Insulating Attic Ladders? Anyone something they like?

[ChristopherLutz]

Gang,

I've done a couple of searches for Attic Ladder insulation and there are a number of products "out there".

Prices seem to range from $60 to over $100.

They don't seem too involved, essentially a box.

I'm wondering if anyone has something they fashioned up for their attic access?

Tips?

I'm wondering if I can simply cut and glue a box from 1'' foam board with bat insulation on top of that?

If you did build something...how do you accomplish a good seal where the box/insulation meets the ceiling joist framing?

 

[Ryland]

Home Depot has what looks like an insulated bag especially made for attic stairs. Its what I am using.

I basically stuffed the ends that go around the ladder between the attic insulation and the stair frame.

 

[buzz4041]

To solve your hold down issue use velcro on your idea and it would work. If you design it with a hinge on the back it will repeatedly be in the proper location and not be a pain in the rear end when you use it. Just a thought.

 

[kartracer23]

On the walk-up stairway to my attic (in the house), I just took a 2" thick piece of foam board insulation, cut it in half, glued the two pieces together and then cut it to extend a couple of inches past the opening on all sides. I did go back and wrap all the edges in furnace tape just for durability. It's easy to lift off and lay to the side, but heavy enough it's not going anywhere. It was like $18 an 30 minutes or so (this was maybe 7 years ago). Not sure what the R-value of 4" of foam insulation is, but it's better than nothing.

 

[buzz4041]

On the walk-up stairway to my attic (in the house), I just took a 2" thick piece of foam board insulation, cut it in half, glued the two pieces together and then cut it to extend a couple of inches past the opening on all sides. I did go back and wrap all the edges in furnace tape just for durability. It's easy to lift off and lay to the side, but heavy enough it's not going anywhere. It was like $18 an 30 minutes or so (this was maybe 7 years ago). Not sure what the R-value of 4" of foam insulation is, but it's better than nothing.

4" of foam board is real close to 24R or so. That is pretty darn good.

 

[rlitman]

I shimmed up the framing around the ladder to a height that cleared the ladder, and planed it so that it was entirely flat. Then I caulked in the shim strips to seal any gaps under them.

I then cut a piece of 1" foil faced foamboard (I plan up adding another 2" one day) to fit on top of the frame. I had someone go in the attic, put it in place, and put about 10lbs of weight on it.

Then, I cut two 1" square strips of the foamboard, the length of the opening, and hot glued them to the foamboard, so that it was in tight contact with the frame (but not glued to it). Then another two strips for the short sides. Finally, two more strips, 6" long this time, to act as hand holds from underneath.

Now, I just go up the ladder, grab the hand holds, and push the foam up, and when I'm leaving the attic, I grab the hand holds, and slide the foam back into place. It fits so well, I didn't have to add any weatherstripping around the edges.

 

[ChristopherLutz]

rlitman - can we bug you for a pic or two?

 

[K'ledgeBldr]

Sounds like this:
http://www.essnrg.com/index.html

 

[rlitman]

Sounds like this:
http://www.essnrg.com/index.html

Yeah, that's the concept. Sounds a LOT like it, except I made the frame it sits in from strips of wood instead of foam, so i had to glue in the "stepped in" part to snugly fit the not so perfectly square frame. I'll try to take a picture tonight.

This worked well for me, since I have 2x8 framing, and a steel attic ladder that really didn't stick up more than 1/2" or so from the framing (so I could just use thin shims to get to a level I could put a flat piece of foam on).

This wouldn't work so well with a wooden ladder that closes well above the floor level. That's what the "tent" you see for sale is for.

The polyurethane insulation has more "R" per inch than the white or pink polystyrene, and with the foil face, 1" is about R9 when one side faces an air gap. Still not as much as I'd like, but better than nothing.

 

[K'ledgeBldr]

The most important step you can take is to weatherstrip the door edge. Stopping the air from leaving the conditioned space is better than any amount of insulation you can throw at the hole.
With the current IRC code this is what I have to do in order to get a C/O on a house as it pertains to pull-down stairs.
Weatherstrip the door edge
My insulation contractor supplies me with an insulated 'box' to go over the stair opening. It is 2" polystyrene with R-30 non-faced batt attached to the outer 5 sides. Yielding about an R-38- the same for the rest of the attic. As it is written in the IRC.

 

[blackgold]

I bought a dome for like 40. it's insulation with the foil backing on both sides. forms a tent that fits over the opening. I got it at Lowes I think.

 

[ghnl]

I bought a sheet of 1/2 foam board (blue if that matters) and made it into a box with no bottom. I used adhesive caulking to glue it together. It sits on the frame around the drop down stairs. To enter the attic I just lift it up and slide it back. The temp difference between the house side & attic side is very noticeable so I believe it is quite effective.

 

[PassnThru]

I actually put my insulation on the ceiling side. I made a box that was slightly larger than the cover for the stairs (I didn't put trim around the stairs). I made it out of 1X4 and rabbitted a groove on the bottom for a piece of OSB - above that went a piece of foam insulation. I attached hinges to the back and screwed it to the ceiling (at the same end that the stairs were hinged) with some quarter inch shims under the ceiling side of the hinges to hold it off the ceiling enough to run some weatherstripping between the box and the ceiling. OK - so the box and the stairs both hinge down from the same side but the attachment points are different so I can't attach the front of the box to the front of the stairs without allowing movement at the attachment point.
I placed a 1X side to side in the box closest to the ceiling. I attached two drawer pulls to this piece running parallel to the long side of the box. Then I drilled two holes in the end of the stair cover, passed the wires though the pulls and through the holes and connected them with a turnbuckle to allow adjustment. I drilled through the box to match the pull rope location to pass the pull rope through the box.
So, the insulation box is attached to the ceiling in the back (hinge side) by hinges. It is attached in the front by a wire running through two drawer pulls. Since the wire can move several inches front to back it makes up for the fact that the box and the stairs move at slightly different angles and rates during opening.
OK - makes perfect sense to me since I built it but I can see where it might be a bit confusing