--
I live on Long Island and own a colonial home with a second floor attic and
partial roof over my 1st floor den and kitchen off of the rear of the house.
My upstairs attic is well ventilated and is insulated with attic blankets.
The issue is with my lower roof. It is a sealed design....no gable vents (I
suppose there are no true "gables" per se...the roof comes off of the rear
of the house). That attic not being ventilated, the insulation is relatively
minimal. I never had a problem until I has vinyl siding installed a few
years ago. The siding itself was installed over "super tuff-R". Only
recently while having some electrical work done did I realize that the
contractor cut huge holes in the original plywood soffit before installing
the ventilated vinyl soffit. My den and kitchen have been notably cooler in
the winter and I can now safely assume it is coming from these previously
sealed, now vented soffits. I have no roof vents or gable vents so there is
nowhere for the air that enters the soffits to go but DOWN, not out.

Now the question.....
I have no access to this attic short of cutting a HOLE in the side of my
house to get in there to insulate. I will not have blown insulation
installed...I don't like the stuff. I know it may not be "proper" but can I
just pull down the vinyl soffit, stuff insulation into these huge holes and
replace the vinyl?? I will sort of put it back "the way it was".

All suggestions appreciated!!!
Thanks,
Matthew

In article ,
"Matthew" wrote:

--
I live on Long Island and own a colonial home with a second floor attic and
partial roof over my 1st floor den and kitchen off of the rear of the house.
My upstairs attic is well ventilated and is insulated with attic blankets.
The issue is with my lower roof. It is a sealed design....no gable vents (I
suppose there are no true "gables" per se...the roof comes off of the rear
of the house). That attic not being ventilated, the insulation is relatively
minimal. I never had a problem until I has vinyl siding installed a few
years ago. The siding itself was installed over "super tuff-R". Only
recently while having some electrical work done did I realize that the
contractor cut huge holes in the original plywood soffit before installing
the ventilated vinyl soffit. My den and kitchen have been notably cooler in
the winter and I can now safely assume it is coming from these previously
sealed, now vented soffits. I have no roof vents or gable vents so there is
nowhere for the air that enters the soffits to go but DOWN, not out.

Now the question.....
I have no access to this attic short of cutting a HOLE in the side of my
house to get in there to insulate. I will not have blown insulation
installed...I don't like the stuff. I know it may not be "proper" but can I
just pull down the vinyl soffit, stuff insulation into these huge holes and
replace the vinyl?? I will sort of put it back "the way it was".

All suggestions appreciated!!!
Thanks,
Matthew



I'm just curious -- 1) how huge is "huge," and 2) why don't you like
blown-in insulation, which seems to be pretty ideal for applications
such as yours? I mean, it's not like you'd be looking at it every day.
Chances are, by the next day, you'd forget you even had it.

Speaking as a pedestrian, there doesn't seem to be anything overtly
wrong with your plan provided you're able to secure whatever you plan on
using so there's a nice, snug fit over/around the holes. An actual
construction-trade professional might have a different and far more
qualified opinion, tho. Otherwise try it and find out. Not like you
could ruin your house doing it or anything

AJS

"Matthew" wrote in message . net...
--
I live on Long Island and own a colonial home with a second floor attic and
partial roof over my 1st floor den and kitchen off of the rear of the house.
My upstairs attic is well ventilated and is insulated with attic blankets.
The issue is with my lower roof. It is a sealed design....no gable vents (I
suppose there are no true "gables" per se...the roof comes off of the rear
of the house). That attic not being ventilated, the insulation is relatively
minimal. I never had a problem until I has vinyl siding installed a few
years ago. The siding itself was installed over "super tuff-R". Only
recently while having some electrical work done did I realize that the
contractor cut huge holes in the original plywood soffit before installing
the ventilated vinyl soffit. My den and kitchen have been notably cooler in
the winter and I can now safely assume it is coming from these previously
sealed, now vented soffits. I have no roof vents or gable vents so there is
nowhere for the air that enters the soffits to go but DOWN, not out.

Now the question.....
I have no access to this attic short of cutting a HOLE in the side of my
house to get in there to insulate. I will not have blown insulation
installed...I don't like the stuff. I know it may not be "proper" but can I
just pull down the vinyl soffit, stuff insulation into these huge holes and
replace the vinyl?? I will sort of put it back "the way it was".

