I made a relatively long post a couple days ago that got lost due to a server glitch. The first part was a report on my progress in following all the good suggestions I got a few months ago when I started asking about saving oil. I am pretty tired tonight, but I will try a quick recap of the progress report - thanks to all the original repliers and to SamClem who managed to reply to my lost post.
I worried about losing heat from oil hot water heat pipes in my crawl space and about the pipes possibly freezing when I run the wood stove and cause the zone pumps to shut off.
I got the remote thermometer that was suggested and am loving it - temperature and humidity - working like a champ. It can handle two more sensor units, but Home Depot does not stock them - I may contact the manufacturer and try to monitor attic and cellar as well as crawl space.
I picked up the recommended R10 2 inch foam board insulation and will be installing it this weekend on the cement walls of the crawl space. I will be using TapCon screws with a hammer drill, but may also include the special styrofoam safe adhesive suggested by SamClem.
I also plan to look for air leaks and use the spray foam to seal them up.
Other posters pointed out that I would be better served by making sure I was not leaking out of the top of the house - and boy were they right !!!
I just finished an exploration of the attic and found many surprises, luckily no signs of major damage or problems. The attic is unfinished and basically a big crawl space.
First there is a lot of junk up there - three mattresses, old bean bag chair, lots of random junk insulation - some that seems to have been pulled up to make a bathroom with a cathedral ceiling and sky lights (probably also a major heat loss item). This will have to go before work begins.
The floor joists seem to be 2x6 boards - They seem about 5.5 inches deep. When I measure the space between the joists I get 14.5 or 15 inches. My step father says that this is standard and means that the joists are laid "16 inches on center".
Looking at home depot I had planned to get some bat insulation that was said to be 16 inches wide and 9.5 inches tall.
?? = My measurement of 14.5 inches compared to the so-called 16 inch insulation at Home Depot has me worried. When they say 16 inch, do they mean it is made for "16 inch on center" joists and it is not really 16 inches wide?
The existing insulation is two layers both with vapor barrier crammed into the 5.5 inch joist space. When I pulled out a piece and tried to stretch it back to normal it seemed almost 5 inches thick or maybe 4 inches. I think that either the insulation has compressed due to condensation or because the original owner pushed it into the space.
In any case it looks somewhat crappy. Some of the discarded insulation shows signs of filtering dust which indicates air leaks.
My current plan is to lift up the existing insulation and either take it to the dump or possibly attempt to reuse it by peeling off the vapor barrier paper or slashing the paper.
?? = I am thinking that I will get some separate vapor barrier material and put it into the bottom of the joist area. I am guessing that I will staple it to the sides of the joists.
I would then get some paper-less bat insulation that will be as tall as the joist area. I am also considering filling the joist area with cellulose fiber insulation but my step father is dead set against it and it may not be worth the hassle - assuming that the so-called 16 inch wide bat insulation is not too wide for my joists.
I figure that the 5.5 inches of insulation in the joists will be about R15-R19.
I then plan to get some un-faced rolls of insulation, probably R15 since it seems to have a "new low price" of about $15 a roll. I would lay this on top of the joists at a 90 degree angle to the first run.
My book says I am in zone-3 and should have R33 for my attic floor.
My house is 20 feet by 50 feet, so I was somewhat shocked when I tried to calculate what covering 1000 square feet two layers deep will cost. However, given that I spent $4100 on oil last year I can probably stomach it.
I do not have the greatest ventilation in the attic. The main problem is my house does not have soffits, so there are no soffit vents.
When I had to replace the roof shortly after buying the house in 1988 (house was built in 1960) I had a ridge vent installed. The first roof baked off because the attic got too hot.
In addition to the ridge vent there is a gable vent that seems to be about 1-1.5 feet wide and maybe 2-2.5 feet tall. On the other end there is a similar vent (only more square) and an exhaust fan.
In the summer I leave the attic hatch stairs open about a foot to allow air to be sucked from inside the house to feed the exhaust fan. Obviously I cannot do that in the winter.
I might be underestimating the ventilation since there are no obvious signs of too much moisture. I guess this is a good reason to get that second remote sensor so I can keep track of things.
I just got a nice respirator that is probably over kill for fiberglass, but it can be used for sanding and paint as well. I look like something out of X-Files when I wear it, but I guess better safe than sorry. I also got some "chemical glasses" that go over my eye glasses and wrap the sides, so I should be all set for digging into the fiberglass.
I saw a video on You-Tube that said to put baby powder on to block your pores and keep out the fiber glass and then to shower off with cold water after.
