What does "vented outside" mean, wrt houses?

A

AmadeusM

Banned
Joined
Jul 1, 2004
Messages
1,799
In this context:

"If possible, leave the insulation undisturbed. Asbestos fibers will not become airborne if the insulation is well contained. If the vermiculite is sealed behind wallboards and floorboards or is isolated in an attic that is vented outside, the best approach to avoid exposure to asbestos is to keep the vermiculite in place. If a ventilation system within the attic disturbs the material, it may be appropriate to have the air tested in your home."

(from: http://www.epa.gov/region01/homechecklist/qa.html)

I am guessing it means the attic is not part of day to day living like the rest of the house but is accessible only by a lid in the ceiling or something?

The reason I ask is because I used to live in an older house (built 1960s) in west-central Indiana and I am just curious.

Thanks.
 
In the northeast, we have ridge vents, which run along the ridge of the roof peak. We also have gable vents. which are on the ends of the house at attic level. There are also soffitt vents.

Perhaps they are referring to this???

Glenn
 
It sounds like the vermiculite insulation was commonly installed into the spaces above the ceiling but below the attic "floor". This creates an insulated air space in the living areas of the house but not in the attic which is outside the insulation. Commonly this type of attic is vented to the outside by vents in the gable walls so there is no buildup of hot air or moisture. Also, it is common with this type of installation that the insulation is just blown in loosely in the spaces between ceiling joists and there is no decking in the attic.

Attics that have decking in place are more commonly insulated at the roof so the attic is inside the insulation envelope and the air can be conditioned to provide greater use of the space. In this case an air space should be provided between the insulation and the roof, usually by installing spacers to create an air channel from the soffitt vents to a ridge vent. In all cases, the roof needs to be outside the envelope.

If you have any exposed loose insulating materials in your attic you should disturb them as little as possible.
 
AmadeusM said:
In this context:

"If possible, leave the insulation undisturbed. Asbestos fibers will not become airborne if the insulation is well contained. If the vermiculite is sealed behind wallboards and floorboards or is isolated in an attic that is vented outside, the best approach to avoid exposure to asbestos is to keep the vermiculite in place. If a ventilation system within the attic disturbs the material, it may be appropriate to have the air tested in your home."

(from: http://www.epa.gov/region01/homechecklist/qa.html)

I am guessing it means the attic is not part of day to day living like the rest of the house but is accessible only by a lid in the ceiling or something?

The reason I ask is because I used to live in an older house (built 1960s) in west-central Indiana and I am just curious.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

It means just what it sounds like. It is an attic space that has vents that allow warm humid air to escape the attic instead fo being trapped. In the winter this warm humid air would condense and freeze on the underside of your roof decking and cause rot. Warm air trapped will also cause the snow to melt faster on your roof causing ice damming in your gutters forcing water up under your shingles causing rot in your roof decking.
 
Thanks. I noticed 4-5 rectangular things, little under a foot wide and maybe 2-3 inches tall, on one side of the roof, in both houses. That must be it.
 
It looks like not all vermiculite contains asbestos fibers so it might not be very expensive to check that in your case. Basic vermiculite seems to be fairly safe material.

TLM
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top