All suggestions appreciated!!!
Thanks,
Matthew

You will neeed more than insulation to effectively close those holes.
Since the holes are most likely not square, this should work. Try
cutting plywood a bit larger than the hole, slide it up through the
hole and position it to cover the hole. Construction adhesive should
be enough to seal the perimeter.
TB

In article ,
(Tom Baker) wrote:

"Matthew" wrote in message
. net...
--
I live on Long Island and own a colonial home with a second floor attic and
partial roof over my 1st floor den and kitchen off of the rear of the
house.
My upstairs attic is well ventilated and is insulated with attic blankets.
The issue is with my lower roof. It is a sealed design....no gable vents (I
suppose there are no true "gables" per se...the roof comes off of the rear
of the house). That attic not being ventilated, the insulation is
relatively
minimal. I never had a problem until I has vinyl siding installed a few
years ago. The siding itself was installed over "super tuff-R". Only
recently while having some electrical work done did I realize that the
contractor cut huge holes in the original plywood soffit before installing
the ventilated vinyl soffit. My den and kitchen have been notably cooler in
the winter and I can now safely assume it is coming from these previously
sealed, now vented soffits. I have no roof vents or gable vents so there is
nowhere for the air that enters the soffits to go but DOWN, not out.

Now the question.....
I have no access to this attic short of cutting a HOLE in the side of my
house to get in there to insulate. I will not have blown insulation
installed...I don't like the stuff. I know it may not be "proper" but can I
just pull down the vinyl soffit, stuff insulation into these huge holes and
replace the vinyl?? I will sort of put it back "the way it was".

All suggestions appreciated!!!
Thanks,
Matthew

You will neeed more than insulation to effectively close those holes.
Since the holes are most likely not square, this should work. Try
cutting plywood a bit larger than the hole, slide it up through the
hole and position it to cover the hole. Construction adhesive should
be enough to seal the perimeter.
TB

Don't you mean position the new plywood cover *over* the hole? Seems
physically impossible to slide a larger piece of wood into a smaller
hole. Assuming we're talking about a circular hole, that is. You can get
away with it to a larger extent with oval-shaped holes, but I can't
think of any electricians who carry oval hole saws. Screw the new wood
"plate" on, seal with a bead of caulk, pop the vinyl back on, job done.

But all in all, I think this probably makes more sense than stuffing the
hole with insulation since it would restore everything closer to its
natural problem-free state. Why I didn't think of it in my earlier post
is beyond me, but I suppose such things happen with the right-brained.
Or the no-brained grin.

AJS

My two cents... I wouldn't block the soffit venting, since ideally you
want to keep that roof cool so you don't get melting and ice dams and
the whole mess that comes with those.

Ideally, you'd get into that space, put in some sort of gable vent
then insulate the floor of the space. That way your living space is
insulated and the roof stays cool.

Of course this comes from a Mainer who wrestles with ice dams every
year because the original contractor didn't vent my attic correctly.
It may not be as big an issue on Long Island (although I'm pretty sure
it gets cold down there as well, right?)

John

"Matthew" wrote in message . net...
--
I live on Long Island and own a colonial home with a second floor attic and
partial roof over my 1st floor den and kitchen off of the rear of the house.
My upstairs attic is well ventilated and is insulated with attic blankets.
The issue is with my lower roof. It is a sealed design....no gable vents (I
suppose there are no true "gables" per se...the roof comes off of the rear
of the house). That attic not being ventilated, the insulation is relatively
minimal. I never had a problem until I has vinyl siding installed a few
years ago. The siding itself was installed over "super tuff-R". Only
recently while having some electrical work done did I realize that the
contractor cut huge holes in the original plywood soffit before installing
the ventilated vinyl soffit. My den and kitchen have been notably cooler in
the winter and I can now safely assume it is coming from these previously
sealed, now vented soffits. I have no roof vents or gable vents so there is
nowhere for the air that enters the soffits to go but DOWN, not out.

Now the question.....
I have no access to this attic short of cutting a HOLE in the side of my
house to get in there to insulate. I will not have blown insulation
installed...I don't like the stuff. I know it may not be "proper" but can I
just pull down the vinyl soffit, stuff insulation into these huge holes and
replace the vinyl?? I will sort of put it back "the way it was".

