I'm putting together a music practice room in my basement and I just hung insulation (R-19 type) on a wall made of concrete block. Because I wanted more width in the room, I had the carpenter install the 2 x 4's flat (with 2" depth). After securing the insulation I hung a few panels of drywall (1/2" thick) over it (very tough to compress the thick insulation behind the drywall).
My questions are these:
Did I use the wrong type of insulation?
If I leave the R-19 in place, do I chance having a mold situation in the future?
A friend of mine basically told me that R-19 type of insulation was a NO-NO when it comes to concrete block walls and could cause mold to form because of lack of breathing room.
HELP..Please!
Thanks,
NJ
COMMUNITY FORUM
I believe that you need a vapor barrier (plastic) over the concrete to keep the moisture away from the insulation. Also r-19 insulation is made to fit in a 2X4 wall when the 2X4's are run long ways. Compressing insulation bows out the drywall and actually decreases R value.
R-19 is made to fit in a 2x6 wall, not 2x4, but you are right about it losing insulative value as it gets compressed. Soince the R-value of fibregals bats is in the neighborhood of R-34.2 pewr inch, and this is compressed to one and a half inches, the best expectation would be R 4.8, but because of the over-compression, it is probably not worth more than R4
There is a potential for mold, depending on the humidity level and how well waterproofed the concrete is, but hard to test that since itis already coverd up.
Excellence is its own reward!
There is a potential for mold, depending on the humidity level and how well waterproofed the concrete is, but hard to test that since itis already coverd up.
Excellence is its own reward!
