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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How can I deal with condensation on the vapor barrier in my basement energy walls?
Climate Zone 5A (Eastern Nebraska)
I’m needing guidance on properly insulating basement walls that already have 6 mil poly fastened to the wall as part of a basement perimeter drain system. I recently ...
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Potential risk of fire in attic insulation? [duplicate]
I was checking something in the attic today and noticed there are some black spots on the "paper/lining" side of the insulation (picture attached), obviously the black spots are the areas ...
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How can I install insulation batts between joists with variable spacing?
I am trying to put insulation above a garage but the problem is the space in between the cross beams are different. They varying between 16", 17", 18". What would be the best way to ...
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Should I insulate below my in-floor heat where there's conditioned space owned by others below?
I live on the third floor of an apartment complex, meaning I have two neighbors beneath me who essentially heats my apartment.
I want to install floor heating through a water heat pump and I have read ...
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Temporary Insulation - Window Fan
I live in an apartment without adequate kitchen ventilation. I like doing a lot of wok cooking, which tends to result in enormous amounts of smoke - tripping smoke alarms and getting into all of my ...
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Can I install rigid foam between my rafters to insulate?
Can I double up on an 2" Foamular insulation board to create an R-20 value in my 2x6 rafters Do I cut the foam at the exact 14 1/2" opening or do I cut it at 13 1/2" or 14"
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Is foamboard insulation on top of ceiling joists a bad idea? Is there a better solution if I can't have insulation directly on top of ceiling?
I'm installing Armstrong Woodhaven ceiling panels in the kitchen of a ranch home, so the panels will be attached to the ceiling joists, with the backside facing up into the attic (the ceiling is ...
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Insulation boards with foil facing outside - condensation issues?
AFAIK the best-practice for applying insulation+vapour barrier in cold climates is:
inside -> inside wall -> vapour barrior -> insulation -> outside wall (exposed to the elements).
If you ...
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how to reduce heat lost to attic through attic door
I have an attic door which is a hollow core bedroom door and my thermal camera measures it at a good 7 degrees F cooler than the wall around it, which means that I am probably losing heat. The door is ...
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Do Low-E window films help with winter heat insulation?
We are experiencing cold winters.
Just curious if window Low-E tinting (or others options) on actual windows help with heat insulation or if it's just a gimmick. I am referring to actual film (seen ...
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Tips for closing a gap between outside door and floor
The door to my new apartment has a large gap that allows cold air to flow in
What is the best, simplest and most effective way to plug this gap?
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Is there any reason to not caulk/foam between the garage door jamb and rough opening?
There is a gap between the rough edge and the garage door jamb. From some research, it seems like it's common practice to caulk/spray-foam this area to prevent drafts/etc. However, before doing so, I ...
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Insulating solid walls, permeable membrane vs solid insulation
I've got an integral garage being converted to living space (bedroom).
Around half the longest wall and rear wall is below ground which is insulated and well drained from the outside. Front wall ...
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Best material to protect concrete outdoor retaining wall from BBQ/pizza oven built onto it
Note - I've read Should I insulate my pizza oven between the firebrick base and concrete? and Will a slab poured with mortar stand up to service under a pizza oven? but they aren't rerally what I need....
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What to do if insulation is too thick?
I was careless with an insulation order (months ago, non returnable AFIAK). I bought faced batts of R-30, labeled as 10 inches thick for my garage. However, my garage framed with regular 2x4.
How much ...
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How can I insulate this junction box?
I have a junction box in my unfinished attic that supports a light fixture in the room below. It doesn't fit exactly to the lath and plaster and I'd like to insulate for sound intrusion (the attic is ...
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Insulate behind fixed walk up attic stairs
I have a full set of stairs that walk up into an unfinished attic space. The full sized access door to these stairs is in a hallway as if its a closet. Unfortunately, the max distance I have under ...
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Vinyl siding on concrete walls
I have to install vinyl siding on an exterior wall built from concrete blocks.
Anyone have any tips on correctly weatherproofing and insulating? I was thinking to lay 3/4 EPS rigid insulation then 1/4 ...
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Door weatherstripping gap after new door install
TLDR - Installed a new door but old door was non-standard size by about 1/4, about 80 by 36 1/4. Added 1/4 strip to hinge jamb but now there is a gap with the weather stripping and serious draft issue ...
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How can I insulate aluminum window frames?
I live in a rented apartment with aluminum window frames and double-pane windows. Now that it is heating season, I am noticing that my window frames are incredibly cold to the touch when it is cold ...
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What Rigid Foam Insulation Thickness is Comparable to 300mm Rock Wool Insulation?
I'm in the UK and in a house built pre-1900. In there I have rock wool on top of old rock wool and vermin are finding this very inviting (found out after I bought the house).
Because of the smell and ...
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Is the water pipe / plumbing insulation similar to air conditioner line insulation?
I'm trying to change a worn out insulation on the air conditioner outside of the house.
Is the plumbing insulation similar to the insulation on the cold AC line (refrigerant line?) on the unit outside ...
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How best to insulate against heat loss from house to garage?
I have a utility room with an internal door leading to the garage. The utility room is warm but loses heat through the door into the garage. The garage has a roller door made of pretty thin metal with ...
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Insulating and leveling sunroom floors
We have an old, 1911 house in Minnesota. Our front room is a converted porch which is drafty and quite sloped. Our plan is to rip up the old linoleum floors, get down to the joists, and essentially ...
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How should I insulate my old brick house?
My house was built in 1920 out of a single layer of 8-inch thick hollow brick. I am looking to insulate the walls in the upstairs entirely from scratch -- there's no insulation on them at all right ...
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Is there a feasible way to insulate one half of a single room?
