Help me with Insulation

[CJM8515]

So I have 2 goals

1. Make the garage livable in the winter (and summer would be nice too)
2. Insulate the house better

The garage is a 20x24 with 1 single large door stick frame construction with drywall on the walls and ceiling. The walls were redone by the prior owner and after checking with a drill-they are insulated. How well is debatable, but there is no way in heck Im opening that can of worms. The attic is another story. It is totally uninsulated. What type of insulation should I use? When its 35F outside its damn cold in there even with a hot dog heater going every 15-20 mins. I also need to redo the side entry door as its pretty much junk.

The house, I can see the guy before me tried a bit with some of that mylar stuff you can tack up-but it only does so much. The hot water boiler I have is not to old, but the house was added on to at some point and I dont think they took that into account as the unit per my hvac guys is probably a bit to small. But insulation is cheaper than a larger boiler. My thoughts were to add another layer of insulation over the old stuff that Im guessing is circa 1980 (house was built in 69).

Do I want to use R38 here? The insulation id be going over is mostly thin junk and it has seen better days-but disposing of it will be troublesome and fiberglass batts ****. Do I want just batts - the current stuff I got is held in with little mettal wires you stuff in there-the staple in kind is what I helped my grandfather put in a cabin we built and he said he liked it better cause you just staple it in. Tight now in order to make the family room warm enough I need to run an electric fireplace the previous owner left behind. overnight the temps inside the house will drop 5-8F

later on Id like to replace the windows and seal the entry doors better of course. but one step at a time. Insulation costs I know are high, but this is relatively easy work I can do myself.

 

[yeldogt]

Have you looked into the NJ energy program. NJ clean energy. Really great program .... they wll do an energy audit for free. you can get two different from qualified contractors. look it up .

In my case I did it when I needed some equipment and also some spray foam on an addition -- I hit the targets and got the $5k rebate and $10K 10 year 0% loan. Thye basically handed me 15k and the savings almost pays for the loan each month. Plus the house is more comfortable

 

[CJM8515]

So basically you paid nothing?

I was thinking I could get everything done myself for approx 2000 tops. Im not looking to spend tons of money here thats for sure lol

 

[yeldogt]

In my case I needed two systems ....but had I only needed one almost all of it would have been part of the program. I think the insulation and equipment totals were about 19k .... for the main system. A very high level zoned carrier unit.

It's foolish not to look into the programa nd see what it offers ... the audits are totally free .... including the full blower door test

 

[CJM8515]

anyone else got an opinion?

 

[nadogail]

You might consider Blown In Cellulose

 

[yeldogt]

Being in NJ -- you are foolish not to use the clean energy program. You will be able to get actual people in your space to review what is there and what is the best and most cost effective way to add insulation. Also -- with a blower door test you will see where the problems are. BattInsulation on a small scale is a good DIY ... you don't have to get much past a small job to that point where the added cost of having someone do it is practical. They get the product at a better price. With blow in stuff they show up with a big truck and it's over and done with in no time .. again -- if you want to drag small blower up into the attic and feed the thing to save $500 bucks .. clean up after. Insulation is a mess.

My guess is they will recommend a blown in product.

As to the boiler -- unless it's running non stop and your house is cold ........it's big enough.

 

[billconner]

Air leaks is first priority. Assuming you can get into attic, seal tops of interior walls, and tops of exterior walls. Garbage bags with insulation work well. Can use existing fibreglass. Then pump in 12 or so inches of cellulose. Buy or build a foam cap for attic access.

Continue air sealing - gaskets around doors and windows. Look for other wall penetrations and seal gaps.

 

[duneslider]

Air leaks and ceiling insulation. You can do the blown in yourself pretty cheap.
In the day turn the lights out and cover any windows and look for day light. Those are your big air leaks. Take care of those and it makes a huge difference. I think you will be surprised what door seals will do.

I'm a little unclear if you are just wanting to do your garage, or are trying to do the whole house?

 

[CJM8515]

once it gets warmer Im gonna work on sealing everything up better. ill look into the NJ program but I think I might not qualify based on my income as Im single and make well above the median.

The crawlspace floor is sandy soil, would it be worth it put something down over it?

