Air Seal Attic Knee Wall

Seal attic bypasses before insulating.
Air seal attic knee wall. The insulation in the knee walls of an attic is usually uncovered on the attic side. In the video it shows batt insulation in the kneewall studs then a piece of polyisocyanurate foam on the attic side of the kneewall. Adding a rigid foam air barrier to the cold side of the batt is a great way to take care of this issue on a knee wall between finished and unfinished attic space. That has the potential to degrade the insulation as convective air loops through the insulation.
The air moves right up the roof deck and out the ridge vent. Install insulation without misalignments compressions gaps or voids in all knee wall cavities. Create an airtight and structurally sound seal in the joist space under the knee wall. Properly sealing and insulating attic knee walls can significantly reduce air leakage and heat loss between the conditioned space and the unfinished attic.
The conditioned air escapes out the unsealed top of the knee wall where the top plate is attached to the roof rafter. It is important to choose an air barrier and insulation material that will reduce the air leakage and heat loss as much as possible. Fiberglass batts work best if they re enclosed and air sealed on all 6 sides. Scope install a top and bottom plate or blocking at the top and bottom of all knee wall cavities.
Knee walls may create open useful space from former attics but they are heat loss and homeowner comfort disasters.