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I have read most of the discussions on insulating wall and ceilings etc… However, I live here in South Georgia and have a 12 year old house with 12″ of space between the ceiling and the second floor. My question is can I insulate the space between the floor and ceiling? There are no can lights or other intrusion other than speakers. The floor above is carpet and will be torn out for replacement. Will insulation be beneficial…practical…or simply non-effective. I believe it will reduce my heating and cooling costs. Any suggestions….
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insulation is only effective if it serves as a barrier between tow soaces that have a temperature differential....
if there is no temperature difference ... or not much of a difference.. between the first floor and the 2d floor.... then there is no need for insulation between the two...
if you AC your first floor , but not your 2d, then MAYBE you want insulation.. but i doubt it...
spend your insulation dollars on the envelope of your conditioned space....the walls and attic..
*Mike is right. You only need insulation between hot and cold areas. In almost all houses that means the exterior envelope only. One exception is a staple-up radiant floor. If you don't put insulation under the staple-up tubing (above the lower floor's ceiling), the hot bays will send heat both up and down. (Mostly up, but some down). That can be a control problem because the tubing is being turned on by a thermostat in the upper floor. The lower floor may already be warm enough. Insulation in that case doesn't save you any money, it just helps achieve more constant temperatures.If looking to insulate, look to the attic first, the walls next and the bottom floor last. At 12 years old, it probably has reasonable, but not great insulation. The better return on your time and money is probably to tighten up the house. Weatherstripping, tighter windows and doors, sealing electrical and plumbing penetrations, etc. -David
*I agree with Mike & David, but to answer your question: Consider cellulose. My insulator says that with a 1" hole in the upper floor, he can fill a lot of the bay below. I think he just sticks the nozzle into the hole and it sprays it everywhere. He wet-sprayed about 2" of cellulose onto the underside (glue added to make it stick) of my upstairs floor during construction, mostly for soundproofing but will probably add just enough insulation. But the two end bays (outside walls) we will spray in cells through 1" holes in the upstairs floor (when we do the ceilings) so we'll see how it works.
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I have read most of the discussions on insulating wall and ceilings etc... However, I live here in South Georgia and have a 12 year old house with 12" of space between the ceiling and the second floor. My question is can I insulate the space between the floor and ceiling? There are no can lights or other intrusion other than speakers. The floor above is carpet and will be torn out for replacement. Will insulation be beneficial...practical...or simply non-effective. I believe it will reduce my heating and cooling costs. Any suggestions....