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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Condensation forming on garage roof despite insulation

I have a condensation problem on the inside of my garage roof. I noticed it in November, lots of condensation forming on the roof but only at the back half of the garage which is slowly being ...
KyleT's user avatar
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Is this sort of "wrapped" eave a reasonable eave detail?

So, I've been pondering some thoughts on where walls meet roofs in the vein of Joe Lstiburek's "Perfect Wall" work and how to replicate that in a context that favors "house-shaped" ...
ThreePhaseEel's user avatar
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How to improve insulation in a single room

I would like to stabilize the temperature in our nursery. Currently we need to overheat/cool the rest of the house (using central forced-air heating and cooling) to maintain our desired temperature ...
SaSSafraS1232's user avatar
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How to seal brick and siding corner?

On the exterior of my house, there is a corner where one wall is brick and the other is cedar shingles. There is a some space between the two where cold air gets in and the interior wall that is near ...
Seidleroni's user avatar
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Mildew around window retrofit inserts

Some of the windows in our house have mildew around the replacement window inserts (~18 years old). Mostly at the bottom. The original frames were aluminum, the inserts of course are PVC. The ...
rrauenza's user avatar
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How do I insulate a living area below a former porch

My brother has an old house probably built in the 30s or 40s in renovated in the 50s. The very front of the house looks like it may have been a converted porch. There was recently a leak which ...
user379468's user avatar
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Pipe insulation, pros and cons

Someone told me that pipe insulation is not necessary, rather he said it could cause more problems. I'm under impression that he's making an excuse because he forgot to put it back. Any inputs, anyone?...
Socalman's user avatar
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Mold on underside of attic flooring

I found mold on the underside of my plywood attic flooring. The attic has rollout fiberglass insulation with a paper vapor barrier in the attic joists with no rafter insulation. I have installed ...
Edward Amodeo's user avatar
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Cost effective insulation for a 100 year old home? [closed]

My home is in central Indiana -- climate zone 5. It has lasted 100 years with no insulation at all. I've removed all of the super thick and heavy 3/4" cement sheet rock on the exterior walls and ...
Ivan Bohannon's user avatar
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2 answers
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Best kind of insulation board possible?

I have a wall I need to insulate and have only 2 inches to work with, so I am planning to use some kind of insulated panel board and want to maximize the insulation. Cost is no object, so if it is ...
Tyler Durden's user avatar
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Insulating stand-alone studio (shed)

I am looking for advice on insulating a stand-alone studio... I want to keep the "exposed" studs look (similar to board & batten). I plan on installing rigid insulation between the studs,...
Ken A's user avatar
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Insulating Behind Completed Kitchen Cabinets

Recently moved into a new home that had just been renovated. The kitchen looks complete, but now that we are here we have started to notice things. In there it is always cold and drafty, and I know ...
tniloc's user avatar
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Feedback on creative ways to sound proof - insulate existing finished ceiling

Without going into details on the, well, lets call them 'domestic political restraints' inhibiting me from tearing down the existing ceiling or blowing in insulation, I'd be curious to get some ...
I_hate_noise's user avatar
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1 answer
904 views

How to Insulate a Garage Ceiling

I'm based in NJ and want to convert my attached garage in to a home gym. I just started insulating the exterior walls and will plan on hanging drywall over them when I am done. The shared living ...
Rob K's user avatar
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Soffit vents and rafter baffles in finished attic

My house has soffit vent along the eaves of the roof. I am finishing up the attic to create a home office, and I am wondering how should I treat the vents... clearly they are not going to have access ...
0xF2's user avatar
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Why is there insulation in the common wall between housing units?

I need to run electrical and network cables (cat6) from the third floor of my house down to the basement where there are different breakers and different computers. So I did a relative measurement in ...
leeand00's user avatar
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Options for insulating glass sliding patio door in master bedroom other than replacing it?

Our master bedroom is a lot colder than any other room in the house. From what I can see, the patio door is leaking in a lot of cold. We don't want to replace the entire patio door right now. Looking ...
IMTheNachoMan's user avatar
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How best to insulate these ducts?

