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Vaulted ceiling popping noise

ricklite| Posted inGreen Building Techniqueson

5 years ago we installed a T&G ceiling in our living room using Cedar Cyprus. Because the ceiling is vaulted we had little insulation on the outside under the shingles. To offset this I researched a product called Thermax which is a 2-inch thick polyisocyanurate rigid board insulation for interior and exterior continuous insulation made by Dow Chemical.

About 6 months after installation the ceiling would ‘pop’ and ‘creek.’ At first, I thought it was the wood expanding but after realized that is not the case. The Thermax has a foil type exterior on both sides and the 4 x 8-foot pieces fit in between full-length beams.

The order of insulation top down is:
Shingles, paper, (no plywood on this section)
Old ceiling made of 2.5 inches of T&G wood. Turtle vents were installed.
Thermax right up against on ceiling.
3 rows of 1×3 pine lengthwise
Cedar Cyprus T&G

have 2 videos to show the ceiling and popping and the second to show the construction. They are too large to upload. I am lost and would truly appreciate any solutions/suggestions.

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Replies

  1. GBA Editor
    Martin Holladay||#1

    Rick,
    There are several issues here.

    1. We need to know your geographical location or climate zone.

    2. I don't know what "cedar cyprus" is. Cedar is a type of wood, including such species are Western red cedar and Eastern white cedar. Cypress is a different species -- notice the spelling of "cypress."

    Cyprus is a country in the Mediterranean. There is a species called Cyprus cedar, but it is a rare wood that isn't found in North America.

    3. Your roof assembly doesn't have much R-value -- it's probably about R-13, but the insulation layer is interrupted by your rafters, which are apparently about 3 ft. or 4 ft. on center.

    I'm not sure what could be causing the noise.

  2. GBA Editor
    Martin Holladay||#2

    Rick,
    By the way, you need to get rid of those turtle vents. You have an unvented roof assembly, and all those turtle vents will do is provide a pathway for rain to enter your house.

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