[sid]

Insulating basement walls:
Last year in this group I ask about insulating basement walls. Learned
a lot about vapor barriers and types of insulation.
Last post: http://groups.google.com/group/alt.h...21aee700?hl=en

One suggestion made in a reply was to not fill the stud bays all the
way to the floor with fiberglass. Stop about 24" from the floor. This
would prevent the fiberglass from filling/soaking up water if I ever
did have water flood the basement.

Has anyone ever done this ? And if not fiberglass, why not fill the
last 18"-24" with Styrofoam or polystyrene. If so, which to use ?

Thanks

[ransley]

On Jan 18, 9:36*am, sid wrote:
Insulating basement walls:
Last year in this group I ask about insulating basement walls. Learned
a lot about vapor barriers and types of insulation.
Last post:http://groups.google.com/group/alt.h...hread/thread/7...

One suggestion made in a reply was to not fill the stud bays all the
way to the floor with fiberglass. Stop about 24" from the floor. This
would prevent the fiberglass from filling/soaking up water if I ever
did have water flood the basement.

Has anyone ever done this ? And if not fiberglass, why not fill the
last 18"-24" with Styrofoam or polystyrene. *If so, which to use ?

Thanks

I used foamboard and left a 2" gap so I could see any leak.

[Ed Pawlowski]

"sid" wrote in message

Has anyone ever done this ? And if not fiberglass, why not fill the
last 18"-24" with Styrofoam or polystyrene. If so, which to use ?

Styrofoam is extruded polystyrene. Use what is cheapest or easiest to get.

[willshak]

on 1/18/2009 10:36 AM (ET) sid wrote the following:
Insulating basement walls:
Last year in this group I ask about insulating basement walls. Learned
a lot about vapor barriers and types of insulation.
Last post: http://groups.google.com/group/alt.h...21aee700?hl=en

One suggestion made in a reply was to not fill the stud bays all the
way to the floor with fiberglass. Stop about 24" from the floor. This
would prevent the fiberglass from filling/soaking up water if I ever
did have water flood the basement.

Has anyone ever done this ? And if not fiberglass, why not fill the
last 18"-24" with Styrofoam or polystyrene. If so, which to use ?

Thanks


That would depend upon where your house is located. There are many types
of flooding. Flooding from a rising water table, floods from rising
rivers or streams, water leaks from broken foundation walls, internal
floods from broken pipes, or water heaters, among others. Where I am
located (on a hilltop) only the last two applied. I have had water leaks
from the water heater, and a foundation crack which leaked during a
heavy and sustained rain, none of which did any more damage than soaking
the carpet in those areas. Neither were visually noticeable, but my feet
and ears discovered the water. I replaced the water heater and sealed
the crack.
My fiberglass insulation extends to the floor plate and only the wall
leak wet the insulation, and that was minimal.

--

Bill
In Hamptonburgh, NY
In the original Orange County. Est. 1683
To email, remove the double zeroes after @

[[email protected]]

On Sun, 18 Jan 2009 11:24:21 -0500, willshak
wrote:

on 1/18/2009 10:36 AM (ET) sid wrote the following:
Insulating basement walls:
Last year in this group I ask about insulating basement walls. Learned
a lot about vapor barriers and types of insulation.
Last post: http://groups.google.com/group/alt.h...21aee700?hl=en

One suggestion made in a reply was to not fill the stud bays all the
way to the floor with fiberglass. Stop about 24" from the floor. This
would prevent the fiberglass from filling/soaking up water if I ever
did have water flood the basement.

Has anyone ever done this ? And if not fiberglass, why not fill the
last 18"-24" with Styrofoam or polystyrene. If so, which to use ?

Thanks


That would depend upon where your house is located. There are many types
of flooding. Flooding from a rising water table, floods from rising
rivers or streams, water leaks from broken foundation walls, internal
floods from broken pipes, or water heaters, among others. Where I am
located (on a hilltop) only the last two applied. I have had water leaks
from the water heater, and a foundation crack which leaked during a
heavy and sustained rain, none of which did any more damage than soaking
the carpet in those areas. Neither were visually noticeable, but my feet
and ears discovered the water. I replaced the water heater and sealed
the crack.
My fiberglass insulation extends to the floor plate and only the wall
leak wet the insulation, and that was minimal.

Use rockwool in basements - with no vapour barrier. RockWool will not
cmopact when wet, will not support mold, and will not lose R value
after being wet.

