Putting Insulation In Walls

The third area that needs proper insulation is the floors.

Putting insulation in walls. That creates gaps and air convection routes around the box. 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. Walls both exterior and interior are the next area to insulate in a home. Fiberglass batts foam or cellulose can be used to insulate the interior walls.

Only a cost benefit analysis in relation to your own situation can help you arrive at the right answer. The advantages of insulating interior walls. 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 grade of batting will vary depending on the wall that you re insulating.

So if your house was built before insulating walls became standard you can potentially save a great deal of energy by insulating. 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. Tuck the snipped out plug of insulation behind the box. Insulating interior walls isn.

Most communities have building codes that require a minimum amount of insulation in a house s exterior walls and ceiling. Rigid boards work best on exterior walls along with a vapor barrier. Don t wrap fiberglass batts around electrical boxes or stuff full batts behind them. In some cases the cost of adding insulation may exceed the cost of energy needed to heat or cool it.

Insulation in house exterior walls is one of the primary defenses against heat and energy loss. Unfortunately however builders didn t insulate the walls of most homes built before the 1980s. Retrofit wall insulation is a debatable subject because there is no single right answer for all homes and homeowners. Check the attic walls and floors adjacent to an unheated space like a garage or basement.

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. Choose fiberglass insulation batting. Put the batt in place and use a scissors to snip around the box.