[Greenbuilding] envelope question

Thomas Lewis plea_4peace at yahoo.com
Sat Oct 16 18:35:31 CDT 2010


Hello all, 

I have a insulation retrofit question for a 150 year old timber frame house in the hudson valley, ny.

I am redoing the trim in a bedroom and found a previous re-modeler had; removed all wall finish material, insulated the 4" thick timberframe wall with fiberglass, plastic over that then framed a 2x2" ish wall in front and then gwb. 
The 2x2 wall is spaced an inch or two from the timber frame in many places and is open.

The room is a bedroom with a vapor barrier underlayment and carpet floor over a first floor kitchen .

I would like to fill all of the cavities with cellulose.  

My question is, should I remove the plastic before insulating?  I fear the 2-4" of cellulose will allow enough moisture to reach the plastic and condense.  

The problem with having the plastic removal being required for insulation installation is not all of the plastic is accessible without a more invasive strategy.  The strategy would involve wall board removal and this isn't really part of the scope.  

So, will 3 or 4 inches of cellulose allow the rh to increase enough at the plastic in winter to condense?  figure 70 degrees F and 30% RH.

Thank you in advance for your help.
Tom 

"Time makes more converts than reason."  Thomas Paine, Common Sense


      
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