AboutBruce A. Ryan II, RRO Expertise Commercial/Residential Roofing Waterproofing Building Envelope
Experience Bruce Ryan has 13 years of roofing, waterproofing, and building envelope consulting experience with PRC, with 5 years of commercial roofing experience prior to joining the firm. He became Vice President of the company in 1998. Bruce Ryan plays a key role in the development of practical, long-term roofing and waterproofing solutions, along with implementation of on-site forensic studies. Bruce also has a high level of experience with regard to the impacts of roofing materials and construction for demanding clients with heavily occupied structures.
Organizations Oregon Construction Contractors Board
Construction Specifiers Institute
National Roofing Contractors Association
The Institute of Roofing, Waterproofing, & Building Envelope Professionals
Oregon Board of Investigators
Installation Masters
Education/Credentials University of Maryland
BS Business & Administration
Registered Roof Observer - RCI
Private Investigator
Certified EIFS inspector - Northwest Wall and Ceiling Bureau
Certified InstallationMaster™ - The Installation Masters™ Training and Certification Program (developed by American Architectural Manufacturers Association)
Question i have a 100 yr old house in New England with gable vents. about 4 or 5 feet below the vents is a ceiing to a finished attic space with recessed lights. The cold air comes in the vents and shoots down through the lights making for very cold conditions in the winter even though I have 9 inches of pink bats above the ceiling.
I have been looking at ways of dealing with this "air leak" issue and have been told conflicting stories. One person said I should close the gable vents off and foam insulate the rafters and eliminate any air flow down into the living space. My question is, is it OK to close the vents and what about air circulation? Someone else suggested leaving the vents alone and blowing in cellulose on top. Lastly I just read its OK to close the gable vents if you have a ridge vent? my head is spinning. can you help sort this out? thanks
Answer Replace your can lights with "air tight IC can lights" Your local home improvement store will have them. You will likely have to do a little cutting and patching on your ceiling, but it is more appealing than trying to stop an air leak in a vented attic. The IC part means that you can insulate right over the can and it will not overheat. Give that a try, as the really should stop the air leaks.
Regards,
Bruce Ryan II, RRO
Professional Roof Consultants, Inc.
