Answers to Attic Questions #2

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Q. I recently moved into a 77-year-old, one-story, ranch-style home. I began hearing creaking noises coming from the attic my first night there, especially when it's windy outside, I'll hear popping/creaking wood noises that last for a second or two and occur about five to 10 times a day. If I touch my hand against a wall behind me in the bedroom, I can actually feel the vibration as it makes these popping and creaking noises. A couple of people I've spoken to suggest it could be squirrels or other critters, but when I explain to them that this isn't a scratching, scurrying noise, they seem stumped (except for offering the usual "your house is haunted" jokes). Since moving in, I've discovered several renovations to this house that have been made in the last three quarters of a century. The most obvious one was an archway wall that had been removed, which had separated the living room from the "dining room." I entertained the idea that perhaps the owners from decades past had inadvertently knocked down crucial load-bearing walls and that what I was hearing was my ceiling slowly collapsing, but then I began wondering: Do they even have load-bearing walls in a one-story house?

A. In all probability, what you are experiencing is what happens in older homes where wood dries and shrinks and joints become loosened. All exterior walls are considered load bearing. Interior load bearing walls are easily identified in the attic. Check to see if there is an allowable span over it, if horizontal framing members end or are joined or continued over it, and if roof braces end on it.

Q. I'm going to have to replace my Masonite siding with something similar soon. As a result, I will have lots and lots of 4 x 8 sheets of used Masonite. Some of them aren't in real bad shape, especially on one side. I was thinking about using some of these in my attic to make a floor. I've been in my attic maybe five to 10 times to repair stuff or pull wires, and it's always hot in the summer. Crawling across on the joists (too short to stand) is NOT fun in the heat. If there was a floor there it would be much easier, and I would get less insulation on myself. The joists are 2 x 6 (maybe 8) and have blown insulation between them. I'm not sure how far apart they are. I'm guessing that I lose a lot of heating/cooling energy through the ceiling, especially in the summer. Can I just screw the 4 x 8 Masonite to the joists to make a floor? I would probably use very few screws, so I could remove it in case I needed to do any wiring.

A. If you can get the 4 x 8's up there, do it. Just put them down. Don't put a V/B are anything else, just leave it as it is and screw them down some. If you want to improve efficiency, replace the blown in insulation with rolled in insulation. It seems the blown in insulation compresses/settles easily and loses its R value over time. I've also seen people insulate the underside of the roof decking with Styrofoam panels to help with summer heat gain.

Q. Our attic in our new house is below 32° in the winter. Is this normal? A furnace drainpipe froze up there and they had to put a heat tracer line on it. I'm concerned about the insulation, especially around the perimeter where I see a lot of daylight. The builder says house has to breathe.

A. For sure he is right, that is the way to go. A heater tape on the furnace flue pipe is ok. Don't know where you are but an R 38 or more in the ceilings is what you should have. The light from the overhang is good - it means the air can get up there and vent the attic. I like to tell people that the roof is just there to keep the rain and snow off the insulation. You might check to see if they have foam rafter vents you put up first before the insulation. This lets them push the insulation up tight over the ceiling but still let the air up from the over hang vents.

Q. I just bought an old house and I wanted to add more insulation in the attic. At the same time, I wanted to clean the soffit vents from inside. The gutter system doesn't seem too old, maybe 10 years, and the soffits outside are of vinyl in which I can see the vents. From inside I could not see any light coming in from where the vents are, so I believe they need to be cleaned. I tried from inside the attic, but it is very difficult to reach that area to clean the vents, and instead of finding vinyl where the soffit is, I found wood. It seems that they put the more modern vinyl soffit over old wood. That means that those vents can't do their work. Being a novice in all these things, I am not sure if this is the case, so I will appreciate any advice. Now since it is the cold season and because the fascia has some openings about 1/2 inch, I don't think that I have a ventilation problem, but I don't know how it will be in the summer.

A. You say you have the modern vinyl soffits, but then you say you can see 1/2" gap in the fascia. Whenever they install new soffit, whether it is vinyl or aluminum, the fascia gets capped with aluminum to cover the exposed edge of that new soffit.

As far as not seeing any light from inside the attic and finding wood, is what almost everybody would find in an older home that's been resided or has new soffit/fascia. The original soffits in most homes were 1/4" plywood with metal vents installed every so often. Most people will install the new soffit right over top of all the original stuff, which is fine so long as the original vents are not painted shut or clogged up with layers of paint, and there are enough vents throughout the entire soffit to insure adequate ventilation.

The best thing you can do at this point is get any insulation pulled out from that area that's between the top plate of the wall where the rafters/trusses sit. This way fresh air can get into your attic and help flush the old stuff out. In my experiences installing new siding/soffit, many of the homes do not have adequate vents in the wood soffit, so before I install the new stuff I'll usually rip down all the plywood soffit - especially if I cut some holes and find that area is stuffed tight with insulation. If the air way between the top plate and rafters/trusses are open, I'll just cut in some 12" x 24" holes every 3' or 4' to help the original soffit vents. You have nothing out of the ordinary, just hope that when they installed the soffit there was adequate venting initially.

On a side note: There is no opening between the attic and the outdoors under the eaves. There are no lookouts under the eaves. Having an opening would have exposed the attic to the outdoors without screening. The decorative soffits are just that, a way to decorate the otherwise open and exposed rafter structure.

Q. I am renovating 100+-year-old Victorian "four square" with a walk-up attic. The existing attic ceiling is a plaster and lathe build. Behind it, there is an insulation material that looks and feels like wool or cotton, then the roof. Every resource I have looked at points to this substance being a "rock wool" or older fiberglass insulation blown in when a new roof was put on. The only asbestos insulation I see mentioned anywhere is something called "Vermiculite," which is described as granular and about the size of a pencil eraser, and is generally used in the floor of an attic. It is obvious that is not what I have. Would it be safe to assume that this insulation that I have is not composed of asbestos?

A. Older rock wool was suspected to cause cancer. While it reportedly did not contain asbestos, airborne fibers can pose a health risk. There is some research that links old rock wool insulation to cancer. All synthetic mineral fibers pose a health risk when inhaled, causing irritation of eyes and upper respiratory system.

Fibers, which can cause problems, are asbestos, fiberglass, and rock wool. When they break down they can float in the air and the tiny, glassine threads can be inhaled. This may cause a problem in the lungs or elsewhere. The threads, once inhaled, can impale body tissue and travel throughout the body. They become sequestered by scar-tissue-like tumor formation and can cause breathing problems. Tumors will be benign, but may eventually become cancerous since they will provide a place where the immune system is less effective and parasites, toxins, bacteria, etc. can gather. Insulation removers wear protective suits, gloves, masks, and respirators, take decontamination showers, and keep work areas well ventilated.