[Greenbuilding] Insulating walls in (old) wood framed house without vapor barrier?

[john salmen]

Another thought – the insulating in the 70’s – they punched holes and blew in foam which would have led to a lot of problems at the time including urea formaldehyde toxicity.

 

stationdesign

4465 UPHILL RD DUNCAN

BC V9L6M7 250 246 8541

 

From: Greenbuilding <greenbuilding-bounces at lists.bioenergylists.org> On Behalf Of Joe Killian
Sent: November 25, 2019 10:08 PM
To: greenbuilding at lists.bioenergylists.org
Subject: Re: [Greenbuilding] Insulating walls in (old) wood framed house without vapor barrier?

 

Reuben,

  Is the insulation type a vapor barrier?  Could make all the difference.

  I think one of the best descriptions I've seen for wall construction is at buildingscience.com
https://www.buildingscience.com/documents/insights/bsi-001-the-perfect-wall
https://www.buildingscience.com/documents/building-science-insights-newsletters/bsi-090-joseph-haydn-does-perfect-wall

  Just adding insulation without considering the water & air & vapor issues could easily lead to the damage reported by the house restorers.  Understanding and addressing the whole picture to arrive at a properly functioning wall would be the ticket. That could well mean doing more than just blowing insulation into the walls.

Joe

On 11/25/2019 8:03 PM, Reuben Deumling wrote:

I realize this list has gone silent, but in the hope that some of you smart greenbuilding folks are still out there, receiving this email, I would like to pick your brains. A correspondent from Illinois has been cautioned by five(!) "very experienced people' not to insulate the walls in an old house: 

 

In the attic, yes. We are not going to put it in the walls. After talking to multiple old house restorers who have been in the trade 40 years or more, they all say one thing, that due to lack of a vapor barrier, it will trap moisture and rot the framing in the walls. They did a lot of insulating in the 1970's, and then a great deal of structural repairs in the 1990's on those houses.

 

I suggested he try to find a second opinion. Please share your wisdom. 

 

Thanks very much 

Reuben Deumling (who joined this list almost twenty(!) years ago.)

 





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