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.
25
votes
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 ...
20
votes
5answers
15k views
I added insulation to my attic rafters, but should I have left room for airflow?
I added insulation to my attic rafters and plugged the space between the outdoors and my attic with insulation. It lowered my heating bill by $150/month, but I've seen some information that I may ...
15
votes
4answers
2k views
How can I insulate my garage door?
Over the past year I've been converting our integrated garage so that it's a usage space.
I've painted the walls, got lighting, power and water connected (To allow for a washing machine to be ...
11
votes
3answers
5k views
How bad is it to have wet insulation?
With this recent blizzard we recently saw our ceiling lighting fixture leaking water (slow, about 1 drop every 5 minutes)
I got up in the attic and saw that some snow had been apparently blown into ...
10
votes
4answers
705 views
Does building insulation wear out and have to be replaced?
First, a little back-story. I've been having trouble with the air-conditioning system in my south-Texas apartment home for almost two months so far this summer. The apartment manager has been ...
10
votes
3answers
15k views
What can I do about a room over the garage with temperature problems?
I'm learning many things about our new home. This winter I learned that a room directly above a garage stays much colder than the rest of the house (up to 10+ degrees colder in our case). What options ...
9
votes
6answers
1k views
How can I insulate my attic on a tight budget?
My attic is running 135Fahrenheit (55 Celsius) and more right now. And that's before it even gets to the hottest part of the day! The A/C guy said the A/C's are working perfectly. But he tested the ...
9
votes
2answers
722 views
Do I need to insulate exposed foundation in my garage?
I have a 2 story split-foyer ranch. The bedrooms upstairs are above the garage and noticeably colder than the rest of the house (I live in Connecticut so winters get pretty cold).
There's no climate ...
8
votes
5answers
407 views
Are curtains effective for keeping the room warm?
I live in a rented apartment and I am trying to find solutions to keep the heat in. The apartment has several big windows (the 'living room' has one wall that is 80% windows) and I have to run the ...
8
votes
3answers
633 views
How do I remove blown in attic insulation?
I want to replace the drywall ceiling in my house. It's old and has been painted over a million times. Home was built in the 50s. How do I replace the ceiling without replacing the insulation? Or if I ...
8
votes
2answers
4k views
What's the best way to keep my garage from freezing?
I live in Colorado. My 1950s house has a one-car attached garage that was built in the 2000s. The walls that are not shared with the house are not insulated: the studs and sheathing are visible from ...
8
votes
1answer
493 views
Mold remediation in crawlspace
Just bought a 25 year old home that has improperly installed insulation in the crawlspace. The insulation is fiberglass rolls with a paper backing, and is installed with the paper facing down, toward ...
7
votes
6answers
3k views
Is insulating an unfinished basement worth it? If so, how should I go about it?
I have an unfinished, well waterproofed basement with cinderblock walls and a concrete floor. All but the top 6 inches / 15 cm or so is underground.
Would it be worth insulating the walls down there? ...
7
votes
3answers
846 views
How do I determine if I need attic insulation to keep cool in summer?
How can I determine if I need more attic insulation to keep cool in summer?
I live in the desert of southern California so it can get pretty hot in the summer (110+ is not uncommon). I would like ...
7
votes
2answers
620 views
Should I insulate steam pipes in the basement?
I have a steam-radiator heating system. The furnace is in the (unfinished) basement, and the steam-carrying steel pipes spread out across the basement ceiling before going up into the rest of the ...
7
votes
3answers
3k views
Should I insulate a finished basement if there is only 3 degrees difference?
We are finishing our basement and I'm wondering if it is worth putting in insulation if there is only a 3 degrees temperature difference from my upper floors to my basement. This is during the winter ...
7
votes
2answers
344 views
Basement Insulation
I am currently insulating my basement. I left the studs far enough away from the concrete wall so I can put r20 in without it compressing. My main question is there is enough space between the studs ...
7
votes
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 ...
7
votes
2answers
895 views
How can I floor my loft without compressing the insulation?
I want to board over my loft for storage, but before I do I ought to improve the insulation which is very old and thin. My UK house is 105yrs old so the rafters are not as high as the recommended ...
7
votes
2answers
537 views
Should I insulate an attic that's over an open porch?
I have a 6ft (approx. 2m) wide porch at the front of my house. The space above the porch opens into the attic, like this:
I'm adding insulation -- R-38 fiberglass batting -- in the attic; do I ...
7
votes
1answer
392 views
AC issues / Insulation of vaulted ceiling
Issue: If it's hot outside, ~90F, house temperature can't get below 79F.
Background: 6 year old house, vaulted ceiling with 1 ceiling fan in family room where thermostat is (also 3 large windows, ...
7
votes
2answers
3k views
How to properly insulate a garage?
I'm considering insulating (and drywalling) my garage, which already has insulated garage doors. My main goal is to keep it from getting much below freezing during the winter.
This garage is located ...
7
votes
1answer
150 views
How do I replace insulation in the corner?
I'm re-insulating a room in my house, and have come to the corner. The studs are arranged like so:
x| | |
-
-
x = the space I'm talking about, | = studs of an interior wall, - = studs of an ...
7
votes
2answers
242 views
How is this type of weather stripping replaced?
This weather stripping is about 20 years old, and obviously it's no longer doing anything. It seems like it's stuck between those pieces of wood, but I can't tell if it's glued in, or if there are ...
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 ...
6
votes
5answers
4k views
Is there an NEC-compliant method of repairing minor damage to electrical wire insulation without a junction box?
While trying to pry loose a stubborn cable staple that fastens a 14-gauge electrical cable to a stud, I accidentally tore a very small hole through both the outer jacket and the insulation around the ...