Sorry for being so long winded.
Any advice or answers to the couple of questions indicated by ??= would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
I worried about losing heat from oil hot water heat pipes in my crawl space and about the pipes possibly freezing when I run the wood stove and cause the zone pumps to shut off.
I got the remote thermometer that was suggested and am loving it - temperature and humidity - working like a champ. It can handle two more sensor units, but Home Depot does not stock them - I may contact the manufacturer and try to monitor attic and cellar as well as crawl space.
I picked up the recommended R10 2 inch foam board insulation and will be installing it this weekend on the cement walls of the crawl space. I will be using TapCon screws with a hammer drill, but may also include the special styrofoam safe adhesive suggested by SamClem.
I also plan to look for air leaks and use the spray foam to seal them up.
Other posters pointed out that I would be better served by making sure I was not leaking out of the top of the house - and boy were they right !!!
I just finished an exploration of the attic and found many surprises, luckily no signs of major damage or problems. The attic is unfinished and basically a big crawl space.
First there is a lot of junk up there - three mattresses, old bean bag chair, lots of random junk insulation - some that seems to have been pulled up to make a bathroom with a cathedral ceiling and sky lights (probably also a major heat loss item). This will have to go before work begins.
The floor joists seem to be 2x6 boards - They seem about 5.5 inches deep. When I measure the space between the joists I get 14.5 or 15 inches. My step father says that this is standard and means that the joists are laid "16 inches on center".
Looking at home depot I had planned to get some bat insulation that was said to be 16 inches wide and 9.5 inches tall.
?? = My measurement of 14.5 inches compared to the so-called 16 inch insulation at Home Depot has me worried. When they say 16 inch, do they mean it is made for "16 inch on center" joists and it is not really 16 inches wide?
The existing insulation is two layers both with vapor barrier crammed into the 5.5 inch joist space. When I pulled out a piece and tried to stretch it back to normal it seemed almost 5 inches thick or maybe 4 inches. I think that either the insulation has compressed due to condensation or because the original owner pushed it into the space.
In any case it looks somewhat crappy. Some of the discarded insulation shows signs of filtering dust which indicates air leaks.
My current plan is to lift up the existing insulation and either take it to the dump or possibly attempt to reuse it by peeling off the vapor barrier paper or slashing the paper.
?? = I am thinking that I will get some separate vapor barrier material and put it into the bottom of the joist area. I am guessing that I will staple it to the sides of the joists.
I would then get some paper-less bat insulation that will be as tall as the joist area. I am also considering filling the joist area with cellulose fiber insulation but my step father is dead set against it and it may not be worth the hassle - assuming that the so-called 16 inch wide bat insulation is not too wide for my joists.
I figure that the 5.5 inches of insulation in the joists will be about R15-R19.
I then plan to get some un-faced rolls of insulation, probably R15 since it seems to have a "new low price" of about $15 a roll. I would lay this on top of the joists at a 90 degree angle to the first run.
My book says I am in zone-3 and should have R33 for my attic floor.
My house is 20 feet by 50 feet, so I was somewhat shocked when I tried to calculate what covering 1000 square feet two layers deep will cost. However, given that I spent $4100 on oil last year I can probably stomach it.
I do not have the greatest ventilation in the attic. The main problem is my house does not have soffits, so there are no soffit vents.
When I had to replace the roof shortly after buying the house in 1988 (house was built in 1960) I had a ridge vent installed. The first roof baked off because the attic got too hot.
In addition to the ridge vent there is a gable vent that seems to be about 1-1.5 feet wide and maybe 2-2.5 feet tall. On the other end there is a similar vent (only more square) and an exhaust fan.
In the summer I leave the attic hatch stairs open about a foot to allow air to be sucked from inside the house to feed the exhaust fan. Obviously I cannot do that in the winter.
I might be underestimating the ventilation since there are no obvious signs of too much moisture. I guess this is a good reason to get that second remote sensor so I can keep track of things.
I just got a nice respirator that is probably over kill for fiberglass, but it can be used for sanding and paint as well. I look like something out of X-Files when I wear it, but I guess better safe than sorry. I also got some "chemical glasses" that go over my eye glasses and wrap the sides, so I should be all set for digging into the fiberglass.
I saw a video on You-Tube that said to put baby powder on to block your pores and keep out the fiber glass and then to shower off with cold water after.
Sorry for being so long winded.
Any advice or answers to the couple of questions indicated by ??= would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance.