Good point about keeping it simple—often overlooked. A couple quick thoughts on checking soffit vents without climbing around insulation:
- If you have attic access, try turning off the lights during daylight hours and look for daylight coming through the soffit areas. No daylight usually means blockage.
- Another trick is to hold a smoke pencil or incense stick near the attic hatch on a breezy day. If airflow is weak or nonexistent, vents might be blocked.
Not foolproof, but beats crawling through itchy fiberglass again...
Really appreciate these practical tips—especially the incense stick idea. I admit, as someone new to homeownership, I'm naturally skeptical about quick fixes, but your suggestions seem logical and worth trying before resorting to more invasive measures.
When we first moved into our custom build, I had a similar issue with attic airflow. Initially, I assumed the builder had everything covered (lesson learned there...), but after noticing some uneven cooling upstairs, I suspected something wasn't right. Like you mentioned, I dreaded the thought of crawling through itchy insulation again—did it once, never again if I can help it.
I did try the daylight trick you mentioned. It worked surprisingly well for identifying blocked vents. Found out a couple soffit vents were completely covered by insulation batts that had shifted. The incense stick method is new to me though; sounds clever. I'm curious how effective it might be if you have only partial blockage—would airflow still register enough to notice?
Either way, your approach seems sensible and low-risk. Definitely beats gearing up in protective clothing and goggles again just to spend half an hour sneezing in fiberglass dust. Glad I'm not alone in looking for simpler solutions...
"Definitely beats gearing up in protective clothing and goggles again just to spend half an hour sneezing in fiberglass dust."
Haha, been there, done that...never again if I can help it. Your incense stick idea actually reminds me of when I first bought my fixer-upper. I was on a super tight budget, so hiring someone was out of the question. Ended up using a feather tied to a string to check airflow—sounds silly, but it worked surprisingly well. Watching it flutter (or sadly droop) gave me a pretty clear sign of where the issues were.
I think your incense stick method might be even better since you can actually see the smoke trail. Even partial blockages should still show some subtle changes in the smoke movement, I'd imagine. Worth a shot anyway, especially if it saves you from another itchy fiberglass adventure.
Glad to know I'm not the only one looking for creative solutions to avoid attic misery...homeownership definitely inspires some inventive thinking!
Haha, feathers and incense sticks...the creative lengths we go to avoid fiberglass misery. I once used a cheap handheld mirror to peek into tight corners—worked okay until I dropped it behind a wall cavity (oops). Curious though, did you notice any big difference after pinpointing the airflow issues? Sometimes attic insulation feels like an endless battle of trial and error...
Haha, mirrors behind walls...been there, done that. To your point though, pinpointing airflow issues can definitely make a noticeable difference. I had a client once who kept piling insulation higher and higher, but the real issue was actually blocked soffit vents. Once we sorted out the ventilation, their upstairs rooms cooled down significantly. Insulation can feel like chasing ghosts sometimes, but when you finally nail down the airflow, it’s pretty satisfying.
