Insulation question for attic

[Jimson5681]

I own a home just outside of Wilmington, DE. My home is apx 35 yrs old and upstairs of the home is noticiably colder (drafty) in the winter and warmer/more humid in the summer. Let me explain more about the attic. On the sides of the attic (let's say the east and west sides of the house) there are louvers. One side just has the louvers and the other side has louvers with some type of a thermostatically controlled fan attached that does not work. The attic is insulated but it has blown in insulation and there are bare spots I can see. There are also sections that are noticiably higher than others.

Now that all being said, I have apx 680 sq ft of attic space that needs to be insulated. I know that I should add insulation but my question is how to go about adding this insulation. I have read somethings on the Owens Corning web site but my question has a couple parts. What should I do with all of the blown insulation? Spread it all out evenly or dispose of the insulation? Depending on the responses on this question will help me with the project.

The other part of my question has to do with the louvers that are locted at the east and west sides of the house. I know I do not have a ridge vent at the top of the roof but if I am in the attic and look towards the north or south (front/rear) of the house, there are vents. I just dont know what they are called. I do know that Owens Corning sells a product to insure that when you add insulation, you don't cover these vents. Does anyone have any advice regarding these vents? Are they necessary? I am going to guess yes but I need to solve the drafts on the second floor of the house.

All of your advice is greatly appreciated.

[Joseph Meehan]

Those vents are very important to the life of your roof and your home. You don't want to stop that air circulation. Moisture will collect there and damage the structure. During the summer the heat will damage the roof materials.

[terry]

Agree. Building codes specify that there must be certain percentage of vent area to attic space to allow 'cross ventilation'. Interfering with sataisfactory attic ventlation could/will lead to condensation, possible roof rot/mould etc. If that fan/vent etc is defective might be best to analyze your sitauation and decide if it should be repaired and or additional ventilation vents added.

[BobR]

Blown in insulation is about the best attic insulation you can get but it should provide uniform coverage throughout the attic to a minimum of R-30 rating or whatever is the recommended minimum for your area. The best advice would be to have additional insulation blown in to provide a uniform coverage throughout. Trying to redistribut the existing insulation will probably result in it packing down which will reduce the effectiveness.

The vents at both ends of the attic are necessary for proper ventilation of the attic space and will be especially useful in the summer. The fan was probably controled by a thermostat to turn on when the attic temperature reached a certain temperature (90 F). If you are experiencing high summer airconditioning bills the fan might help and is a lot cheaper to operate than the air conditioner.

Jims> I own a home just outside of Wilmington, DE. My home is apx 35 yrs old