I live in a warm climate and am working on improvements to improve my insulation and reduce cooling bills in the summer.
I bought several rolls of radiant barrier which I was planning to install in the attic. I understand that there should be an air gap between the barrier and the sheathing, so I was planning to staple the barrier to the rafters, similar to this image:
When I went up into the attic to start the installation, I found termite droppings in several places, so I had to put the radiant barrier on hold until pest control can take care of the termites. This got me thinking - if I do put up the radiant barrier, it's going to mostly or completely obscure the rafters, and in the future I won't be able to see if termites have gotten into them.
I could staple the radiant barrier to the inside of the rafters rather than the edges, but this would reduce the air gap, and I'd still only be able to see the edges of the rafters. Is there anything else that can be done to keep a radiant barrier from forming a safe-haven for termites?
