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Started By
Message
Anyone sprayed insulation themselves?
Posted on 1/9/17 at 8:06 pm
Posted on 1/9/17 at 8:06 pm
I purchased an older home with a crawl space and the underside needs to be insulated badly. Has anyone sprayed insulation themselves? If so, how can I go about doing it? Is it as simple as renting some equipment and the right spray and just spraying it on?
6
Posted on 1/9/17 at 8:10 pm to GeauxTime9
Posted on 1/9/17 at 8:18 pm to I B Freeman
quote:
Posted by Message
I B Freeman
Good find. I may have to try that out. I bet it would be a bitch to do a crawl space with that, haha.
Posted on 1/9/17 at 8:41 pm to GeauxTime9
I can't imagine crawling under a house inexperienced and trying to spray foam insulation
Posted on 1/9/17 at 8:44 pm to wickowick
I wouldn't do it. I've torn it out from two houses because it holds moisture and the wood floors were buckling.
Posted on 1/9/17 at 8:49 pm to GeauxTime9
Spray foam really isn't a diy. The kits work if you just have a small area but is expensive per sqft. The equipment used in spray foaming is elaborate and expensive. 30k on the low end and 100k on high.
If you have the time you may be able to do what they call ”cut and cobble". This is done by cutting sheets of insulation board to fit in between the "bays" of floor joists. The sheet is cut for a loose fit then the gaps are filled with canned foam. This isn't quite as good as full spray but is an ok substitute. Thick sheets of foam can be difficult to find at a economical price. Also gets tedious when you have to fit the foam board around obstacles such as plumbing and electrical.
If you have the time you may be able to do what they call ”cut and cobble". This is done by cutting sheets of insulation board to fit in between the "bays" of floor joists. The sheet is cut for a loose fit then the gaps are filled with canned foam. This isn't quite as good as full spray but is an ok substitute. Thick sheets of foam can be difficult to find at a economical price. Also gets tedious when you have to fit the foam board around obstacles such as plumbing and electrical.
Posted on 1/9/17 at 9:53 pm to Martini
quote:
I wouldn't do it. I've torn it out from two houses because it holds moisture and the wood floors were buckling.
what kind of foam? closed cell or open cell?
Posted on 1/9/17 at 9:59 pm to diat150
Don't know. I didn't spray it just had my guys remove it. Water gets behind it and it doesn't come out. Floor rotted and mold became an issue. Same in the attic of a couple older homes.
Posted on 1/10/17 at 5:48 am to Martini
quote:
I wouldn't do it. I've torn it out from two houses because it holds moisture and the wood floors were buckling.
Glad i saw this. Should I just insulate the pipes under the house and leave the bottom side of the house uninsulated? I don't know much about homes with a crawl space, as ive only owned slab homes.
Posted on 1/10/17 at 6:22 am to GeauxTime9
hey man my buddy owns Cajun foam spray insulation. he can do closed cell under there no problems. shoot me a text and I can get you in touch with him.
Posted on 1/10/17 at 6:25 am to GeauxTime9
Well you definitely need to insulate the pipes. As far as the floor joist it's kind of a hard gig. You can put foil faced batts with chicken wire and try to keep the crawl space where critters can't get in. That is what I would do. Not really many options.
On the inside put good mats and big rugs over the floor areas to retain some warmth.
On the inside put good mats and big rugs over the floor areas to retain some warmth.
Posted on 1/10/17 at 6:31 am to GeauxTime9
quote:
Glad i saw this. Should I just insulate the pipes under the house and leave the bottom side of the house uninsulated? I don't know much about homes with a crawl space, as ive only owned slab homes.
No, insulate it. On the camp I am building which is off the ground, I will be installing metal building insulation. It's 6' wide and has a tyvec cover. I will create a air pocket in between the under floor and the bottom of the floor joist. I will first staple it up and then come back and screw wood strips to each joist. This will cover all plumbing too! Besides that, I got enough of it for free to do the complete building. It's R30 rated.
Oh, also I have 2 1/2' clearance under. 
I might come back and add some chicken wire too. I did look for foam panels, but they are sky high down here in the south. They use that a lot up north for subflooring.
There is nothing worse then having to crawl under a house once a water pipe bust in the winter. Did that way to many times on my Mom's house.
Posted on 1/10/17 at 6:49 am to fishfighter
When I was little, my parents hired me and my brother to put up regular fiberglass insulation under the house, and we covered the ground with plastic sheet. I haven't been under there since then, probably 15 years, to see how it's doing.
Posted on 1/10/17 at 7:02 am to Oxforder
I was going to go that route till I got the free stuff.
Posted on 1/10/17 at 7:12 am to GeauxTime9
You can use paper faced batts, snug up between joist and staple batt tape in a z pattern to hold it up. I would also clean any and all trash/debris from under there and put a layer of poly on the ground.
You should always insulate the pipes.
You should always insulate the pipes.
Posted on 1/10/17 at 8:26 am to Martini
quote:
I wouldn't do it. I've torn it out from two houses because it holds moisture and the wood floors were buckling.
Our house is old an on pier and beam. Skirting the house in the winter is all you need to do to keep the pipes from freezing. I would not put any kind of insulation. The handful of days per year you will notice a difference will not be worth the hassle of doing the job or worse if you have to pull that shite out for repairs.
Posted on 1/10/17 at 8:28 am to Martini
quote:
I wouldn't do it. I've torn it out from two houses because it holds moisture and the wood floors were buckling.
You have to be careful of having multiple vapor barriers, moisture gets caught between the barriers and can't breathe. and if it is wood it is going to buckle and then rot.
Posted on 1/10/17 at 8:55 am to GeauxTime9
We are thinking of going the rockwool route. High R value, will not mold or hold moisture. It's also supposed to be great for sound deadening. Clip it in between the joists then roll out some chicken wire across the bottom to keep out the critters and hold it in place semipermanantly. It's a thought that I have been kicking around since we had to pull out all of the fiberglass batting after the flood. It is very common and popular up North.
Roxul Comfort batt
Roxul Comfort batt
Posted on 1/10/17 at 9:12 am to convertedtiger
I'm thinking i will not insulate the joist. Obviously the pipes need to be insulated. I just think in south la it doesn't freeze very often, I feel like the cost to do it would out weigh the cold floors you get a few times a year.
Posted on 1/10/17 at 9:18 am to GeauxTime9
It is suggested to insulate to at least R13 in South LA
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