DEAR POLE BARN GURU: My Plyco rollers are wearing prematurely since I added liner to my doors. Can I put a 3rd roller in the center of each leaf to spread out the additional load? BRAD in EL DORADO
DEAR BRAD: If these are round Plyco trolleys, your door must be very heavy. I say this because I have never heard of one failing and we have thousands of sliding door in use by our clients. With this said, placing another one in the middle will probably result in the door sliding unevenly due to the slightly larger (due to no wear) new trolley in the center. Plyco does have what is referred to as a “double truck” trolley. These will replace your existing trolleys and each has two sets of wheel pairs. If you have a heavy sliding door, these are probably going to be your solution.
DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Can I use post frame insulation on the ceiling of my home. It is an add-on used as a day room. OVERTON in NATCHEZ
DEAR OVERTON: Could or should? Not the same question. You should be blowing at least R-45 of cellulose or fiberglass into a properly vented insulation cavity. If you do not have adequate thickness at the top of the walls, Add high R insulation boards as baffles so at least 2” of clear airflow comes through from the eaves. Then have closed cell spray foam insulation added until the R-45 blown in can reach full depth. Generally this should be about four feet from the walls in standard residential stick frame construction.
DEAR POLE BARN GURU: My question involves venting of the attic space. If the eaves are closed off, will the ridges in the roof metal not work as air channels to allow outside air to enter the attic space in the same manner as soffit vents? The plan would be to install a ceiling, blow in insulation and install ridge vents in the roof. MIKE in INDIANAPOLIS
DEAR MIKE: The ridges of the steel will not provide adequate airflow. Plus, they should be sealed off with inside closure strips to prevent flying critters from entering your building. If you do not vent the ridge, you can meet the ventilation requirements with gable vents. Read more on attic insulation for post frame buildings here: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2014/02/pole-building-ventilation/.