6
votes
2answers
3k views
My neighbor keeps complaining about my music. How to soundproof my apartment?
I live in an old apartment building and the walls are thin. This is a problem because I love to listen to music -- sometimes at odd hours of the night. Yes, I can be an asshole in this way. But my ...
6
votes
3answers
273 views
How do you insulate your pipes to protect against freezing?
So, my pipes froze in my house today, and it made me realize that I should better insulate them for the rare days that it gets in the teens here... What should I do to insulate them?
6
votes
3answers
1k views
Is styrofoam good for attic insulation?
A neighbour is trying to sell me some of his leftover styrofoam insulation. I need to insulate my attic. Is styrofoam a good insulator, or should I use another type of insulation?
6
votes
2answers
352 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 ...
6
votes
3answers
6k views
Why is one bedroom always colder than the rest of the house?
We have a two story home with 3 bedrooms upstairs. Home is 7 years old. One of the bedrooms is always around 5-6 degrees Fahrenheit colder than the rest of the house (when compared to the thermostat ...
6
votes
3answers
1k views
How do I add insulation to my attic?
I'm pretty sure my attic needs some additional insulation (it looks pretty sparse and my house is freezing!).
Here are some images of my attic: http://imgur.com/a/pdsXF
Two questions:
There is ...
6
votes
3answers
452 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 ...
6
votes
1answer
859 views
What thickness of closed cell spray foam should I use on my basement walls?
I'm finishing my basement in southeastern Wisconsin. This is a poured full basement below grade. We are ready to insulate the walls and are going to use closed cell spray foam.
I've had two ...
6
votes
2answers
3k views
Can I install recessed lighting in vaulted ceiling with 6" rafters?
I would like to install recessed lighting in my vaulted ceiling. One contractor I spoke with suggested not doing that because the rafters are shallow (only 6 inches), which does not leave much room ...
6
votes
1answer
695 views
Does it do any good to use fiberglass insulation if you're not going to drywall?
My attached garage is not insulated. When I look up, I see the roof sheathing.
I was thinking of adding insulation to the garage. The problem is there is no attic space, so I shouldn't drywall it ...
6
votes
1answer
77 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 ...
6
votes
1answer
416 views
Venting the attic space during summer to cool the house
The air in my attic gets superheated during summer, from the sun baking the (clay? terracotta?) roof tiles (I live in Sydney, Australia).
I have good ceiling insulation, and even put in some sarking ...
6
votes
1answer
371 views
How to properly seal the transition between basement wall framing and spray-foamed box joists?
We're looking at insulating the box joists of our concrete foundation. We have 2x3" walls framed which are holding batt insulation, which are 3-4" away from the wall (to accommodate a layer of batt ...
6
votes
2answers
652 views
Solutions for a moist basement?
I live close to the water and there is a high water table around my house. Therefore a lot of water vapor passes through the basement walls. I would like to be able to store stuff in my basement and ...
6
votes
1answer
694 views
How do I design a 100 mm thick barrier that maximizes thermal and acoustic insulation?
I need to design a thermal and sound barrier - walls of a cuboid-shaped space. Imagine it is a free-standing bike shed in the fields. The walls can not be thicker then about 100 mm (4 inches). The ...
5
votes
2answers
1k views
Determining if there is insulation behind a wall
Learning today that some of our walls are a whole 20 degrees colder than others (all facing east) I'm convinced we may not have proper insulation (it's a new house, but we've head numerous problems ...
5
votes
3answers
742 views
How can I determine why my A/C runs all day?
I have a Bryant AC/Furnace unit. My house is 10 years old. A heat wave hit this weekend & temps got up to 95°F outside. I had my thermostat set to 75°, and it ran all day. The ...
5
votes
2answers
420 views
When insulating with closed-cell Spray Foam, what ERV and HVAC resizing considerations should I bear in mind?
I am building a 2800 sqft, two-story brick home in Austin, TX. I have heard many good things about the benefits of insulating with closed-cell Spray Polyurethane Foam (ccSPF)1, and have requested ...
5
votes
1answer
3k views
What type of tape is used to seal vapor barrier seams?
If I was installing vapor barrier in Canada, I'd use Tuck® Contractors Sheathing Tape. However, after a trip to the local Home Depot (USA), I came up empty in my search for Tuck Tape.
I did find ...
5
votes
2answers
1k views
Do I need to “protect” low voltage cables that are run through an insulated wall?
I'm planning to run speaker cables from a new outlet at an uninsulated wall to a new outlet at an insulated wall. I've already run Cat5e and coaxial cable to the uninsulated wall, and am comfortable ...
5
votes
3answers
1k views
How do I insulate a whole-house fan during the winter?
I would like to insulate my whole-house fan in the winter. I've see insulating covers that you can attach with magnetic strips or velcro, but the look does not appeal to me and I don't trust how well ...
5
votes
3answers
1k views
What material should I use to insulate floor over a bumpout?
My dining room has part of it bumped out about 2 feet overhanging from the foundation. The floor over this overhanging part gets cold in winter and I'm thinking about insulating below it. I've done ...
5
votes
1answer
275 views
How to cover gap below garage back door
I have a 3/4" gap between my garage back door (see image. blueish color is outside evening light).
Looking for a good way to cover this gap with two goals in mind:
Stop rodents from coming in
Help ...
5
votes
3answers
720 views
Is radiant heat in a concrete floor unpleasant in a super-insulated house?
While reading about superinsulation, I came across the idea that a radiant concrete floor is a poor choice if you have really good insulation. The reasoning goes like this:
In a regular house you ...
