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mrbones

03:32PM | 02/28/01
Member Since: 02/27/01
1 lifetime posts
Bvhvac
I have a second story bedroom that is 8 degrees colder than the other rooms on the same floor. Would adding additional insulation on the ceiling in the unheated/insulated garage below and in the attic be helpful to reducing the temperature variation?
The home is in south central PA. I believe the garage ceiling has at least r-19 and the attic r-30.
A visit to the home supply store had panels with r-factors of 3.0, 3.6 and 4.0.
Would adding r-3.0 panel to the garage ceiling
and r-4.0 panel to the attic bring the temperature variation to 5 degrees or less?

The home is 4 years old, two heat pumps with oil furnace back up for downstairs heat pump.
Heat pump is directly above the room, in the attic with three heat vents and one return.
Two walls to the room are interior walls, two are exterior walls. One exterior wall has a dormer window the other is at one end of the house. Tyvek wrapped exterior.
The other bedrooms and hallway temp at 69 degrees while the "cold" bedroom temps at 61 degrees.
The situation is reversed during the summer, the bedroom above the garage is much hotter than the other spaces on the second floor.

david_wv

02:40AM | 03/01/01
Member Since: 01/28/01
171 lifetime posts
I would add to the attic. US Dept of Energy has a website that suggests insulation levels for based on your zip code. West Virginia attic is R-49 (I think). Fiberglass batts or rolls are usually cheaper than rigid foam. Make sure you already have a vapor barrier and the new insulation is unfaced. I wouldn't add to the garage ceiling. Given the expensive and difficulty in adding to a finished ceiling. Have you checked the exterior walls and windows? That may be where a good bit of heat is flowing. Upgrading walls is challenging but you can work on the window. New window, storm window or the shrinking plastic.


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