Insulation is any material used to slow the transmission of heat or reduce the transmission of sound. Typical materials include fiberglass, foam, blown cellulose, and reflective foil. This should not be confused with weather stripping.
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1answer
35 views
How can I insulate a stud bay containing a subpanel?
I'm putting a subpanel in the outside wall of my attached garage, which I'm also insulating so I can work out there in the winter. I'm wondering what steps are worthwhile to air seal and insulate ...
3
votes
1answer
73 views
Should I drywall and/or insulate my garage wall?
I'm in the process of a few projects in the garage, including raising the ceiling and insulating with spray foam. This has left me with a fair amount of leftover fiberglass batts.
There is a room ...
6
votes
7answers
2k views
What tool should I use to cut memory foam?
I need to cut 2x2 ft square pieces from a sheet of memory foam. Not sure what tool is best for this. Any ideas? In the future I'd like to cut circles and eventually sculpt irregular shapes, I don't ...
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2answers
67 views
Should I insulate air conditioner coolant pipes?
I recently replaced some rotted insulation on the coolant pipe that runs out of my AC unit and into the evaporator in my house. When cleaning inside the actual AC unit itself I noticed that the ...
3
votes
2answers
146 views
How can I insulate the floor of a room above a porch?
I've been searching around for an answer or pointers on this for a while, it's possible I'm using the wrong phrases when searching!
I have a UK 1930's built semi-detached house, Streetview pic before ...
3
votes
1answer
83 views
What kind of pipe insulation is appropriate for sun exposure?
I want to insulate a water line outdoors, where it will be exposed to sun. I expect that UV light will damage many foam pipe insulations over time.
Is there a type of insulation that will tolerate ...
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1answer
35 views
What should I do about wet insulation in my attic and walls?
We had a lot of snow this winter. In spring when it melted we got water back up from under the eaves trough in our cottage. We now have water damage in our attic along the north and south walls in the ...
6
votes
1answer
80 views
How do I retrofit a junction box in an insulated wall?
Typical cold climate construction: Drywall, 6mil vapour barrier, fiberglass batt insulation. How do I retrofit a junction box and maintain the vapour seal? To be clear, by 'retrofit', I mean the ...
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1answer
321 views
Insulating attic ceiling and looking for synthetic t&g ceiling boards
We have a 3/4 upper floor room that is in desperate need of a complete overhaul.
The current ceiling consists of 2x4 ceiling rafters with a foam vent and perhaps 2.5" of foam insulation, then the ...
3
votes
2answers
68 views
Can I sheetrock over styrofoam on a garage ceiling?
I am buying a home with a detached garage that the original owner insulated. The garage is probably 25 years old. At the time of construction, 1" expanded foam was nailed directly to the rafters to ...
2
votes
1answer
24 views
Will closing the ventilation windows in my garage cause problems for my water heater?
I have a room directly above my garage and it's usually 10+ degrees difference in temperature compared to the rest of the house. I'm planning on insulating the door and the garage ceiling with rigid ...
3
votes
3answers
98 views
How to choose floor insulation?
My question is about insulating the ground floor. I have a crawlspace under the floor which is vented and therefore quite cold (average temp in the winter is 4 °C and in the summer 13 °C plus ...
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6answers
10k views
How can I seal the large gap around my fireplace in a way that is safe and prevents air inflows?
I've got a spot by a fireplace that lets cold air in. Unfortunately its right where the metal of the fireplace meets the wooden framing/molding of the fireplace on the inside. This seems like ...
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votes
3answers
153 views
How can I add insulation to my roof?
I have an old 1930's house, the upstairs of which is in the pitched roof space.
I've just checked and it has no insulation what-so-ever up there, so it is very much the same temperature as a loft at ...
3
votes
2answers
62 views
Should I add a vapor barrier when re-siding?
I am removing the siding on my house in Montana, which was built in 1964. From inside out I have sheetrock, 4" studs with R-11 paper backed fiberglass insulation and gypsum board sheathing. I want ...
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1answer
48 views
How should I mount external hardware to a Greenboard/EPS exterior wall?
The external cladding of my house is rendered NRG Greenboard (an EPS product). What is the best way to mount simple external hardware (specifcally, a hose reel) to this material?
