I'm in McKinney and have had an ongoing issue with my water heater in the attic. The pilot light routinely goes out this time of year. I've been told by a plumber it is due to the heat in the attic and the only thing to do is to take steps to lower the temp. I have no idea where to start. Who would I even go to to discuss things that might help (increasing ventilation, etc). Anybody else dealt with this or simply taken steps to lower the temp in their attic?

I have a black shingle roof, and my attic would get over 150 degrees in the summer. I added insulation (to help the AC) and a radiant barrier and that lowered it to around 125 or so if I remember correctly. The company I used had promised to be within 5 degrees of the exterior temperature so they added a solar powered attic fan and some soffits, and since then, my attic temp is usually 10 degrees higher than whatever the temp is.

I would start with checking to make sure you have good air intake and exhaust before dropping the money on something like a radiant barrier though.

Edit: my situation had nothing to do with a water heater.

BoomGoesThe said:

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I have a black shingle roof, and my attic would get over 150 degrees in the summer. I added insulation (to help the AC) and a radiant barrier and that lowered it to around 125 or so if I remember correctly. The company I used had promised to be within 5 degrees of the exterior temperature so they added a solar powered attic fan and some soffits, and since then, my attic temp is usually 10 degrees higher than whatever the temp is.

I would start with checking to make sure you have good air intake and exhaust before dropping the money on something like a radiant barrier though.

Edit: my situation had nothing to do with a water heater.

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What company did you use, if you mind sharing? And would you recommend them?

Have heard of the problem before.

Increasing ventilation is the answer. Solar vents can be helpful. Make sure they check that you have enough inlet vents.

The company that I used was Energy Attic (I think they're out of Richardson). The sales consultant that came out and looked at things and made sure the result matched the promise (or came very close to it) was Chris Gage, I believe. He was fantastic to work with, and I would recommend him and the company.

BoomGoesThe said:

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The company that I used was Energy Attic (I think they're out of Richardson). The sales consultant that came out and looked at things and made sure the result matched the promise (or came very close to it) was Chris Gage, I believe. He was fantastic to work with, and I would recommend him and the company.

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Thank you very much for this.

Second for Energy Attic. Their owner, Ryan Amerson, is a great guy and they do things the right way. They can handle ventilation, insulation, radiant barrier, and HVAC issues. Exactly what you are looking for.

How about moving the hot water heater? Attic installations are kinda dumb to begin with.

I completely agree. It shouldn't be allowed to begin with. But moving it and rerouting water lines would be a pretty big undertaking, I'm sure.

I used energy attic for insulation, new duct work and radiant barrier. Great to work with and would recommend.

So for all - keep in mind that the radiation from the sun is going to heat something. When you put in a radiant barrier, that heat just gets reflected back through your roof and makes you roof and shingles get a lot hotter than they normally would be.

If you have upgraded your shingles, you should be fine. But if you still have builders grade composite shingles, you are going to degrade your roof a whole lot faster with a radiant barrier.

It may make sense to just have better soffit ventilation and ceiling insulation.

If you have soffit vents (eg 16x9" vent covers), make sure the hole under the is actually close to 16x9".

In my house, all the soffit vents covered a hole some idiot made with his hammer. I had nearly zero intake. I removed all covers and cut the hole to the appropriate size. Additionally, my calculations showed I needed 8 more vents to meet specifications.

I have no scientific proof this would actually work, but I feel like if we installed a 90% UV blocking shade a foot and a half above our roof it would lower our attic temperatures dramatically. I mean, why wouldn't it work?

BigPete3281 said:

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I have no scientific proof this would actually work, but I feel like if we installed a 90% UV blocking shade a foot and a half above our roof it would lower our attic temperatures dramatically. I mean, why wouldn't it work?

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It would. The old fashion method is called a tree.