Questions tagged [insulation]
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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Is it worth insulating the roof of a detatched, unfinished garage, but not the walls?
My detached, unfinished garage is pretty sucky because the walls are only 6' high. Based on quick and dirty math, it'd make more sense to tear it down and start over than to try and finish it, but I ...
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A creative Eco-friendly Underlayment for a metal roof? [closed]
I am building an octagonal cabin with a 200 sq ft metal roof (Grandrib 3) at a 30 degree pitch; the roof will sit on wooden strapping and will eventually have insulation below it contained by a ...
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Can I remove accumulated sawdust from fiberglass insulation?
I have an unfinished basement with framed and insulated (the yellow fiberglass stuff) walls, but no sheet rock. Over time there has been a lot of accumulation of sawdust on the insulation as the area ...
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Calculating U Value of a room
I am converting a garage to a usable room and am researching different options when it comes to insulation. I know more insulation is better, however there is a point where adding more insulation ...
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How to improve cooling in a room/Cool a concrete wall?
Im on a 2nd floor room, it has big front windows and a small one on the side, I am using my computer/full setup on the corner of the room, where beside me is the window wall, but since im in the ...
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What to do about a solid wall?
A little over a year ago I had a first floor extension added to my house (London, UK), and I have since discovered a number of problems - for example, no insulation at all in the loft. I am now having ...
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Worth it to replace a freezer gasket? [closed]
Our freezer gasket has gotten compressed, and is leaking cold air. My options are to buy a new refrigerator, buy a replacement gasket and replace it myself, or just live with it. I'd like to avoid ...
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Mystery surface behind drwall
Was attempting to install an in wall power kit to hide the wires from my mounted TV and seem to have hit something behind the drywall. Not sure if it's some sort of rigid insulation, but I'm hesitant ...
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I'm using 2" EPS below grade insulation for radiant floor heating, Do I need a poly vapor barrier on top?
In addition to 2" of EPS do I need a poly in a radiant floor heating system
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Insulating inside walls of old house [closed]
We have a 120+ year old farmhouse in South Central Illinois. We removed all interior plaster and lath and want to insulate the walls. What is best way to insulate?
I have been researching for a week ...
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Is insulation or damp proof barrier a requirement for walls in wood sheds?
I want to cover the interior walls of a shiplap wooden shed with plywood to hang tools and put up shelves on a flat wall. Do I need to insulate the gap between the plywood and the wooden planks of the ...
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Do I need to leave space between insulation and the roof deck with a cathedral ceiling?
I'm finishing a 14x14 shed that has 2x6 rafters in Austin TX, and I want a cathedral ceiling. The shed builder says they usually recommend filling the cavity with R-19 fiberglass insulation, leaving ...
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Should I insulate my pizza oven between the firebrick base and concrete?
I am building a pizza oven for my garden. The 'table' will be standard red brick and concrete slabs to form the work top.
On top of the work top, I was intending to lay a layer of firebrick, and place ...
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R-value for insulating a vaulted ceiling?
We're building a finished shed in Austin, TX with drywall and HVAC. It will also have several huge double-paned windows. I think we'll be going with R-13 for the walls. It's generally suggested to use ...
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Insulation foam
Plumber suggested using foam in this bay (with a water supply for a standing tub filler) because it was better than batts of insulation in stopping cold air movement, hence preventing freezing.
I ...
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How can I add more insulation to my finished attic walls without trapping moisture
I have a finished attic that has a kneewall insulated with fiberglass batts, insulation facing in. The batts fill the depth of the wall cavity completely to the end of the stud, there's no more room ...
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How to add insulation to ducts in hot uninsulated attic?
I have central air with ducts running through the hot, uninsulated attic (there is blown-in insulation between the joists to insulate the rooms below). Fortunately it's only about 25 feet of ductwork, ...
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How can I find all the air leaks and insulation gaps in my finished attic?
I have a finished attic which gets hot very quickly, requiring running the central AC excessively and due to the imbalance, the downstairs tends to get too cold while the finished attic is still too ...
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Where to place the vapor barrier in a sunroom floor
I'm looking to insulate the floor of a sun room. The room is a converted screen porch (i.e. there is free airflow under the floor).
My plan was to crawl underneath, staple vapor barrier to the bottom ...
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Low profile options for insulating cathedral ceiling
I'm looking to convert an existing screened room into a sun room. Part of that process will be insulating the cathedral ceiling. Unfortunately I don't have a lot of space. Ideally I'd like to get R39 ...
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How can I get the insulation batts back up above the finished attic ceiling?
I have a finished attic. The finished room has drywall screwed directly to the roof rafters. There were insulation batts installed between rafters initially, but it's a steep slope and most of them ...
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Kenmore 465 Stove / Range with range missing a pipe and insulation exposed?
I have a Kenmore stove that's probably from either 2006 or the 90s some time; and we recently replaced all the drip pans in it; I don't know why or who, but one family members pulled a pipe out of the ...
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How to properly insulate PVC water pipes outside?
I live in Houston, and I'm trying to re-insulate my external pipes, which are a mix of PVC pipes and fittings and brass valves. Most of my fellow Houstonians use foam polyethylene insulation and duct ...
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Best way to insulate supply duct with minimal clearance
I wanted to wrap the supply side ductwork, but the return is mounted so close to it, in some spots barely 3/4 of an inch of space between them. What is the best way to insulate in this case? Supplies ...
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1880 Home with Ballon Framing - Roof Soffit Question
I have a 1880 house with balloon framing. On the 3rd top floor, the roof line extends beyond the top plates and there's a air gap at the end...I can right into my rain gutters from the inside and have ...
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How are vapor barriers, moisture barriers, and house wrap different?