All suggestions appreciated!!!
Thanks,
Matthew

Yes John, it has been unseasonably cold here on LI. Single digits, teens.
though more recently 30's. I spoke to the contractor who did the siding who
agrees....he would cut a hole in the side of the house to gain access to the
attic floor space, insulate the space, then when closing the hole, place a
gable vent there. Probably the best bet but certainly not the cheapest.
I just thought that if I put it back to the way it was (sealed soffits) it
would be ok and a heck of a lot cheaper. I'm in my home 12 years and never
had ice damming in the 1st floor roof.
Matthew



"John Gold" wrote in message
m...
My two cents... I wouldn't block the soffit venting, since ideally you
want to keep that roof cool so you don't get melting and ice dams and
the whole mess that comes with those.

Ideally, you'd get into that space, put in some sort of gable vent
then insulate the floor of the space. That way your living space is
insulated and the roof stays cool.

Of course this comes from a Mainer who wrestles with ice dams every
year because the original contractor didn't vent my attic correctly.
It may not be as big an issue on Long Island (although I'm pretty sure
it gets cold down there as well, right?)

John

"Matthew" wrote in message
. net...
--
I live on Long Island and own a colonial home with a second floor attic
and
partial roof over my 1st floor den and kitchen off of the rear of the
house.
My upstairs attic is well ventilated and is insulated with attic
blankets.
The issue is with my lower roof. It is a sealed design....no gable vents
(I
suppose there are no true "gables" per se...the roof comes off of the
rear
of the house). That attic not being ventilated, the insulation is
relatively
minimal. I never had a problem until I has vinyl siding installed a few
years ago. The siding itself was installed over "super tuff-R". Only
recently while having some electrical work done did I realize that the
contractor cut huge holes in the original plywood soffit before
installing
the ventilated vinyl soffit. My den and kitchen have been notably cooler
in
the winter and I can now safely assume it is coming from these
previously
sealed, now vented soffits. I have no roof vents or gable vents so there
is
nowhere for the air that enters the soffits to go but DOWN, not out.

Now the question.....
I have no access to this attic short of cutting a HOLE in the side of my
house to get in there to insulate. I will not have blown insulation
installed...I don't like the stuff. I know it may not be "proper" but
can I
just pull down the vinyl soffit, stuff insulation into these huge holes
and
replace the vinyl?? I will sort of put it back "the way it was".

All suggestions appreciated!!!
Thanks,
Matthew

From: "Matthew"
Date: 2/13/2004 6:31 PM Eastern Standard Time
Message-id:

Yes John, it has been unseasonably cold here on LI. Single digits, teens.
though more recently 30's. I spoke to the contractor who did the siding who
agrees....he would cut a hole in the side of the house to gain access to the
attic floor space, insulate the space, then when closing the hole, place a
gable vent there. Probably the best bet but certainly not the cheapest.
I just thought that if I put it back to the way it was (sealed soffits) it
would be ok and a heck of a lot cheaper. I'm in my home 12 years and never
had ice damming in the 1st floor roof.
Matthew

Under this roof are heated rooms, right? The area was probably very tightly
insulated and was considered too small an area, roof-wise, to worry about
heat-buildup and proper venting.

Are there any recessed hi-hats in the ceiling under this area where you could
pop them down, blow insulation over the whole kit-and-kaboddle, and then simply
pop the hi-hats back into place?




"John Gold" wrote in message
om...
My two cents... I wouldn't block the soffit venting, since ideally you
want to keep that roof cool so you don't get melting and ice dams and
the whole mess that comes with those.

Ideally, you'd get into that space, put in some sort of gable vent
then insulate the floor of the space. That way your living space is
insulated and the roof stays cool.

Of course this comes from a Mainer who wrestles with ice dams every
year because the original contractor didn't vent my attic correctly.
It may not be as big an issue on Long Island (although I'm pretty sure
it gets cold down there as well, right?)

