Heated line in attic crawl space
user-1095327
| Posted in Energy Efficiency and Durability on
My house has some unfinished crawl spaces where the heater pipe line runs trough. In the winter i get ice dams due to the loss of heat. Should I spray insulation over the expose copper lines to keep this spaces cold or should i spray the roof rafters? I tried insulated sleeves but don’t seen to work.
Thank you for your responses.
GBA Detail Library
A collection of one thousand construction details organized by climate and house part
Search and download construction details
Replies
Nestor,
You forgot to tell us where you live or your climate zone.
Hydronic heating pipes should always be located inside the thermal envelope of your house. It sounds like your attic kneewall areas are located outside your thermal envelope.
The best solution is probably to insulate the sloped rafter bays with closed-cell spray polyurethane foam. Be sure that your spray-foam contractor understands the basics of air sealing work, and completes the air barrier from the top plate of your perimeter wall to the blocking above your kneewall.