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Community and Q&A

Cardboard insulation baffles have fallen down

politics123 | Posted in GBA Pro Help on

Hi Pro Team!

I live in a solar (PV and HW), energy star house, built in 2005, in Washington, DC.

I was in the attic today and noticed that some of my cardboard insulation baffles had fallen over. I’d estimate about 1/3 of them. I don’t go into the attic frequently, so they could have fallen over up to a few years ago.

Does this pose a problem?

Any guess on cause? Wind gusts blowing through the soffits knocking them over? Age (cardboard becoming less rigid)?

Thank you!
Michael

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Replies

  1. GBA Editor
    Martin Holladay | | #1

    Michael,
    It was hard to see what is going in on the photos you posted, so I rotated one of your photos, cropped it, and enlarged it. That makes it easier to see the ventilation baffles.

    .

  2. GBA Editor
    Martin Holladay | | #2

    Michael,
    Q. "Does this pose a problem?"

    A. Not really. It will become a problem in the future if you ever decide to add thicker insulation in your attic. Right now, it's not really doing any harm. That said, you could fix these baffles if you wanted too.

    Q. "Any guess on cause?"

    A. The cardboard baffles are flimsy and they were insufficiently stapled. For more information on creating baffles, see Site-Built Ventilation Baffles for Roofs.

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