Air Seal and Radiant Barrier Wall in New Hudson, MI
Challenge
The homeowner noticed every winter that he would get moisture on his wall in his living room where his vaulted ceiling vertical interior wall is exposed to the attic. The interior drywall would be covered in condensation every winter and cause streaks in the paint that the homeowner would then have to touch up every year. The problem was caused by the interior vertical wall on the vaulted ceiling being exposed to the attic without sufficient insulation providing a good thermal barrier between the warm interior air that was rising, coming in contact with the interior wall exposed to the cold temperature inside of the attic. The homeowner chose to have this problem fixed because he had tired of having to get up on a ladder to wipe the condensation off the wall and then repaint the wall every spring to cover the water streaks that were left behind. The homeowner's biggest concern with the problem was that he had to repeat the process of cleaning the wall and then repainting it year after year and was also concerned about possible mold growth forming on the drywall.
Solution
The homeowner chose our company because we came up with the best solution with products that would fix his issue compared to the other companies he had out there that wanted to install fiberglass batt against the interior vertical wall inside of the attic (which he already had, hence why he knew their solution would not work) and because we also identified can lights on his ceiling that would be an easy fix to cover and prevent air loss from inside the home, that no other company suggested. Our solution was to install an R20 foam board with a radiant barrier on either side across the vaulted vertical wall and air seal between the insulation and the wall. We then would install five rockwool can light covers over the recessed lighting and air seal them to the attic floor to prevent conditioned air from being sucked through them and lost to the attic. The only challenge we faced during the installation process was getting the attic insulation on the attic floor which was cellulose, away from recessed lights to make sure the attic floor would be clean enough to foam around the can light cover to ensure an airtight seal between the can light cover and the attic floor. We used SilverGlo, ZypFoam and Titeshell Recessed Light Fixture Covers. The homeowner now has a more energy efficient home and is no longer experiencing condensation build up on his vertical ceiling wall.
