Attic Insulation in Appleton, WI

Attic insulation in an Appleton house works best when it starts with air sealing. Warm air rises through holes in the top-floor ceiling: around plumbing vents, wiring, light fixtures, chimneys and the attic hatch, and along the tops of interior walls. That air carries heat and moisture into the attic. In winter it warms the roof deck and melts snow, which refreezes at the eaves as ice dams, and the moisture frosts on nail tips and drips back down in a thaw.

Seal first, then insulate

Loose fill slows heat but not air. So before we blow anything, we seal the bypasses with foam, caulk and rigid blocking, weatherstrip and insulate the hatch, and put up baffles at the eaves so the new insulation does not choke the soffit vents.

How much is enough

The Insulation Institute's summary of Wisconsin's code lists R-49 for ceilings in Zone 6. HomeGuide rates loose cellulose at R-3.1 to R-3.8 per inch and blown fiberglass at R-2.2 to R-2.9, so reaching R-49 takes well over a foot of material. Many attics in older Fox Cities neighborhoods have 4 to 6 inches that has settled or been disturbed by wiring and cable work.

Foam in the hard spots

Cape Cods and story-and-a-half houses, common in older Appleton and Kaukauna neighborhoods, have kneewalls, sloped ceilings and tiny side attics where loose fill will not reach full depth. Spray foam in those slopes and kneewalls fixes the cold upstairs bedrooms these homes are known for.