When my HVAC system is heating the house, the basement gets super warm and everything in the picture gets warm/hot to touch. I feel like the system is wasting a chunk of energy. Am I right? Should ...
Dancrumb's user avatar
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Insulating small rim joist spaces

My house has very small rim joists spaces in the basement. I have noticed that the floors are cold, as are the walls. So I want to take action and this is where I thought to start. My problem is that ...
Shinobii's user avatar
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2 votes
2 answers
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Can I add insulation to my attic and put down plywood so I can walk around more easily?

My house was built in 1992. There are currently faced batts of fiberglass and a few inches of white blown-in insulation that is both scattered in some areas (mostly over the master bedroom from ...
Joe Phillips's user avatar
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What to do when spray foam has been removed and still have bad smell?

Several years ago my dad was talked into spray foaming the ceiling of the attic with spray foam. Ever since there has been a tremendous amount of dust and bad smell. Lots of health problems have ...
Vhy's user avatar
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What is this conservatory door part called?

There is draft of cold air coming into the house from my conservatory door. I have noticed that there is a small plastic part that is broken and has left a hole at the bottom of the door. I don't know ...
A j's user avatar
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Why are there gaps on the garage door seal of my garage door?

I'm looking into thermally insulating the bottom of my Garage door (I live on Long Island NY, so the winters can get a bit cold), and I noticed that there are gaps in the sides of the garage door ...
Sarah Szabo's user avatar
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1 answer
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How to improve the insulation seal on French Doors to stop drafts?

I have a few french that go to the outside in my house. They look like below, the right door swings out while the left door typically remains closed. In the above photo, the area circled in red is ...
Error 454's user avatar
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Insulating hard to access rim joist

I am currently insulating my rim joists with rigid foam board, then spraying great stuff around the edges. However, there is one rim joist that will be too difficult to get the foam board into because ...
Chris's user avatar
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Best and easiest way to seal insulation above concrete pour in unfinished areas of basements? [closed]

One of the things my crew is doing is trying to quickly make unfinished areas in basements look nicer and easier to clean. We usually stuff all outer joist walls with roxul to insulate and while this ...
DMoore's user avatar
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What side of the Typar paper faces the concrete when attaching to the back of the stud wall in my basement?

We are finishing our basement and live in Utah 5 climate zone. We already had the walls framed and now I'm seeing we should have placed the foam board first. Now that the walls are up I'm looking at ...
Julie's user avatar
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2 answers
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How to achieve R-21 insulation in 3.5 inch exterior wall

I'd like to insulate an exterior 2x4 wall to R-21. It looks like I'll need to use Rigid Foam of some sort. I'm not finding any products at my local store which are 3.5 inches thick. At the moment, ...
JawguyChooser's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
208 views

Is this insulation in my HVAC installed correctly?

Inside my HVAC (past the horse hair filter) is a large gap before the air hits the radiator. The inside of this area appears to be lined with some kind of fiberglass insulation. I asked maintenance ...
Zhro's user avatar
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Should I insulate the duct trunk as I finish my basement?

I'm in the process of finishing my basement and am currently planning out my HVAC. I live in Minnesota so I'm trying to do what I can to maximize heat delivery/retention down there so I don't end up ...
grin0048's user avatar
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How is wet cellulose insulation usually blown into walls?

I'm dried-in on new construction on my own house and plan to DIY the insulation as I have done many times. Not looking forward to stapling it up. I see companies offering a wall cellulose solution ...
maplemale's user avatar
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Can I use bubble wrap / pluriball to insulate my shed or it is just a waste of time?

I would like to make my small shed / laboratory a little less cold / humid during winter. The main points I can "attack" are the very thin windows and some holes between the wall and roof, ...
Pitto's user avatar
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1 answer
558 views

Safe wrapping for fiberglass around pipes?

If I wrap pipes with fiberglass for insulation but I'm worried about the health risks of exposed fiberglass, is there something that I could wrap around the fiberglass? If so, what and why?
capet's user avatar
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2 votes
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Insulation exposed behind face of my fireplace

I recently had my house inspected and this was identified. I don't know if the previous owners used this fireplace regularly but it looks like the insulation between the face of the fireplace is ...
Andrew's user avatar
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1 answer
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How high to seal vapor retarder in open ceiling basement

I'm finishing my basement with an open ceiling am trying to figure out how high the vapor retarder needs to go. The wall will be insulated with mineral wool and the rim joists with 2" XPS + 3.5&...
RedSpikeyThing's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
902 views

Any issues with insulating exterior 2x4 walls with rock wool, then cover with XPS and drywall?

