Infamous Bonus Room

The picture to the left is the infamous Bonus Room. It shows a thermo image of the knee wall. Note the temperature at the interior ceiling slope is 46.9 degrees Fahr. and the interior wall temperature is 67.6 degrees Fahr.

The floor to wall intersection is almost as bad with a reading of 50.7 degrees Fahr. This intersection was clearly marked as a problem on the Thermal Bypass Checklist by the home builder's inspector. But never corrected. And yet the home was labeled Energy Star compliant.

This picture was sent to the EPA for their comments. They thought that air infiltration was a problem. When the wall was cut open it revealed that fiberglass batts had fallen from the slope of the ceiling INSIDE the knee wall.

So the problem was more than just air infiltration through friction-fit fiberglass batted insulation.

Repairs have been made to this wall. However due to the difficulty of access there are certain to be areas that still leak or have insulation voids. It also is apparent that repairs are not as good as if the home had been built correctly. EPA still treats problems as building defects even though it is sometimes impossible to remedy without taking drywall completely off the wall.

Fiberglass batted insulation is an inherent problem especially when they are friction-fit and placed in stick-built homes.