I live with my partner in an apartment (I'd say our room is roughly 300~ sqft) and there's a bit of an issue with room temperature that we can't really put down. They love it cold and I prefer it more ...
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Buying a large shed to use for a climate controlled workshop, what insulation options do I have?
I'm going to get a prebuilt shed and I want to use it for a workshop so I want it climate controlled (I live in New England). Before I order I want to make sure I get anything I need added on (house ...
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Fiberglass fills attic rafters, planning another 3" of fiberglass perpendicular to rafters, but how should I navigate my attic after installation?
I have fiberglass filling my rafters, very nearly to the top. To meet my insulation target, I plan to install another 3" layer of fiberglass perpendicular to the existing fiberglass... but this ...
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Should vapor barrier be installed under an insulated garage attic floor?
I recently hired pros to spray foam my attic, essentially sealing the soffits, roofdeck, ridge vent, and the removed all cellulose insulation to allow air exchange and balance the conditioned space ...
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Does the sill gasket foam compress?
This is related to this question: How can I attach drywall directly to cinder blocks without using furring strips?
I am replacing an older strip of drywall that is at the bottom of the wall
The upper ...
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Should I use PIR or mineral wool (or both) to insulate an interior-ish brick wall?
TL;DR: exposed wall of a brick room in a shed-like roofed structure, what to insulate with?
I live in a late 19th century log house in central Russia. It's got an uninsulated extension, as most of ...
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Insulating a shed roof for winter use
I’m building a small (10 x 12 ft) shed in my backyard that I plan to use occasionally as a workshop. I live in Vermont, and wouldn’t use it during the dead of winter, but want to be able to make it ...
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Insulation tape behind a baseboard heater
In the apartment I am in, there is baseboard heater located under the balcony door
During the winter cold air come through the wall, and from gaps or crack between the wall and the floor
Usually ...
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Insulating stuccoed terra cotta garage walls
We have a detached garage that's made of hollow clay bricks (structural terra cotta) covered in stucco, both inside and out. I'd like to insulate and heat it for use in the winter. The problem is that ...
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Is this fiberglass insulation?
I'm having a difficult identifying the type of insulation behind a section of drywall. The home was built in North America around the 1940s. It's undergone several rounds of renovation projects and ...
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CO2 from ductwork, HVAC and gas tank in attached garage
We live in older house in northern US with annual wildfire smoke and have exposed ductwork, water heater and HVAC unit in attached garage. No wall or room separating it from rest of garage.
How do we ...
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Best insulation for water pipes in garage ceiling? [closed]
I have an unconditioned garage with a few water lines near the exterior wall and above a garage door.
I live where the temp could drop to 0 one or two times a year, but in the winter is mostly about ...
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Proper Insulation or Casing for Running BNC Camera Cable Outdoors in the Cold
I am installing closed circuit surveillance cameras outdoors in a very cold climate (reaching as low as - 30 deg. Celsius). What would be a sufficient way to protect the wires in this climate? I plan ...
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Which damp foil / vapor barrier shall I use when insulating?
I'm insulating using rockwool between two floors and wondering which foil shall I use on the small section that faces the outer wall?
Its a old poorly insulated house from 1930 with brick walls. Also, ...
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What is the right way to insulate a cinder block basement wall from inside when you only have room for furring strips and drywall?
The wall behind the toilet in the bathroom I am renovating is cinder blocks
When this was finished the wall was first covered with some black paper (like tar paper but thinner) then they installed 1x4 ...
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Stove top too hot after replacing oven insulation
A mouse ruined the insulation in my stove, so I called a repair guy to replace it. I really have no idea whether he used a factory approved replacement, but the company said he would. Now the stove ...
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Recommendations for basement insulation where studs do not touch the concrete walls?
I'm working on our basement reno, and am looking for recommendations to insulate. We are in NE Kansas, Climate Zone 5. The basement is below ground.
We currently have a reflective foil bubble ...
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Is it safe to use new work plastic device boxes with spray foam insulation?
Looking to use plastic outlet boxes (NuTek One Gang Plastic Device Box - 18 cu-inches) for a home renovation. I've taken the exterior walls down to the studs and will run new 12/2 20A circuits with ...
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Average R-Value for a house without knowing the materials?
I know enough to be dangerous, in that it makes me think there should be a way to do this. I was reading a paper This Thermal House. And one thing kind of stuck in my mind when I read about the ...
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Do I need to replace all of the insulation if the AC condensation causes a stain? [closed]
I recently noticed a stain on the living room ceiling of my second floor condo unit. Above this ceiling is the master bedroom. I had a contractor come by who informed me it was likely condensation ...
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How to seal the frayed fiberglass border of internal duct insulation in the middle of a duct
I had to remove the bottom foot of internal duct insulation touching the ground due to sewage backup.
Now that there is a frayed edge of internal insulation inside the ductwork with the remaining ...
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Does Johns-Manville Super Felt rock wool insulation contain asbestos? [closed]
Bought a home that was built in the late 1920s. Was checking around the attic when I saw "Johns-Manville Super Felt" insulation. Upon some research there seems to be contradicting ...
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Can you use a Swiffer dry cloth to pickup fiberglass dust?
Had to rip out some internal duct insulation in the mechanical room and I want to clean up invisible and small leftover fiberglass fibers. I also mistakenly used a shop vac initially so I'm afraid ...
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Question: Condensation - Insulation and a 130 year old double boarded house
I own a house that was built around 1890 to 1910 located in central Pennsylvania. It is a double boarded house meaning that it has no framing at all, it is a unique type of construction that was used ...
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How to have skylight windows without turning the house into a cooker
My kitchen and dining room area has slanted sunward-facing skylight windows. It's great that it makes the space feel so huge, open, and bright, but during the summer it turns the whole house into an ...
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