The reel itself just ...
2
votes
1answer
66 views
How can I insulate my attic conversion, without pulling down the plasterboard?
I recently purchased a house, and it has an attic conversion. Once winter came along we found out that there is no insulation between the roof and the plasterboard.
Does anyone know of a way I can ...
4
votes
1answer
128 views
What can I do about this gap between the sill/exterior board and the subfloor?
I just discovered that my sill plate and joist setup is different than others I've seen (and I was a Realtor, so I've seen a lot of sills).
As you can see from the picture, there's a gap between ...
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1answer
134 views
How to insulate my garage walls using sheathing
My garage is a pool building type with pressed wood walls and exterior siding. I want to put sheathing on the walls for some insulation. The studs that the exterior wall is attached to are 1.5" x 4" ...
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2answers
179 views
Should I have cavity wall insulation installed?
I have the option to get cavity wall insulation done for free in my home, but i'm not sure if its a good idea or not. I've heard people say it can cause issues with damp, its hard to get out if ...
4
votes
1answer
124 views
How can I soundproof my bedroom walls as cost effectively as possible?
My bedroom is next to the kitchen on one wall, a hallway on one wall, the outdoors on one wall and the PC room on the other. The wall that bothers us the most is the kitchen wall.
We would like to ...
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1answer
85 views
How can I reduce the sound of water moving through a pipe?
Introduction
I am re-purposing a room from a kitchen to bedroom. The room has a concrete-block built wall through which cast iron water pipes pass.
Here is the approximate schematic
neighbor | p | ...
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2answers
101 views
How do I insulate interior basement walls that are not against the exterior walls?
I'm in the process of building an office and family room in my basement and need some help with the walls and insulation.
There is a perimeter drain in the slab around the exterior walls that ...
2
votes
4answers
164 views
How can I measure the r-value of a wall?
What is a reproducible test to measure the r-value of an exterior wall? Or even a specific spot on a specific wall? It needn't produce an absolutely certain result, but a good estimate with known ...
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votes
5answers
218 views
Is there a significant benefit to using plastic window insulation year round?
In order to help save more money and funnel more of those savings to debts, I'm looking for more ways to save money.
I've heard that puting plastic window insulation over single-pane windows ...
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vote
0answers
56 views
Can I block a skylight during summer without condensation?
I have a small fixed skylight and figure that during winter it's no problem to block the tunnel at ceiling level as suggested by an answer to a similar diy.stackechange question. (The only difference ...
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votes
3answers
103 views
Can my drywall act as an air barrier?
I am preparing to improve a building in a cold climate zone. Since it does not seem to be properly insulated, I am reading a book about insulating and weatherizing. That teaches me that I should ...
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1answer
130 views
How should I insulate behind the last floor joist that runs parallel to the foundation wall?
As an aside, I can't for the life of me figure out what to call the last floor joist that runs parallel to the basement foundation. Does it have a name?
In my house, there is a little cramped gap an ...
4
votes
2answers
168 views
How do I fix air leak in windows?
Our windows in the back of our house receive a lot of wind. When it's windy or very cold, the air is coming in through various crevices: window track and space between window. The windows are about ...
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1answer
49 views
What type and rating of insulation should be used in a basement bathroom?
I need to replace the insulation on the back and side of the bathtub. The walls face the
exterior of the house (poured foundation). What type and rating should I use? I can't tell what the ...
6
votes
2answers
362 views
Why don't people use rigid or spray foam insulation in attics?
I'm looking to upgrade the insulation in my attic bumping it from an R-6 to R-30 or better, and while looking into things I realized I've never seen anyone use rigid or spray foam insulation in an ...
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3answers
192 views
Will plaster on basement walls and ceiling provide insulation?
My basement's insides are completely unfinished. It has bare brick walls and bare concrete beams-vaults as the ceiling. I though of coating the walls and the ceiling with 2 inch thick plaster with the ...
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3answers
195 views
How should I use fiberglass batts to insulate between floor joists over a stone basement?
I have an old home built on a stone foundation. The stone foundation is solid, as well as the floor joists. I run a dehumidifier in the basement full time, to keep the air moisture low. There is ...
5
votes
2answers
747 views
Is super insulating exterior walls with rigid foam board insulation possible?
