Hello Everyone,
I was wondering if anyone had any advice as far as proper usage of insulation. I am pulling down the old insulation in my basement, and want to put up some new energy efficient stuff with a higher R rating. Here is my problem. I have two different recommendations as far as how deep into the space between the joists the insulation should go. Meaning, I have 2×10 joists which are 14 inches apart, so should I buy insulation that goes up 8 inches into the space, or the full 10 inches and leave no room between the top of the insulation and the floor boards? I was told that there should be a few inches left in there to allow for air to flow and it helps with the heat convection, or should there be no space in there and have it fill the entire gap between the joists all the way up to the floor boards.
I know this may not be a great explanation, but I can answer any questions that might clarify the situation.
Thanks,
John
Replies
posting this once would have been beter. Twin postings just serve to confuse every one.
Anyway - What insulation are you pulling down?
What areas are heated? if the upstairs and the basement are both heated, there is no need for insulation here.
but if the basement ios more of an unheated crawl space, you want to have the batts tight up against the subfloor. Leaving an airspace just allows a convection loop to steal the heat away. For comparison - In winter, you put on the nice warm longjohns right next to your skin, then layer away fropm there. You leave no air spoace between the skin and the clothes, right? Now imagine just throwing on an oversized parka with no other clothing. Think the resulting airflow in that space will keep you warmer or will you feel a bit drafty no matter how much loft that down gives you?
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Sorry for the double posting. I put it in the general box until I realized there was a box specifically for insulation. The insulation is located in the half of the basement that is unheated. My problem began when I received two conflicting pieces of advice as far as what size of insulation to buy. To fill up the entire space, or not to fill up the entire space, that was the question...You're analogy about the longjohns makes a lot of sense. I will go with the insulation that fills the entire space, right up to the floorboards. Thanks!