i am about to insulate a 1927 bungalow, about 1200 sq/ft, in portland, or., it is a complete rehab. so the walls are open. i’d like to do the work myself to save $ so i’ve ruled out the blown-in/spray-in varieties. are rigid panels appropriate for this application or should i stick with batts…what r-factor? do the batts cover electrical/communication wires or are they installed between the wires and exterior sheathing.
thanks,
mark
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"Portland"
Maine? Oregon? Connecticut? North Dakota? Texas?
Inquiring minds want to know...
portland, or...ummm...must be Conneticut...right?
I'm guessing here...
Hah, hah, ha...http://www.furniturecarver.com
Ah, another failed attempt at deciphering lower case writing. Mind-farted over the "or" and took it as who knows what. I sure don't know.<g>
Dang!
Gonna go put on the dunce cap and sit in the corner for a while.
Portland....CEMENT>>>YA Thats the tickit..happens to the best of us..worse when ya forget yer phone #.<G>
Gee, this might be an interesting thread since we haven't covered this before... At least not today, have we?
Today in Portland, OR, it started out at 17 degree - probably a record cold for the date (froze the sugar water in my hummingbird feeder and the poor old hummingbird was really frustrated until I could thaw it out, hope he survives for a few more days until it supposedly will hit 50)
Anyway, for the original poster, you might look the following from the last couple of weeks - and ask specific questions once you recover...
38001.1
37972.1
37172.1
37888.1
38489.1
38188.3
37905.1
38083.1
17 degrees in Portland?
Was that the Portland in North Dakota? Oregon? Probably Maine.<g>
"Portland, Cement" I like that one, SPHERE.
Cement-headedly,
Mongo
yep, and now we have warmed up enough so that we can have freezing rain - one of the more fun features of winter along the Columbia Gorge in Northern Oregon. Four inches of snow pretty much had the whole town shut down (we cope with snow about as well as Washington D.C. does...) and the freezing rain is really shutting down what little was still functioning.
No comments on the hummingbird! I would guess that even around here most don't know that there are year-around, non-migrating hummingbirds that live along the Pacific coast all the way to Vancouver, B.C. and as far inland as Portland. Particularly in winter, most of their diet is insect pupa and eggs that they find on the underside of leaves. They pick them off with their bill and then sweep them into their mouth using the air vortices they create with their wings - pretty clever. They do like nector when they can get it and consume a lot of sugar water from feeders when the temperature dips. Just learned all this so will impress all of you with my extensive hummingbird knowledge...
Now, what was the subject of this thread ...
Now, what was the subject of this thread ...
Moyda wanted to know if he could use portland cement for insulation.
I think it was how to insulate humingbirds with portland cement:-)
"i've ruled out the blown-in/spray-in varieties."
WHY?
Casey's lists of posts should give you the the reason for Bill Hartmann's
on target question, "Why". Don't believe you can avoid some spray product and have a very good package. This is an area where the DIY needs to let the pro with correct equipment do his thing. You can help, and maybe save some $$ by caulking or foaming all wire, pipe etc holes inside the walls prior to any spray-in job.Use minimal expanding around windows so that you don't bulge the frame. Paul
Moyda,
short answers, for details just ask..
putting batts of fiberglas is easiest. it's also the least efficent.. (R values drop with the temp and it's near impossible to install properly to get full rated R value.
Blown in celluliose is better unless it gets wet when it's R vlaue drops dramatically
ridgid foam will give a higher R number but only if properly installed and that means no gaps anyplace so it's a real fiddly pain in the posterior kind of job that seldom gets done well.
Sprayed on foam is much better since it will seal better and add rigidity.. best are tear the house down and build with SIPs
others may disagree with me but they are wrong and I am right and nah nah nah nah!!!! OK, I'm being a little childish ;-)
Frenchy..please look carefully at this..see the log walls where the rafters sit? and the opening on the gable wall? Do you think Sprayed foam is the best there? I was gonna use ridgid foam, and put up new nailers (studs) for the SR..and the sloped ceiling I think I have figgured out..I hope this ain't a hijack..but it is about insulation in a tuff area..Thanx Duane
tough one. here's why.. what you have is skip sheathing.. great for drying out shakes etc.. if you spray insulation you'll need to address that issue.. but yes I guess I'd still go for the sprayed in insulation. In my humble opinion it would offer several benefits over celluliose or fiberglas..
I'm not certain where you live but if you lived here in Minnesota that wouldn't be deep enough to get the R50 you should have.. so I guess I'd consider building a double wall (ceiling?) and offset the joists to get more insulation in.. in warmer climates it could be OK
No, I got that rafter situ. ironed out..it is the walls I'm contemplating..gonna call a local spray guy tomorrow..see what kinda loot I might be in for IF ya think the spray woulds do the walls..the chinking is ruff, the wall aint plumb..you got an Idea?
BTW..central KY...7* this am +/_...65 on Sunday
Yes I would think they can be sprayed on.. probably shouldn't cost all that much, I'd guess around $600.00 future owners might hate you for coving up the walls but since logs aren't real great insulators you should save a fair amount on the heating bill. fir out something to nail the sheetrock or whatever on.
Edited 1/7/2004 8:46:15 PM ET by frenchy
That's great Frenchy..I hope there ain't no 'future' owners..this is my crib. That is upstairs and only 3 logs high..on the bearing face..should be closet..so low head room. Down stairs is another ball o wax..gonna expose the logs and re-chink with as much 2'' foam as I can get in for a backer..then wire mesh and perma chink...window and door bucks are still a nitemare..lol..bitin the bullet on this one...hopefully do it once. Good luck up there in the great frozen north..lexel man, lexel.