[sid]

On Jan 18, 1:30*pm, wrote:
On Sun, 18 Jan 2009 11:24:21 -0500, willshak
wrote:





on 1/18/2009 10:36 AM (ET) sid wrote the following:
Insulating basement walls:
Last year in this group I ask about insulating basement walls. Learned
a lot about vapor barriers and types of insulation.
Last post:http://groups.google.com/group/alt.h...hread/thread/7...

One suggestion made in a reply was to not fill the stud bays all the
way to the floor with fiberglass. Stop about 24" from the floor. This
would prevent the fiberglass from filling/soaking up water if I ever
did have water flood the basement.

Has anyone ever done this ? And if not fiberglass, why not fill the
last 18"-24" with Styrofoam or polystyrene. *If so, which to use ?

Thanks

That would depend upon where your house is located. There are many types
of flooding. Flooding from a rising water table, floods from rising
rivers or streams, water leaks from broken foundation walls, internal
floods from broken pipes, or water heaters, among others. Where I am
located (on a hilltop) only the last two applied. I have had water leaks
from the water heater, and a foundation crack which leaked during a
heavy and sustained rain, none of which did any more damage than soaking
the carpet in those areas. Neither were visually noticeable, but my feet
and ears discovered the water. I replaced the water heater and sealed
the crack.
My fiberglass insulation extends to the floor plate and only the wall
leak wet the insulation, and that was minimal.

Use rockwool in basements - with no vapour barrier. RockWool will not
cmopact when wet, will not support mold, and will not lose R value
after being wet.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Never heard of it, I did a quick search on HomeDepote.com and didn't
find anything.
Where do you get it.

[Too_Many_Tools]

On Jan 18, 10:24*am, willshak wrote:
on 1/18/2009 10:36 AM (ET) sid wrote the following:

Insulating basement walls:
Last year in this group I ask about insulating basement walls. Learned
a lot about vapor barriers and types of insulation.
Last post:http://groups.google.com/group/alt.h...hread/thread/7...

One suggestion made in a reply was to not fill the stud bays all the
way to the floor with fiberglass. Stop about 24" from the floor. This
would prevent the fiberglass from filling/soaking up water if I ever
did have water flood the basement.

Has anyone ever done this ? And if not fiberglass, why not fill the
last 18"-24" with Styrofoam or polystyrene. *If so, which to use ?

Thanks

That would depend upon where your house is located. There are many types
of flooding. Flooding from a rising water table, floods from rising
rivers or streams, water leaks from broken foundation walls, internal
floods from broken pipes, or water heaters, among others. Where I am
located (on a hilltop) only the last two applied. I have had water leaks
from the water heater, and a foundation crack which leaked during a
heavy and sustained rain, none of which did any more damage than soaking
the carpet in those areas. Neither were visually noticeable, but my feet
and ears discovered the water. I replaced the water heater and sealed
the crack.
My fiberglass insulation extends to the floor plate and only the wall
leak wet the insulation, and that was minimal.

--

Bill
In Hamptonburgh, NY
In the original Orange County. Est. 1683
To email, remove the double zeroes after @

Any house can have a pipe break..and in a house's lifetime it happens
at least once.

Plan for it...if you don't catch it in time your basement will be full
to the top.

TMT

[Too_Many_Tools]

On Jan 18, 9:36*am, sid wrote:
Insulating basement walls:
Last year in this group I ask about insulating basement walls. Learned
a lot about vapor barriers and types of insulation.
Last post:http://groups.google.com/group/alt.h...hread/thread/7...

One suggestion made in a reply was to not fill the stud bays all the
way to the floor with fiberglass. Stop about 24" from the floor. This
would prevent the fiberglass from filling/soaking up water if I ever
did have water flood the basement.

Has anyone ever done this ? And if not fiberglass, why not fill the
last 18"-24" with Styrofoam or polystyrene. *If so, which to use ?

Thanks

I know of several people who have been flooded in the South and the
Midwest this last year.

Any fiberbased insulation had to be replaced...it retains water and
then the mold starts.

If I had a basement (they are uncommon in CA) I would use only a board
type insulation.

I would also take the time to make the basement installation totally
removable so one can disassemble it to get to the actual basement
wall.

Yes I know most people do not do this.

And I can tell you that when I lived elsewhere in the country (I move
alot) I have seen countless people have to rip their finished
basements out because of water damage.

There is a reason why insurance companies offer only limited flood
insurance and it is expensive...is is not if but when a basement
floods.

