Tommy Mac Discussions › Forums › Fix-it Forum: Home Improvement & Do It Yourself Repair Forum › Insulation/Blown In
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September 18, 1998 at 8:21 pm #13008billGuest
I am removing the aluminum siding from my 1919 bungalow. The original cedar shingles underneath are in good condition, I will repaint/restore the trim boards.
There is no insulation in the houses walls though and I am considering having blown in fiberglass insulation installed. The question of moisture keeps coming up and I can’t seem to get a definative answer. There is no vapor barrier in the house and in this climate (CT)
I really would like to have the insulation but have no way to install a vapor barrier. The problem of moisture condensing in the insulation seems to be real, yet no source says whether it is a high risk or a minimal problem. I would like some feedback from others who have had this work done and especially from
an insulation pro who can give me an objective opinion. -
September 21, 1998 at 8:48 am #80069Joe C.Guest
If the insulation becomes moisture laden you might as well had taken the pile of money and burned it. Therefore, what about the insulation in the attic? Is it sufficent? The heat loss/gain from the attic is far greater than the walls.
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September 21, 1998 at 12:06 pm #80073KimGuest
I agree with Joe. Trust me you do not want to insulate without a vapor barrior.
We just bought a reposed home that needs alot of work. The previous owners were renovating the garage. However, they did not create a vapor barrior. As Joe said, they might as well have put a lighter to their money.
Thus, the garage walls and insulation were soaking wet, molded, and rotten. When we began tearing all that out, we dicovered tons of insects. Actually, fireants fell on my husband’s head! So please, do not put insulation up without a vapor barrior.
Granted our case was extreme because we found some leaks, but this illustrates what can happen if there are no vapor barriors.
Best of luck to you!
Kim
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September 24, 1998 at 10:49 am #80096billGuest
Thanks Joe & Kim,
I have been researching this and found that the best solution for reto insulating old walls is dense pack cellulose.
You are both right about the insulation getting wet, but tis is less of a problem from condensation than from leaks. I am minimizing condensation with all th appropriate techniques(exhaust fans, sealing crawl space floor etc.) The attic ois another issue and will be dealt with also.
Found a good resource http://www.weatherization,
this has some interesting stuff and the finehomebuilding anf old house journal webs are good too. -
October 19, 1999 at 3:34 pm #84716JeffGuest
Hello. My name is Jeff and I am doing a research project on hw pink fiberglass insulation is made. It would be of great help to me if you could send me some information on the composotion of pink fiberglass insulation.
Sincerly,
Jeff
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January 25, 2000 at 4:17 pm #87333Andrea LombardGuest
A friend called inquiry whether gases from insulation could make drywall (painted) swell and bend on a sunny day. Her 8 year old daughter is in this room and since they have taken her bed out of the room, many of her illness symptoms have disappeared. The insulation was blown in sometime in the ’70’s. She does not know what kind of insulation, but suspects it may have a formeldehyde base. In an attempt to contain the accompanying odor, they have covered the wall with plasic. On a sunny day, the plastic bows about 2 inches out from the wall. I would imagine that as air heats up, some expansion would occur, but two inches seems quite strange to me. In addition, the gases have as I mentioned in the begining, permanently bowed the wall. When there is no sun, there does not seem to be a noticeable odor.
Do you have any thoughts about this? -
February 20, 2000 at 7:13 am #88468Patrick McCarthyGuest
I have the same problem. Please report what you find!!!
Patrick McCarthy
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October 18, 2002 at 10:12 pm #121931Gary FogelsongerGuest
We are building a new home in an area where there are no building codes. The builder says we do not need a moisture barrior in the foundation because of the pozzolan in the cement. Is he correct?
Thanks,
Gary F.
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October 27, 2002 at 8:33 pm #123353JoeGuest
My wife and I are building a new house. I am the general contractor and am trying to decide on the best type of insulation to use. I have read conflicting reports of the pros and cons of cellulose vs. blown fiberglass. Some installers are telling me 95% of builders are using batts in exterior walls instead of a blown-in material. Is there a straight up answer as to which type of insulation provides the best all around performance with the least amount of potential problems down the road?
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May 5, 2004 at 3:13 pm #233569R. VolpeGuest
Hi: Just wanted to ad a comment to this site regarding blown-in fiberglass. Avoid it at all costs, especially without a vapor barrier. When I was a naive, first-time homeowner I purchased a home that was almost 90 yrs old in upstate NY (Schenectady). The former owners had the blown-in fiberglass blasted into the attic, including into the eaves, all the way up to the floor. Roof is a 10/12 pitch on a turn of the century style home, so now there is no way to get at the fiberglass in the eaves so that proper ventilation can be installed. Just had new roof installed with new ridge vent and am hoping for the best. Any suggestions on how to resolve this dliemma? Please advise to volcano64@earthlink.net.
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