2" rigid foam-board insulation can have an R-value of up t R-10, layering 4 boards would create a R-40 value. However that creates an 8" foam wall above the actual wall. What would be a recommended ...
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3answers
159 views
Can I paint over XPS insulation?
I've a top floor apartment in India which gets almost like an oven during the summers which is like for 9 months out of 12. I've decided to apply under the deck XPS 50mm (nailed to the ceiling). I ...
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votes
2answers
104 views
Should I add batt insulation to concrete basement walls?
We're planning how to finish our basement, and haven't been able to figure out something related to insulation.
The home's in Minnesota, and was built in 2008. XPS insulation (installed by the ...
3
votes
4answers
322 views
Can I cover junction boxes in the attic with insulation?
This may be a duplicate of What are the codes for electrical wiring in attics?
I have an attic which is accessible via a ladder through an access panel in the garage and in a bedroom. The trusses ...
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2answers
208 views
What are some cheap (and landlord friendly) ways to fix a drafty flat?
The worst affected seems to be my room. It is the end of the turret with a massive vent (now gaffa-tape sealed) I will be sitting by the wall and actually feel the freezing cold air against my neck ...
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1answer
570 views
What could be causing my bedroom to be so cold, and how can I make it warmer?
I live in a two story townhouse with a basement this summer, they replaced the furnace and air conditioning unit. Last winter i put the 3M film over the windows to help with drafts and it worked great ...
2
votes
1answer
163 views
Can I increase the efficiency of a refrigerator by replacing the door insulation?
I am in the process repainting the refrigerator doors, and cleaning up the rust on the inside of the doors. The question is, would I increase the efficiency of operation by replacing the original ...
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vote
1answer
151 views
Should I install vapor barrier in my basement bathroom?
I have a brick house built in the 1920s. I'm installing a bathroom basement based on an existing layout, but I'm trying to keep the "wet" side (mechanical room with hot water heater, etc.) physically ...
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vote
1answer
59 views
Can I insulate over 1/2 in. styrofoam?
We have a rec room (basement) from the 60's that we are redoing. Currently on the outside walls, they have 1 x 2 studding then 1/2 inch white styrofoam then vapour barrier. WE are wondering if we ...
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3answers
544 views
What options are available for insulating interior walls myself with minimal damage to the wall?
United State | California
I'd like to insulate the interior walls in my house using a minimally invasive method.
My understanding that is that "blown-in insulation" requires specialized equipment ...
3
votes
2answers
184 views
Will this moisture problem persist after drywall is installed?
we remodeled a trailer home recently, removed the aluminum siding, put up osb in place of the siding, then used the Lowes brand of house wrap. we installed new vinyl siding over that without using any ...
1
vote
0answers
129 views
Do I need to add a protective layer to insulation for wall heater?
I am going to install a 4000 watt wall heater to an add on. It is the kind of wall heater that is seated in the wall. i also plan to install insulation in between my wall studs. there will be ...
3
votes
1answer
78 views
How do I provide proper fire protection in this situation?
HVAC guys are running a vertical duct (supply and return) from my basement to my 2nd floor attic. It will run adjacent to an exterior wall and will eventually be enclosed in a drywalled-in vertical ...
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2answers
2k views
Should I agree to have more insulation added to my attic?
I have a 6 year old home with about 12 inches (R-30) of blown-in insulation in the attic. Recently door-to-door sales representatives for an insulation company offered a free inspection and quote to ...
6
votes
3answers
455 views
What is the best way to patch 3" holes in plaster
I have a number of ~3" holes in my plaster from where my walls were filled with insulation. (Why did they drill a 3" hole? I have no idea).
Obviously I would like to fill these holes in, but they ...
2
votes
2answers
740 views
How do I repair a drywall ceiling when there is blown in insulation above?
I was finishing the space above a garage. The space was buried in blown in cellulose insulation and we framed in some walls, laid a subfloor, and finished the room. During framing two different ...
3
votes
2answers
192 views
Is it a good idea to put 1/4" XPS under engineered floors?
We're pulling out the carpet in a room next to a room with hardwood floors. After removing the carpet and putting down the engineered floor, we'll be 1/4" short of the hardwood.
Options:
Use ...