I am finishing the above-ground basement in my 1950's house, which has 2x4 framing, 16" o.c. I want to insulate as much as possible without breaking the bank (i.e. sprayfoam is out of the ...
TarnTarnTurtleneck's user avatar
5 votes
2 answers
461 views

Better, not Perfect way to Insulate Uninsulated Attic Space in older Home

I have an older 2-story home (almost 100yrs) in Ohio, Zone 5. Rafters, walls everything built from 2x4's and 1x6 planks for deck of roof. Just had roof done so not planning on doing a tear off at ...
Derrick C's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
160 views

Why isn't my window film insulation kit causing water damage?

My understanding is that insulating inside of a window can lead to condensation problems on the outside (see answer to this question). I have been using insulating window film kits for a few years and ...
capet's user avatar
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0 answers
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Insulation overhang kitchen area from outside

I have a 2'x10' area which is overhang and remains very cold durinng winter. I have access to the floor joists from basement underneath the overhang area and have stuffed enough insulation there. I ...
Ashok Khandelwal's user avatar
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1 answer
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Using radiant barrier to keep a room warm [closed]

I have been told (including in comments by awesome user Unslander Monica) that a foil sheet placed on the interior side of an air-sealed window can help prevent radiative heat loss through that window....
capet's user avatar
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air gap between insulation batts and subfloor

I'm looking at the insulation in a crawl space below the first floor of my home. Joists are I-beams (12" deep, model TJI 350), 12" on center. Insulation is R19 fiberglass bats, tight-...
Ben E's user avatar
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1 answer
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Window film affixed to the wall around a window?

Useful related questions: here, here. I live in an apartment with a window that I want to insulate during the winter. I am currently using one of those shrink film kits and it seems to be working. ...
capet's user avatar
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0 votes
3 answers
450 views

Deck the halls with bubble wrap?

In order to insulate a room, would it make sense to apply a layer of bubble wrap to my walls/ceiling? What about some other material like mylar or foylon? What major factors would affect the answer to ...
capet's user avatar
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1 answer
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Can I use two layers of window film to create a narrow, convection-reducing gap?

This is a follow-up to this question. The official answerer A.I. Breveleri writes: The ideal separation distance between film and glass is 1/2 inch. Even 1 inch is too thick as it allows the trapped ...
capet's user avatar
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Wool batting window quilt? [duplicate]

Would it make sense to use wool batting like this as a window quilt? Why or why not? What factors would affect its suitability? For context, I propose using this on the inside of one of those shrink ...
capet's user avatar
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1 answer
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Aerogel winter window quilt?

Would it possibly make sense for me to use aerogel as a seasonal window quilt? It may depend critically on some other factors; if so, what are they? In particular, I have heard that aerogel designed ...
capet's user avatar
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1 vote
2 answers
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Unfinished basement - options for exposed concrete wall in finished room

We're purchasing a home with a large, unfinished basement having a poured concrete foundation and walls. This home is in Minnesota, so there's a seasonal consideration with temperature and moisture. ...
trnelson's user avatar
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0 answers
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R-value of textiles

Does anyone know of any good sources of information about the R-value of various textiles, like blankets and quilts of various materials/thicknesses in various conditions?
capet's user avatar
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1 vote
2 answers
672 views

Vapor barrier on heated entertainment shed [closed]

i am building an 8x10 entertainment shed with a loft for kids to hang out and have sleepovers in, i will be heating it. I have tyvek and t1-11 it is on 4x4 skids on top of the Concrete patio and has 3/...
Barbi Barnes's user avatar
-1 votes
2 answers
543 views

How to repair garage wall? (Oriented Strand Board, Insulation, Drywall)

I had a plumber and electrician do some work and they left a big rectangle open in my garage. I need to repair OSB board, maybe replace insulation, and finally drywall. Not sure if I need to replace, ...
novablinkicelance's user avatar

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