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hole so big you could throw a cat through it! Posted by Snowmobile [Email]  (#686)  [Profile/Gallery]
(more from Snowmobile) on Tue, 16 Feb 2016 07:15:45
In Reply to: Re: cellulose insulation, larry, Tue, 16 Feb 2016 03:58:12 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
Unfortunately, this is very common, even for new construction. Most homes have lots of points of leakage and the sum total can be very large, easily basketball sized.
It is not clear exactly the situation from your descriptions, and it would be very hard to describe better such that one could solve these problems without seeing... I would suggest googling "Fine Homebuilding air sealing insulation" or similar to obtain many pertinent articles on this... but a few things...
1) draft problems are generally a result of air sealing problems rather than insulation problems.
2) air sealing problems in a cold climate with certain types of insulation, can result in condensation forming in walls, which equals rot and long term structural damage. Poor vapour barriers combined with fibreglass insulation are an example of a recipe for disaster.
3) you say this is 6 years old - that is very new. Did you just buy this? There must be information from the previous owner (if you are not) re the type of insulation used, the vapour retarder used, etc. Who was the builder? There might still even be new construction warranty on this (depending on the term, if it is 1, 2, 5, 10 years, probably location dependent).
4) it sounds like you have multiple cathedral ceilings in rooms that have problems. Whatever you do, do not blow celulose into an unvented cathedral ceiling assembly. It will almost certainly rot. You need non-permeable insulation (foam) to provide the majority of the cold side insulation in unvented roof assemblies in cold climates.
5) cellulose is an excellent insulation, especially for retrofit into older leaky homes that never had insulation to begin with. Unless your home is an unconventional design (unlikely for townhomes), you are probably looking at some kind of batt or spray insulation, perhaps with foam outside. This should have good air sealing details. Lapses should be corrected properly.
Definitely a home energy audit would be worthwhile (well, at least some IR camera work and blower door). This should help you nail down some of the bigger infractions, and you may find it is as simple as some spray foam and caulk... or perhaps entire walls were left uninsulated. The testing is what will confirm this, and hopefully you can still go back to the builder for remediation!
Good luck!
->Posting last edited on Tue, 16 Feb 2016 07:18:23.
, Mon, 15 Feb 2016 11:17:53
, Mon, 15 Feb 2016 08:14:49, Wed, 17 Feb 2016 06:11:04, Tue, 16 Feb 2016 07:15:45 <-- Viewing This Message, Sun, 21 Feb 2016 13:38:58
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