I have some ragged and old looking insulation in the ceiling of my late 1950's basement around the perimeter of the house and wondered if replacing it was worth it (aesthetics and better insulation), and more importantly safe - I wasn't sure if this contained asbestos. Any opinions would be great. We're looking to sell in a couple years and wouldn't know if I'd have an issue with the inspector for any reason. Thanks!
That's just fiberglass insulation. No asbestos. Installed poorly. It's not really a safety issue, but it's not doing its job and you are wasting some heating/cooling. Insulation of the rim joist area, which is what your photos show, is intended to prevent heat(or cool) loss to the outside. Chances are, when your house was built there was no insulation there and someone added it later. So, what to do? You could leave it. I doubt an inspector would flag it as a serious issue; but they might note it. Or you could remove it and do a proper job of replacing it. We now know that rim joist insulation serves two purposes: It slows down heat loss/gain to the outside through that area, and it prevents condensation on the inside of the rim joist where it can eventually lead to wood rot. This is mostly an issue in areas where it gets cold outside. The rim joist gets cold, and warm, moist air from the inside reaches the rim joist and the water vapor condenses on the surface. A good insulation job does both those jobs. Best practice is probably a couple inches of spray foam against the joist and then the remainder of the space is often filled with rock wool or fiberglass. Another way to do the foam is to cut pieces of 2" thick rigid foam a little undersize, place it in the cavity, and then seal all around it with can foam so there is no way warm air can reach the rim joist. Spray foam can be a DIY job, but it's fussy and really messy. The cut and cobble method using rigid foam and can foam is an easier DIY, but still has to be done carefully.
That's just fiberglass insulation. No asbestos. Installed poorly. It's not really a safety issue, but it's not doing its job and you are wasting some heating/cooling. Insulation of the rim joist area, which is what your photos show, is intended to prevent heat(or cool) loss to the outside. Chances are, when your house was built there was no insulation there and someone added it later. So, what to do? You could leave it. I doubt an inspector would flag it as a serious issue; but they might note it. Or you could remove it and do a proper job of replacing it. We now know that rim joist insulation serves two purposes: It slows down heat loss/gain to the outside through that area, and it prevents condensation on the inside of the rim joist where it can eventually lead to wood rot. This is mostly an issue in areas where it gets cold outside. The rim joist gets cold, and warm, moist air from the inside reaches the rim joist and the water vapor condenses on the surface. A good insulation job does both those jobs. Best practice is probably a couple inches of spray foam against the joist and then the remainder of the space is often filled with rock wool or fiberglass. Another way to do the foam is to cut pieces of 2" thick rigid foam a little undersize, place it in the cavity, and then seal all around it with can foam so there is no way warm air can reach the rim joist. Spray foam can be a DIY job, but it's fussy and really messy. The cut and cobble method using rigid foam and can foam is an easier DIY, but still has to be done carefully.
Hello Everyone ,
i would like to convert my crawlspace into a fullbasement ,
i dont want to lift the house , but just dig inside and build a retaining wall to contain the soil and leave the house where is.
as homeowner do i need a structural engineer plan ?
im asking because i just had a quote , and they asked 14k for a plan.
thanksRead More
Hello: I bought my house over 30 years ago, and I admit to ignorance in knowing what to consider in buying a house. My house ,which is on a slope,has majority of living space on top level. My problem is entirely with lower level which consists of a huge crawl space with a boulder running through it. It has two smallish windows for ventilation, yet is always in need of the two dehumidifiers.It sits on the top of the slope.One corner will get a very slight amount of water with a hard rain and the boulder in that area darkens from the water running through it. Last owners covered entire crawl (boulder) with thoroseal which is now crumbly and spewing dust.There is also a semi finished room adjacent to the crawl space which is totally above ground and has 4 large windows. Both
spaces always have a musty smell, largely due to the crawlspace with the boulder. This room has old panelinging over the concrete block with a nice pergo like floor.
How do I make the air healthier in both spaces? Can I blast off the thoroseal or just vacuum up the crumbling and dust? Is a giant boulder such as this (which extends beyond the house on both sides ) be left with no covering such as the thoroseal?Is that unhealthy? Maybe the boulder can be sliced flat and a rat slab can be put down? Finally, is there a way that I can seal the adjacent room from the crawl so that it can smell better? thanks in advance. BonnieRead More
10-29-22, 06:54 PM
