On Feb 29, 3:14 pm, "JoeSpareBedroom" wrote:
"Robert Allison" wrote in message
news:8m_xj.868$e_.598@trnddc03...
JoeSpareBedroom wrote:
wrote in message
...
On Feb 28, 4:37 pm, "JoeSpareBedroom" wrote:
There's only about 18-24" from the beams down to the dirt. That would
mean
hugging the fiberglass the whole time. No thanks. I'd rather do it from
above.
So instead of putting up with a cramped space for 30 minutes or so,
you'd rather tear the entire subfloor out, which presumably doesn't
need replacing? You do realize the price of lumber these days, right?
Heck you don't even need to go in there if you've got the right kind
of "poker stick" to maneuver the batts into place on the floor. I
insulated most of my attic from the catwalk using a garden rake to
slide the batts into place.
=================
It's not the cramped space that bothers me. It's getting way too intimate
with fiberglass bats, no matter much protective clothing I'm wearing. Is
this the reason you used a rake to push your insulation into place?
Perhaps you should go with encapsulated insulation. The only thing you
will touch is plastic, unless you cut it.
http://www.specjm.com/residential/in...capsulated.asp
It's not gonna happen. No matter what type I use, it would still involve
removing cinder blocks. No way in hell I'm doing that.
Well it comes down to how much you want to spend. Fiberglass is cheap
and probably the least effective insulation out there, but possible
for a DIYer to accomplish. Removing blocks is no big deal, or you
could even cut a single access panel from the top. Much, much, much
easier than removing and replacing a subfloor. Fiberglass isn't as
itchy as it used to be. I install it several times a year, and I
don't have a problem with itchiness or whatever. I just wear a paper
dust mask. If you want to look into foam, get some contractors to
look at it. And unless you have a lot of foam contractors in your
area in stiff competition, duct tape your jaw up when he gives you the
estimate so that you don't hurt it when it drops to the floor when you
see the price for insulating a crawl with it. One poster suggested
that you install a layer of plywood on the bottom of the joists and
spray foam on that. That would be pretty ineffective UNLESS you fill
the space completely. That isn't how the foam contractors I have been
around operate. They can do it with multiple applications of foam,
but open your wallet. Several people have stated that there is a
minimally expanding foam that you can pump in there. Filling the
whole space to the dirt is a nutty idea. Perhaps if you could install
plywood on the bottom of the joists, but if a system exists like this
exists, but it is brand new, and I can say for sure that it isn't
available in my area, a city of about 100,000. I'd still be
interested in information about this method. Personally, I think
cellulose is a better option. If you have so much moisture in that
crawl space that the insulation is going to be soaked, then you have
much bigger problems--and if you use foam, your joists are going to
rot.
You could use Tyveck instead of poly under the joists. The rule about
a vapor barrier on the warm side doesn't apply to floors. Poly would
be OK too. But you also want to lay poly on the dirt as cheap
insurance against future moisture problems.
Another thing to consider is if you use fiberglass, you could combine
it with a layer of foam on top of the plywood--that is subfloor, layer
of 1" foam, and a second layer of plywood. This would only work if
floor height isn't an issue.