John

"Matthew" wrote in message
.net...
--
I live on Long Island and own a colonial home with a second floor attic
and
partial roof over my 1st floor den and kitchen off of the rear of the
house.
My upstairs attic is well ventilated and is insulated with attic
blankets.
The issue is with my lower roof. It is a sealed design....no gable vents
(I
suppose there are no true "gables" per se...the roof comes off of the
rear
of the house). That attic not being ventilated, the insulation is
relatively
minimal. I never had a problem until I has vinyl siding installed a few
years ago. The siding itself was installed over "super tuff-R". Only
recently while having some electrical work done did I realize that the
contractor cut huge holes in the original plywood soffit before
installing
the ventilated vinyl soffit. My den and kitchen have been notably cooler
in
the winter and I can now safely assume it is coming from these
previously
sealed, now vented soffits. I have no roof vents or gable vents so there
is
nowhere for the air that enters the soffits to go but DOWN, not out.

Now the question.....
I have no access to this attic short of cutting a HOLE in the side of my
house to get in there to insulate. I will not have blown insulation
installed...I don't like the stuff. I know it may not be "proper" but
can I
just pull down the vinyl soffit, stuff insulation into these huge holes
and
replace the vinyl?? I will sort of put it back "the way it was".

All suggestions appreciated!!!
Thanks,
Matthew

Your assumption of the relatively small attic space hence no venting is
likely correct. When I had my CAC installed a few years ago the HVAC
contractor called my house a "sweat box design" because of the non vented
lower roof..
There are plenty of high hats in both the den and kitchen. The idea of
blown insulation did cross my mind however I thought that blown insulation
needed to be kept AWAY from the highhats as it is a fire hazard.
Any advice on this??
Matthew

"HA HA Budys Here" wrote in message
...
From: "Matthew"
Date: 2/13/2004 6:31 PM Eastern Standard Time
Message-id:

Yes John, it has been unseasonably cold here on LI. Single digits, teens.
though more recently 30's. I spoke to the contractor who did the siding
who
agrees....he would cut a hole in the side of the house to gain access to
the
attic floor space, insulate the space, then when closing the hole, place
a
gable vent there. Probably the best bet but certainly not the cheapest.
I just thought that if I put it back to the way it was (sealed soffits)
it
would be ok and a heck of a lot cheaper. I'm in my home 12 years and
never
had ice damming in the 1st floor roof.
Matthew

Under this roof are heated rooms, right? The area was probably very
tightly
insulated and was considered too small an area, roof-wise, to worry about
heat-buildup and proper venting.

Are there any recessed hi-hats in the ceiling under this area where you
could
pop them down, blow insulation over the whole kit-and-kaboddle, and then
simply
pop the hi-hats back into place?




"John Gold" wrote in message
om...
My two cents... I wouldn't block the soffit venting, since ideally you
want to keep that roof cool so you don't get melting and ice dams and
the whole mess that comes with those.

Ideally, you'd get into that space, put in some sort of gable vent
then insulate the floor of the space. That way your living space is
insulated and the roof stays cool.

Of course this comes from a Mainer who wrestles with ice dams every
year because the original contractor didn't vent my attic correctly.
It may not be as big an issue on Long Island (although I'm pretty sure
it gets cold down there as well, right?)

John

"Matthew" wrote in message
.net...
--
I live on Long Island and own a colonial home with a second floor
attic
and
partial roof over my 1st floor den and kitchen off of the rear of the
house.
My upstairs attic is well ventilated and is insulated with attic
blankets.
The issue is with my lower roof. It is a sealed design....no gable
vents
(I
suppose there are no true "gables" per se...the roof comes off of the
rear
of the house). That attic not being ventilated, the insulation is
relatively
minimal. I never had a problem until I has vinyl siding installed a
few
years ago. The siding itself was installed over "super tuff-R". Only
recently while having some electrical work done did I realize that
the
contractor cut huge holes in the original plywood soffit before
installing
the ventilated vinyl soffit. My den and kitchen have been notably
cooler
in
the winter and I can now safely assume it is coming from these
previously
sealed, now vented soffits. I have no roof vents or gable vents so
there
is
nowhere for the air that enters the soffits to go but DOWN, not out.

Now the question.....
I have no access to this attic short of cutting a HOLE in the side of
my
house to get in there to insulate. I will not have blown insulation
installed...I don't like the stuff. I know it may not be "proper" but
can I
just pull down the vinyl soffit, stuff insulation into these huge
holes
and
replace the vinyl?? I will sort of put it back "the way it was".

