Can anybody recommend a company in the New London, CT. area that does a really careful job of retrofitting cellulose? I have a 300 year-old saltbox with thin & lumpy wall cavities that drinks energy like a binge-drinker on speed.
I’m working on the plug-the gaps and caulk-the -storm-windows angle, but really need more!
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jt8
"Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree." -- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Thanks, John.
Be careful when adding insulation to a historic structure. Insulation slows the movement of both heat and moisture and will slow the drying process within a wall cavity. Most old buildings have survived, in part, because even though water was able to leak into the walls, it was also able to quickly dry back out. Many were not built with an adequate drainage plane behind the siding. Adding insulation without considering these risks has led to the destruction of many old buildings.
Investigate your wall structure for an effective drainage plane and effective water control measures at windows. Windows account for a great deal of the water that enters a home. Again, modern energy efficient homes require much better control of water intrusion due to their greatly reduced drying potential.
There is also the issue of interior moisture migrating into the walls. This will happen more readily with air movement but diffusion can also be a factor. Water vapor can collect on the cold surface of the exterior face of the walls in winter. This is why vapor retarders are commonly installed on the inside face of an exterior wall in cold climates. These vapor retarders or even worse, polyethelene vapor barrier, should be used with caution as well.
When it comes to heat loss or heat gain in a home, the walls can be down the list of villains. Windows and ceilings can be greater culprits. Air infiltration and exfiltration is also a leading cause of heat loss. A blower door test will quickly show if your air sealing measures have been effective.
There are other ways of handling wall insulation besides just blowing them full of a moisture absorptive material. If you are doing substantial interior work, you can add foam board insulation to the interior side of the studs. If you are doing a siding replacement you can add a drainage plane to the walls and head flashings and pan flashings to the windows and doors. This will greatly reduce the risk.
Wall insulation is a great thing. It should be used with some caution in older homes. Of the two, I greatly prefer cellulose over fiberglass.
Edited 10/28/2006 8:29 am ET by RayMoore2G
i was hoping that greg, or eric, or paul.. or andy might know someo f the better weatherization guys in that area
what about it ????? any recommendations for kate ?Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
That's a little outside of my area. I did run into a salesman recently for an insulator that covers all of CT, and who said that they do all types - foam, cellulose, fg. That's US Insulation, 866 744 9993. I believe that's the Bethel office, but they have other locations around CT.
That's all I know about them. I don't know if they're awesome, or awful. Andy
"Never try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and annoys the pig." Robert A. Heinlein
"Get off your dead #### and on your dying feet." Mom
Thanks -
Andy
I've known one of the owners of US Insulation for twenty five years or so. They are straight shooters and if there is a problem they are back in a flash.
I would call John Toconis @ 860-829-8881, he has been in insulation all his life.He has never embarrassed me when I recommend him. Tell him gregory francis told you to call.
Greg in Connecticut
Good to know. The fellow I talked with was Joe Donahue. Seemed fairly knowledgeable. Not to be a snob, but I'm always impressed to meet someone on a job who's of the caliber you find here.Andy
"Never try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and annoys the pig." Robert A. Heinlein
"Get off your dead #### and on your dying feet." Mom
Ray - Thanks for your concern. I'm aware of the things you mention, & am going to be re-siding with Hardie & doing the flashing & drainage plane you mention.I'm still not 100 % sure that I'm going with wall insulation, but have been exploring possibilities - I love my old house, & feel responsible for getting it well started on its second 300 years!
Edited 10/28/2006 8:39 pm ET by kate
That's great to hear. Best of luck to you on your project.
Thanks - we all need all the luck we can get!
Kate:
Definitely go wih the blown cellulose especially if you're going to reside the home. This is the best chance you'll get for another 50-70 years, don't miss it!!!
Airseal the exterior walls also. In an older house, 20-40% of heat loss is uncontrolled air exchange so this is a necessary function.Warm house air contains moisture, so the airsealing reduces the chance of moisture causing problems in the wall.
NOTE: I have measured the air leakage reduction in 2 two storey homes before and after insulating only the walls with cellulose: reductions of 34 and 39%!!!
Keep the house moisture levels in the moderate range of 30%(colder days)-45% (above freezing) and you should have no problems from interior moisture in the walls.
We do keep the house quite dry - my stepson has major problems with mold allergy. I'll be having an overall evaluation done, & a plan developed, by someone recommended by Mike Smith - nothing beats going to Breaktime!
Kate: a lot of people who came to RhodeFest met Ned Reynolds, he's about the closest thing to a weatherization energy expert that i'v met since ole what'z'name used to get into flame wars with Fusco
i'll give Ned a call and see what he thinks