[Greenbuilding] Which insulation? How to install?

[RT]

On Sun, 13 May 2012 13:38:36 -0400, Corwyn <corwyn at midcoast.com> wrote:

> What insulation would people recommend for a short crawl space?

Not sure where the insulation is intended to be placed (ie joist cavities,  
underside of joists, outside of footprint perimeter etc) but I'd say "No"  
to the question whether or not air-entrained concrete would be an option,  
assuming a typical lightweight concrete mix exceeding 110 pcf density.  
Check the ASRHAE Handbook for R-values at the lower end of densities and  
I'm pretty sure that it'd be substantially below what you're looking for.

I don't think that any foamed plast-ecchhh! would be a good idea either  
due to the risk of boring/tunneling/destruction by ants. (ie insulation in  
ground contact with not protective barrier.)

Roxul would likely be a suitable option whatever the placement since it  
does have a capacity to drain, is fire/insect-proof but "likely" is the  
best one can say without knowing specifics.

An off-the-wall thought:

Are mussel shells readily available in your locale ?

If "yes| would placing a moisture barrier on the ground under the  
building, then casting an insulated-core grade beam around the perimeter  
of the building and then filling the space (from holes drilled in the  
floor) from above with mussel shells be something that might be made to  
work ?


-- 
=== * ===											AOD257
Rob Tom
Kanata, Ontario, Canada

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