I've read many discussions here and elsewhere talking about these three things with regard to insulation, energy efficiency, and siding installation. What are the differences and where are each used?
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Would insulating a basement wall with XPS and reflective insulation create a moisture problem?
I'm in Massachusetts (ICC 2015 w/ mods) and want to finish my basement walls. I'm thinking about using a combination of 2" XPS, 1x2s horizontal 24" OC, Reflectix (double reflective ...
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How could I insulate a thin hot roof and bring it to current Southern CA code?
So we started an exterior remodel today, and found that our roof construction is way more mickey mouse than I thought it was.
Our house has vaulted 2nd floor ceilings through most of the 2nd floor ...
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Is it beneficial to use Quietrock drywall in addition to Rockwool Sound Insulation?
How much additional noise reduction can I get by combining Rockwool sound insulation with QuietRock drywall? Or does one render the other moot?
I'm looking to add some noise reduction to an unfinished ...
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What's the efficiency of extruded polystyrene foam for roof insulation?
I'm renovating a house and I'm looking to insulate it well. My question is about the roof.
It's today insulated with 80mm Extruded Polystyrene Foam (EPF) panels, Styrodur. I don't know the product ...
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Is insulation on 30cm concrete wall worth it?
It is for a house in Portugal (where temperatures during the day roughly vary from 15 degrees celsius to 40 degrees celsius), where the walls of the house are 30 cm of concrete, with no insulation at ...
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Insulating basement ceiling
My basement is currently completely unfinished. Having gone through my first winter in the home (Alberta, Canada), the floor is obviously quite cold!
As a cost effective way to keep the cold in the ...
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Should I use vapor barrier for a framed floor over a slab?
What to do about the vapor barrier?
I am currently using a formerly unheated basement room as home office. The room is not properly insulated and rather hard to keep warm. I am thinking about ...
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Foam board sheets
I have a new tiny home shell in east texas. What's the best way to insulate it?
#1. Can I use 1/2" foamular on exterior or do I need to use a foiled foam sheet?
#2. Can I put more foamular ...
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Can I add foam board insulation to my tiny house to increase energy efficiency?
I have a new tiny home shell in east Texas. It's 16x40 shell with wood siding 4x8 sheets on the out side. The kind with a groove every 4 inches. The house has a weather wrap on it already.
Metal roof. ...
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Basement Insulation/Vapor Barriers
Doing research prior to attempting a DIY basement finish. Never had moisture issues (sealed prior to move in) since we've been here (10yrs), walls are all below grade (no walk-outs). no insulation ...
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Are freezers afected by subfreezing temperatures, (weather)
A side-by-side refrigerator-freezer that was in a garage during the recent cold spell in Texas acted odd, the freezer became warm and everything melted. The refrigerator side did not show any ...
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adding more insulation on garage side of wall, and held in place with plastic sheeting has resulted in a moisture issue
I am closing the ceiling of my garage, and wanted to do a few things before that was completed. It's a 2 story house, and there is a shared wall between the house and the garage, on the second story. ...
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Insulation in the attic : choice between fire retardant and allergenic
This is for a house in Portugal, where most houses have no insulation. I want to insulate the house (it is quite cold in the winter).
The plan is to lay down some isolation material on the floor of ...
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How should I insulate my concrete ceiling in a safe room under a concrete porch?
We have a safe room roughly 25' long x 7' wide x 10' tall. It has concrete walls with a metal ceiling and concrete covered porch above it. The room gets very cold in the winter, I suspect mostly due ...
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Can I frame and insulate over EPS panels?
My house came with 1/2 inch EPS board already attached to concrete in our basement. Instead of ripping down, I would like to frame over foam with 2x4 studs and fill with rockwool. Per code I need R13 ...
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How to install a insulation meter in panel
I want to install a fix insulation meter in a main switch board . There is lot of motors in the switch board . If there is a requirement of taking insulation we check all the motors one by one. Plz ...
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Pipes on Exterior Wall
I recently had frozen pipes in my basement. I took some drywall down to identify the location of the frozen pipes and to apply heat to thaw it. It appears the frozen section is somewhere about halfway ...
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How can I prevent air leaks in my single-hung windows?
In our house we have regular single-hung windows which are leaking cold air.
As usual, the double pane unit is encased in plastic trim. I can feel a draft coming out where the plastic has a seam with ...
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Can I reduce draft in an elevated floor with house wrap below the insulation?
My 1930 house has a large room ~(25x30) that was added on in the early 1980's without a basement nor slab. It is on top of thick concrete piers, pinned to ledge rock. On very cold days < 15f or ...
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Will insulating attached garage walls create a moisture problem?
I live in Chicago and have 50 yrs old house that has attached garage. I found out that the walls in garage does not have insulation. I am planning to open the drywall, put batt insulation and drywall ...
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How to insulate a wood garden shed to house a small 7’x7’ heated above ground therapy pool
We are having a wood shed 12’x14’ built to house a small (7’x7’) above ground heated therapy pool so we can use it year round. The shed/building is being built on a gravel pad with no wooden floor due ...
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What is this floor material consisting of soft fibrous material covered by matte black layer?
We are renovating an apartment in a house in Germany built in 1957.
I am unsure what kind of floor construction I am looking at. The concrete floor is covered by a soft brown fibrous layer about 1.5 ...
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Can these windows be shuttered from light in a simple and efficient way?
I'm a very light sleeper. I cannot sleep if the room I am in is bright. Face-masks don't work for me because they give me allergies, prevent me from sleeping well, or don't match the geometry of my ...
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How to install insulation in a small space behind an existing shower?
I have a 3" wide area the height of the bathroom wall behind at the corner of an existing shower on the external wall without insulation. The space runs the full 8' height I can only reach the ...
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