The instulation under my Dad's house is all falling down. What type should I use to replace it? How can i keep this from happening in the furture? It seem as if the insulation is getting damp.
COMMUNITY FORUM
Hi twc,
Use R-39 fiberglass batt insulation if you can. Put the Kraft-side UP, towards the 'heated' floor. NOT the other way around.
RE: How to keep it from falling down - There are a few ways. First, do your best to get it to 'fit' in the joist-bays evenly. Don't stuff too hard. Do you best to get the Kraft up to and touching the bottom of the sub-floor. THen, you can staple or tack up chicken wire. What I did, instead, was run nylon string in a zig-zag pattern and wrapping it around each nail as I went. I didn't use staples but, instead, I used roofing nails. The 1" ones. The pattern was about 12" apart from the preceeding wrap. You don't want any 'gaps' in the 'web' that are larger than that because the insulation may fall through.
You didn't mention anything about a crawspace or what. Is his home a mobile home? ANd where does he live? This would help w/my answer.
My best to ya and hope this helps.
Jay J -Moderator
PS: God Bless America!
The dampness makes the insulation much heavier - fiberglass insulation soaks up water like a wet sponge. That encourages it to fall. Before you replace the insulation, fix the moisture problem. Chances are, there's no plastic layer on the ground in the crawl space. (I'm assuming it's a crawl space.) It's cheap and easy to put one down, and will do a world of good. You can get enough 6-mil plastic for the average-size crawl space for less than $30 at your big-box home improvement place or at a local hardware store. It's well worth it.
If it's a basement, a dehumidifier might be worthwhile.
If it's a basement, a dehumidifier might be worthwhile.
[This message has been edited by rpxlpx (edited February 26, 2002).]
