Insulate Indoor Attic Access

For air to move there must a path hole in the ceiling crack in the drywall poorly sealed attic scuttle etc and a difference in pressure.

Insulate indoor attic access.

Staple long pieces of duct tape sticky side up onto the attic scuttle door. Cut out two pieces of rigid foam board that are 1 4 inch smaller than the hatch so homeowners can slide the attic access panel open easily. Add foam insulation tape around the edges to seal the perimeter where it rests in the access hole. As you can see using the flame test the door is a little crooked which leaves a gap at the top and the bottom which allows cold air to flow into our closet.

The access door is in our closet which is fine except the fact that the crawl space has very little insulation and neither does the door. First install foam weather stripping on the inside of the trim or directly onto the hatch. The rule here is simple. Most insulation i find in the attic of homes is air permeable air can travel through it.

This means while your insulation in the attic may slow the flow of heat via radiation it will not stop air flow from the living space which carries heat via convection if there is a path for air to travel. Because the simplest and cheapest way to insulate an attic is to add material to the floor. Add insulation to the exterior of the plywood box. Here s one good method.

Then add insulation batting to form a pillow and wrap it up like a birthday present as shown. That means that you should glue at least 4 inches of foil faced polyisocyanurate r 26 to the box. But if the floor is covered in plywood you can t stuff enough insulation beneath it to do the job sufficiently not even in warm climates. With attic insulation we aim for a pretty high standard usually at least r 49 and the coffin insulation should match.