Blown would be nice, Ill see if I can find someone who might do it. I am sure the windows arent sealed very well either. Real shame I had a buddy who was going to help me out as he is a contractor but he sadly and suddenly passed away 3 weeks ago.

 

[jonshonda]

I just insulated my garage ceiling with R38 roll out insulation. Make sure baffles are in place at the eves to ensure proper airflow, regardless of blown or rolled.

 

[billconner]

Yes to sealing crawlspace. Cover dirt/sand and insulate walks and close vents if any. You want crawlspace to be dry and inside thermal boundary if it isn't.

I like the Stego Crawl Wrap as a crawl space solution.

 

[yeldogt]

once it gets warmer Im gonna work on sealing everything up better. ill look into the NJ program but I think I might not qualify based on my income as Im single and make well above the median.

The crawlspace floor is sandy soil, would it be worth it put something down over it?

Blown would be nice, Ill see if I can find someone who might do it. I am sure the windows arent sealed very well either. Real shame I had a buddy who was going to help me out as he is a contractor but he sadly and suddenly passed away 3 weeks ago.

There is no income restriction ..... it's an open program. The whole point of the program is just what you are looking for ... they do the blower door test and check out the house. It takes them a coupel of hours -- they give recomendations. You can have two companies come out.

The rebate is based on what is recomended and what you end up doing.

 

[duneslider]

There is no income restriction ..... it's an open program. The whole point of the program is jsut what you are looking for ... they do the blower door test and check out the house. It takes them a coupel of hours -- they give recomendations. You can have two companies come out.

The rebate is based on what is recomended and what you end up doing.

I don't know anything about NJ but like yeldogt said, generally these programs are free in the hopes that you do some energy upgrades that will actually make a difference and help you be more energy efficient. These contractors doing the work are paid by the state. Its cool if they do a blower door test as part of it, a lot of places don't do a blower door as part of the audit and just come do an inspection and then give you a list of things you can do. A blower door is the only real way to know where the air is going and what will be best to fix everything.

 

[duneslider]

Also, I agree that sealing the crawlspace is a good but I would just add that you should put a layer of plastic down on the ground first. Staple it down with those landscape fabric stakes. I would put the money on putting insulation on the foundation wall and plastic on the floor and not put insulation down on the ground. I would add insulation to the floor before adding it to the ground.

 

[cannuck]

About the only thing I could add is, if you don't want to rip into your walls consider adding a layer of insulating board to the exterior. I did 1 1/2" of isocyanurate board and some fresh vinyl siding to act as a thermal break to isolate the studs, plates, corners, etc. from the cold air. Another vote to be careful to have sufficient ventilation above your blown in or placed attic insulation layer. Shocked to hear of a post-war house with NO attic insulation at all!

 

[Dragfluid]

Another vote for the FREE energy audit with a blower door. If you've got a bunch of air leaks going to the attic, that's where all your warm air is going, and it will also displace any insulation that's up there. Blown cellulose is cheaper and more efficient than batts/rolls. If there's already glass up there, you can blow the cellulose over it. You want at least 16" total. It will help in the summer as well.

 

[CJM8515]

Then Im mistaken, there was a chart with incomes on it and how much they would cover based off that.

Im going to see about scheduling an inspect with them for the heck of it and see.

 

[yeldogt]

Then Im mistaken, there was a chart with incomes on it and how much they would cover based off that.

Im going to see about scheduling an inspect with them for the heck of it and see.

Unless it recently changed .. nope.

 

[FredWanaker]

we are in a different climate, but last spring I paid to have all the old insulation in the house attic taken out. I brought in the electrician and had him walk the attic for any issues, then had all the penetrations sealed. Then R50 was blown in. I went with fiberglass but many people use cellulose because it has a lower price, but it settles more over time. Marked difference in the bill. I had about R38 before. About 2008 I had the garage drywalled. We put in R-13 in the walls at that time, and then R40 on the ceiling. The garage door was replaced with an insulated one. Still need vents because the water heater and heater are in the garage but basically the temperature in summer dropped from about 120F in the evening to about 90F, and in winter from 40F in the morning to about 60F. If I need to warm or cool it I open the door into the garage and turn on a large HF fan. The garage conditions well, and holds that temperature.

