Putting Insulation In Walls

Tuck the snipped out plug of insulation behind the box.

Putting insulation in walls.

Find your zone on the map and then use the chart to determine the level of insulation you need to properly insulate your attic walls floors and crawlspaces. Rigid boards work best on exterior walls along with a vapor barrier. The grade of batting will vary depending on the wall that you re insulating. Unfortunately however builders didn t insulate the walls of most homes built before the 1980s.

The r value of the batt measures the thermal resistance so the higher the r value the more effectively. The structural elements are usually exposed in these areas which makes it easy to see what type of insulation you have and to measure its depth or thickness inches. That creates gaps and air convection routes around the box. Walls both exterior and interior are the next area to insulate in a home.

Achieving greater r values in attics the higher the r value the better the thermal performance of the insulation. While rated differently these two types of insulation are close enough in thickness that they can both fit into modern two by four wall systems. Only a cost benefit analysis in relation to your own situation can help you arrive at the right answer. Don t wrap fiberglass batts around electrical boxes or stuff full batts behind them.

Choose fiberglass insulation batting. The advantages of insulating interior walls. Retrofit wall insulation is a debatable subject because there is no single right answer for all homes and homeowners. In most wall applications you will use r 13 or r 15 kraft faced fiberglass insulation rolls for these two by four stud walls.

The third area that needs proper insulation is the floors. In some cases the cost of adding insulation may exceed the cost of energy needed to heat or cool it. Insulating interior walls isn. Put the batt in place and use a scissors to snip around the box.

Fiberglass batts foam or cellulose can be used to insulate the interior walls. Most communities have building codes that require a minimum amount of insulation in a house s exterior walls and ceiling. There are various grades of insulating batting for different locations in the house so you ll need a different insulation for interior exterior attic or basement walls.