I have a small but dedicated 20x24 shop I built last year. For various
rea$ons I never got around to insulating the attic before winter and ran the
heck out of some electic heaters as a result.

I now have the time & funds to devote to insulating the attic (my celing is
closed btw). I have R13 in the walls. My question is, will insulating make
much of a difference with R19 or R30 up there this winter? Also, will it
keep it cooler in the summer as well? I ask because SWMBO is duibious that
insulation will be worthwhile. There are 2 large gable vents and soffit
vents along the sides.

I live in the mid-south (Memphis) as a point of location reference.

Cheers!
Duke

Absolutely will help. Most of your heat goes up through your ceiling/roof.
Much more than out the walls. R-30 isn't too much for your area. It will also
keep it much cooler in the summer. Attics get HOT, around 150 degrees on a
sunny summer day here in Arkansas. That heat radiates down. Insulation will
keep most of that out.
Mike in Arkansas

On Mon, 22 Nov 2004 11:53:48 -0600, "Dukester"
wrote:

I have a small but dedicated 20x24 shop I built last year. For various
rea$ons I never got around to insulating the attic before winter and ran the
heck out of some electic heaters as a result.

I now have the time & funds to devote to insulating the attic (my celing is
closed btw). I have R13 in the walls. My question is, will insulating make
much of a difference with R19 or R30 up there this winter? Also, will it
keep it cooler in the summer as well? I ask because SWMBO is duibious that
insulation will be worthwhile. There are 2 large gable vents and soffit
vents along the sides.

I live in the mid-south (Memphis) as a point of location reference.

Here is a link to a page where they offer a government calculator for
insulation needs:
http://homerepair.about.com/b/a/2003_12_05.htm
I have not used this.

For more ideas, here is a google search:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q...ion+calculator

On 22 Nov 2004 18:20:19 GMT, (JMWEBER987) wrote:

Absolutely will help. Most of your heat goes up through your ceiling/roof.
Much more than out the walls. R-30 isn't too much for your area. It will also
keep it much cooler in the summer. Attics get HOT, around 150 degrees on a
sunny summer day here in Arkansas. That heat radiates down. Insulation will
keep most of that out.
Mike in Arkansas
Also a small ceiling fan, blowing upward, that recirculates the hot
air from the ceiling back to the floor (I keep mine on very slow
speed) does a great job eliminating hot spots and keeps the heat where
you need it. In the summer the rotation direction is reversed and the
speed goes up depending on temp...

TWS - Chapel Hill, NC

"Dukester" wrote in message
...
I have a small but dedicated 20x24 shop I built last year. For various
rea$ons I never got around to insulating the attic before winter and ran
the
heck out of some electic heaters as a result.

I now have the time & funds to devote to insulating the attic (my celing
is
closed btw). I have R13 in the walls. My question is, will insulating
make
much of a difference with R19 or R30 up there this winter? Also, will it
keep it cooler in the summer as well? I ask because SWMBO is duibious
that
insulation will be worthwhile. There are 2 large gable vents and soffit
vents along the sides.

It will make a HUGE difference. R30 as a minimum if you experience real
winter weather - snow and cold type stuff. R40 won't hurt one bit. Much
more than that and you discover that thing called the point of diminishing
returns. I'm not really sure what's recommended in your part of the world.
Any good building supply store should be able to tell you. You may find
that R30 is what's recommended for you. It's good that you have gable
vents. That's what allows the hot air to escape somewhat and it's what
keeps heat loss from melting snow into icicles - though that's not much of a
problem in Memphis.


--

-Mike-

I live in the Knoxville area and have a 24X28 building. Insulated it this
summer with R13 in the walls and R19 in the ceiling. Can tell a big difference
already. As Mike said, R30 wouldn't be too much either.

Adding insulation certainly couldn't hurt! If your ceilling is enclosed
with drywall, the r value of it is near zero (and heat rises) I'm guessing
the building codes would recommend the r30 for a ceiling in Memphis, but get
what you can afford, you can always add more later. Make sure you do not
block off the soffit vents when you insulate. If necessary get baffles and
place them in the rafter cavitys. (Baffles are just cardboard or foam pieces
that allow the air to flow above the insulation, and are inexpensive) Not
only will insulating help keep heating costs down, it will also keep it
cooler in the summer, as the heat buildup from the roof will not filter down
to the shop space as easily. I'm unsure what exactly you are using for a
heat source, but make sure it is fitting for the area you are heating,
you'll be fine this winter. --dave



"Dukester" wrote in message
...
I have a small but dedicated 20x24 shop I built last year. For various
rea$ons I never got around to insulating the attic before winter and ran
the
heck out of some electic heaters as a result.

I now have the time & funds to devote to insulating the attic (my celing
is
closed btw). I have R13 in the walls. My question is, will insulating
make
much of a difference with R19 or R30 up there this winter? Also, will it
keep it cooler in the summer as well? I ask because SWMBO is duibious
that
insulation will be worthwhile. There are 2 large gable vents and soffit
vents along the sides.

I live in the mid-south (Memphis) as a point of location reference.

Cheers!
Duke

In summer, you would benefit from a gable blower. The ridge vent is good,
but nowhere near all you can use. Gable fans are cheap and come with a
thermostat, which you set for 100-110 or so.
Wilson
"Dukester" wrote in message
...
I have a small but dedicated 20x24 shop I built last year. For various
rea$ons I never got around to insulating the attic before winter and ran
the
heck out of some electic heaters as a result.

I now have the time & funds to devote to insulating the attic (my celing
is
closed btw). I have R13 in the walls. My question is, will insulating
make
much of a difference with R19 or R30 up there this winter? Also, will it
keep it cooler in the summer as well? I ask because SWMBO is duibious
that
insulation will be worthwhile. There are 2 large gable vents and soffit
vents along the sides.

I live in the mid-south (Memphis) as a point of location reference.

Cheers!
Duke

"Dukester" wrote in message

I now have the time & funds to devote to insulating the attic (my celing
is
closed btw). I have R13 in the walls. My question is, will insulating
make
much of a difference with R19 or R30 up there this winter?

Of c ourse it will. Unless you live on a tropical island with good
tradewinds, insulation is one of the best investments you can make. You get
paid back many times over.

Also, will it
keep it cooler in the summer as well?

Yes, it INSULATES you from the heat building in the attic. Be sure it is
well vented.

I ask because SWMBO is duibious that
insulation will be worthwhile.

Please tell her 1955 is gone and heating oil is over 15¢ a gallon these
days.