 

[Nivekdodge]

So I have 2 goals

1. Make the garage livable in the winter (and summer would be nice too)
2. Insulate the house better

The garage is a 20x24 with 1 single large door stick frame construction with drywall on the walls and ceiling. The walls were redone by the prior owner and after checking with a drill-they are insulated. How well is debatable, but there is no way in heck Im opening that can of worms. The attic is another story. It is totally uninsulated. What type of insulation should I use? When its 35F outside its damn cold in there even with a hot dog heater going every 15-20 mins. I also need to redo the side entry door as its pretty much junk.

The house, I can see the guy before me tried a bit with some of that mylar stuff you can tack up-but it only does so much. The hot water boiler I have is not to old, but the house was added on to at some point and I dont think they took that into account as the unit per my hvac guys is probably a bit to small. But insulation is cheaper than a larger boiler. My thoughts were to add another layer of insulation over the old stuff that Im guessing is circa 1980 (house was built in 69).

Do I want to use R38 here? The insulation id be going over is mostly thin junk and it has seen better days-but disposing of it will be troublesome and fiberglass batts ****. Do I want just batts - the current stuff I got is held in with little mettal wires you stuff in there-the staple in kind is what I helped my grandfather put in a cabin we built and he said he liked it better cause you just staple it in. Tight now in order to make the family room warm enough I need to run an electric fireplace the previous owner left behind. overnight the temps inside the house will drop 5-8F

later on Id like to replace the windows and seal the entry doors better of course. but one step at a time. Insulation costs I know are high, but this is relatively easy work I can do myself.

I have a 20 X 24 block wall. if i need to I can heat it, with a $20 radiant heater on a propane tank. I have 3" of closed cell under the sheathing. Thimk about it, if you were taking a six pack to the beach, you wrapping it with fiberglass of putting it in a cooler?

 

[CJM8515]

^ I hear ya

the garage all i can do is insulate the attic unless i want to tear the walls down which were just recently done. the house is another story

 

[Showkey]

I have a 20 X 24 block wall. if i need to I can heat it, with a $20 radiant heater on a propane tank. I have 3" of closed cell under the sheathing. Thimk about it, if you were taking a six pack to the beach, you wrapping it with fiberglass of putting it in a cooler?

It’s not that simple.
It’s still BTU‘s to raise the 2000# wall 20*-40* F takes a whole lot of energy.

To have the wall or the room hold or retain that energy it takes insulation.

The radiant heater is ventless……..discussed a million times Prior.

There‘s no free lunch…………

 

[67CarGuy]

Echoing the other recommendations here: Heat moves faster when there's moving air to carry it, so seal up every crack and opening you can. Batt insulation is not an air barrier! (Nor is blown cellulose.) Spray foam usually is, open cell needs to be >3 inches or so. Use caulk, canned spray foam (Great Stuff, etc.), or other air-impermeable products to seal up everything you can before you go installing more insulation. It's detail work, but it will pay off every time your heater fires up. Places to check:

• Window openings
• Door openings
• Trim around doors and windows, including under the sill and above the opening
• Where the floor meets the wall
• Where the wall meets the ceiling
• Any exterior penetrations - wiring, plumbing, etc. Spray foam is usually best for this, but caulk can work too

As stated above, you can add more insulation in your attic on top of the existing attic. Blown cellulose will settle, but that also means it doesn't allow critters to make tunnels as the tunnels collapse behind them. I don't recall if you said your attic was flat or vaulted - if flat, you can also run additional batts on top of the existing, just turn them 90* so they fully overlap the old stuff. Make sure they're in full contact with the old stuff too, you don't want air gaps between the insulation. That's another reason why cellulose can be a better choice.

Like @cannuck mentioned above, adding exterior rigid insulation can be another option (after you've done your air sealing). Rigid foam (polyiso often, but that's not the only option) can be added under your existing siding when/if you have to replace it. Even 1" can be useful (~R5, depending on the product). Be aware that much more than 1" will often require rehanging windows and some/all exterior trim, at least for aesthetics (otherwise you've got sunken windows, etc.). Certainly easier to do with a new build, but you wouldn't be the first to do a retrofit requiring it.

Sounds like you're going to get the audit - I used to do those in MD, and now I do them in MA. They're a great way to get verified, usable information on your home, plus they open the door to rebates for doing a bunch of the work. Good luck!