detailed air tight drywall ceiling for example in the absence of a vapor barrier can be effective since it stops the flow of vapor laden air. The heat being lost from the house below warmed up the attic so that moisture was lost through the vents as vapor.

In any case the vapor barrier must point to the warm side. Attic vapor barrier detail for cold climates the best approach for a vented attic in a cold climate is installing a layer of drywall with a good coat of latex paint the paint creates a semi permeable vapor barrier.