TMT

[aemeijers]

Too_Many_Tools wrote:
On Jan 18, 9:36 am, sid wrote:
Insulating basement walls:
Last year in this group I ask about insulating basement walls. Learned
a lot about vapor barriers and types of insulation.
Last post:http://groups.google.com/group/alt.h...hread/thread/7...

One suggestion made in a reply was to not fill the stud bays all the
way to the floor with fiberglass. Stop about 24" from the floor. This
would prevent the fiberglass from filling/soaking up water if I ever
did have water flood the basement.

Has anyone ever done this ? And if not fiberglass, why not fill the
last 18"-24" with Styrofoam or polystyrene. If so, which to use ?

Thanks

I know of several people who have been flooded in the South and the
Midwest this last year.

Any fiberbased insulation had to be replaced...it retains water and
then the mold starts.

If I had a basement (they are uncommon in CA) I would use only a board
type insulation.

I would also take the time to make the basement installation totally
removable so one can disassemble it to get to the actual basement
wall.

Yes I know most people do not do this.

And I can tell you that when I lived elsewhere in the country (I move
alot) I have seen countless people have to rip their finished
basements out because of water damage.

There is a reason why insurance companies offer only limited flood
insurance and it is expensive...is is not if but when a basement
floods.
Chuckle. Good example of why when I hit the lotto, and build my dream
house, the basement will be naked concrete. I like unfinished
basements. Much more useful, IMHO.

--
aem sends...

[Don Wiss]

On Sun, 18 Jan 2009 11:24:21 -0500, willshak wrote:

That would depend upon where your house is located. There are many types
of flooding. Flooding from a rising water table, floods from rising
rivers or streams, water leaks from broken foundation walls, internal
floods from broken pipes, or water heaters, among others. Where I am
located (on a hilltop) only the last two applied.

I have a row house and there are some other possible causes. My worst,
though as the sump pump promptly pumped out the water it wasn't too bad,
was when my neighbor's cellar flooded with two feet of water and it came
though the brick wall all along that side. I had to phone them to let them
know their cellar was flooded. And being the nice guy that he is he refused
to accept culpability. He claimed that everybody's cellar flooded that day.

Then my most recent "flood" was after I had the cellar walls repointed. To
get water they turned on the water to my outside spigots and used the drain
to get water. (There is a regular spigot in the cellar, but it requires
using a hose, which were down there.) Of course they did not tell me. So
after they left the outside pipes froze and burst. Water poured down the
back of the house and found its way in the cellar door that goes to the
backyard.

And again I have someone refusing to accept culpability. Though when I get
him over here it will be obvious to him what his worker's did. And as I
leave the outside spigots open in the winter, his men had to have gone
outside to close them.

Don www.donwiss.com (e-mail link at home page bottom).

[[email protected]]

On Sun, 18 Jan 2009 14:46:46 -0800 (PST), sid
wrote:

On Jan 18, 1:30Â*pm, wrote:
On Sun, 18 Jan 2009 11:24:21 -0500, willshak
wrote:





on 1/18/2009 10:36 AM (ET) sid wrote the following:
Insulating basement walls:
Last year in this group I ask about insulating basement walls. Learned
a lot about vapor barriers and types of insulation.
Last post:http://groups.google.com/group/alt.h...hread/thread/7...

One suggestion made in a reply was to not fill the stud bays all the
way to the floor with fiberglass. Stop about 24" from the floor. This
would prevent the fiberglass from filling/soaking up water if I ever
did have water flood the basement.

Has anyone ever done this ? And if not fiberglass, why not fill the
last 18"-24" with Styrofoam or polystyrene. Â*If so, which to use ?

Thanks

That would depend upon where your house is located. There are many types
of flooding. Flooding from a rising water table, floods from rising
rivers or streams, water leaks from broken foundation walls, internal
floods from broken pipes, or water heaters, among others. Where I am
located (on a hilltop) only the last two applied. I have had water leaks
from the water heater, and a foundation crack which leaked during a
heavy and sustained rain, none of which did any more damage than soaking
the carpet in those areas. Neither were visually noticeable, but my feet
and ears discovered the water. I replaced the water heater and sealed
the crack.
My fiberglass insulation extends to the floor plate and only the wall
leak wet the insulation, and that was minimal.

Use rockwool in basements - with no vapour barrier. RockWool will not
cmopact when wet, will not support mold, and will not lose R value
after being wet.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Never heard of it, I did a quick search on HomeDepote.com and didn't
find anything.
Where do you get it.
Here in Canada Home Depot carries it. Roxul is the brand name.