All suggestions appreciated!!!
Thanks,
Matthew

According to Matthew :
Your assumption of the relatively small attic space hence no venting is
likely correct. When I had my CAC installed a few years ago the HVAC
contractor called my house a "sweat box design" because of the non vented
lower roof..
There are plenty of high hats in both the den and kitchen. The idea of
blown insulation did cross my mind however I thought that blown insulation
needed to be kept AWAY from the highhats as it is a fire hazard.
Any advice on this??

Assuming "high hat" == pot fixture, yes, blown (or _any_) insulation
on top of them is an extreme no-no, _unless_, the fixtures are rated
for burial in insulation (75W maximum, thermal cutouts etc). They're
not that expensive ($10-$20 apiece), but they'd be a pain to retrofit.

Given you weren't having problems before, I think just covering
the "new" soffit holes is by far the cheapest solution.

If it were me, tho, I'd do full insulation, put an eave-end vent
in, and replace the fixtures - or box 'em (see the electrical wiring
FAQ) before covering with insulation.

"Boxing" them basically means boxing in about 8 cubic feet worth of
joist gap surrounding the fixture with plywood, and _then_ covering
with insulation. I'd recommend an inspector consult _before_ committing
to that.

If you insulate, I suspect you need to guarantee the venting.

Yeah, it costs a lot more than just sealing the holes, but it'll
probably pay for itself in reduced heating costs in relatively short
order. Especially if you do it yourself.
--
Chris Lewis, Una confibula non set est
It's not just anyone who gets a Starship Cruiser class named after them.

AJScott wrote in message ...
In article ,
(Tom Baker) wrote:

"Matthew" wrote in message
. net...
--
I live on Long Island and own a colonial home with a second floor attic and
partial roof over my 1st floor den and kitchen off of the rear of the
house.
My upstairs attic is well ventilated and is insulated with attic blankets.
The issue is with my lower roof. It is a sealed design....no gable vents (I
suppose there are no true "gables" per se...the roof comes off of the rear
of the house). That attic not being ventilated, the insulation is
relatively
minimal. I never had a problem until I has vinyl siding installed a few
years ago. The siding itself was installed over "super tuff-R". Only
recently while having some electrical work done did I realize that the
contractor cut huge holes in the original plywood soffit before installing
the ventilated vinyl soffit. My den and kitchen have been notably cooler in
the winter and I can now safely assume it is coming from these previously
sealed, now vented soffits. I have no roof vents or gable vents so there is
nowhere for the air that enters the soffits to go but DOWN, not out.

Now the question.....
I have no access to this attic short of cutting a HOLE in the side of my
house to get in there to insulate. I will not have blown insulation
installed...I don't like the stuff. I know it may not be "proper" but can I
just pull down the vinyl soffit, stuff insulation into these huge holes and
replace the vinyl?? I will sort of put it back "the way it was".

All suggestions appreciated!!!
Thanks,
Matthew

You will neeed more than insulation to effectively close those holes.
Since the holes are most likely not square, this should work. Try
cutting plywood a bit larger than the hole, slide it up through the
hole and position it to cover the hole. Construction adhesive should
be enough to seal the perimeter.
TB

Don't you mean position the new plywood cover *over* the hole? Seems
physically impossible to slide a larger piece of wood into a smaller
hole. Assuming we're talking about a circular hole, that is. You can get
away with it to a larger extent with oval-shaped holes, but I can't
think of any electricians who carry oval hole saws. Screw the new wood
"plate" on, seal with a bead of caulk, pop the vinyl back on, job done.

But all in all, I think this probably makes more sense than stuffing the
hole with insulation since it would restore everything closer to its
natural problem-free state. Why I didn't think of it in my earlier post
is beyond me, but I suppose such things happen with the right-brained.
Or the no-brained grin.

AJS

About moving a piece of material through a hole:
We don't know what the hole looks like, but here is an example.
A square hole has a diagonal that is longer than its sides, so a
square of material with sides about the length of the diagonal can be
passed through the hole. The diagonal dimension can be calculated
from A squared + B squared = C squared. There are lots of possible
problems like no room above to manipulate the added piece, of course.

Tom