Cold attic in new house

Our attic in our new house is below 32° in the winter. Is this normal? A furnance drain pipe froze up there and they had to put a heat tracer line on it. I'm really concerned about the insulation, especially around the perimeter where I see a lot of daylight (builder says house has to breath?). Please advise/comment....thanks, Newbie Homeowner

 

For sure he is right, that is the way to go. A heater tape on the furnace flue pipe is ok. Dont know where you are but a R 38 or more in the ceilings is what you should have. The light from the over hang is good meant 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 is all.
You might check they have foam rafter vents you put up first then the insulation this lets them push the insulation up tight over the ceiling but still let the air up from the over hang vents


ED

 

Your attic air temperature if properly vented should be your ambient outside air temperature.

This means that it will be normal for your attic temp to be -15F if your ambient outside air temp is also -15F.

The REAL question is whether or not your funace should be "up there" in the first place in winter condtions.

Normally any heat source will be placed at the lowest levels of a home so that residual and unused heat from the furnace or boiler will flow upward and add to the overall heating of the the main structure.

If your main heater is in your attic, I'd have to ask why it is there in the first place....and heat tape is a known fire danger and an inefficient way of dealing with frozen piping...

 

Heat tape is a dangerous fire hazard, why didn't they just ut normal pipe insulation, like the black foam stuff that you put around a pipe to keep it insulated? Normal pipe insulation would do you know.

 

How would I go about making my attic, or at leaste a small part of it warmer, for in the winter, and cooler in the summer... somewhere around 60 degrees... (without doing much ventalation work)

 

I read that your attic should be no more than 15 degrees warmer than the outside temperature.

 

As you drive through a neighborhood, you can tell the homes that have good insulation on a frosty day. The roof will remain frosty until the sun melts it off. The homes whose roof is semi cleared is leaking heat from the inside. If your attic is cold and your home is warm, you have complete success in holding in the heat. The matter of the furnace in the attic in a colder region does cause concern.

 

If you allow heat into your attic, you could start melting snow, causing ice dam damage and water to leach up through your shingles, effectively acting as a rook leak.

If your furnace is in the attic, this is a poor design from the outset. The only way to resolve it is to remove the insulation from the floor of the attic and install insulation on the underside of the roof. Treat the attic as part of the occupied space of your house, and keep it the same temp as the rest of the building.