I have a cold storage room underneath my front porch. It is poured
out of concrete. It is around 20 long wide by 5 feet Wide. We don't
use it at all for cold storage, but want to use it for regular storage
year round. Obviously it is very cold in there during the winter.
How do I Insulate a cold storage room to make it useful at room
temperature ? Should I frame the whole thing and then use R-12
insulation or something else ? Should I just spray foam everything ?
Should I use Styrofoam ?

Any ideas would help.

Thanks.

D

On Oct 5, 5:15*pm, car crash wrote:
I have a cold storage room underneath my front porch. *It is poured
out of concrete. *It is around 20 long wide by 5 feet Wide. *We don't
use it at all for cold storage, but want to use it for regular storage
year round. *Obviously it is very cold in there during the winter.
How do I Insulate a cold storage room to make it useful at room
temperature ? *Should I frame the whole thing and then use R-12
insulation or something else ? *Should I just spray foam everything ?
Should I use Styrofoam ?

Any ideas would help.

Thanks.

D

I would use conventional home insulation. In most areas that would
be fiberglass. I would not use Styrofoam unless I was going to put it
behind a fire resistant wall. That stuff is a real killer when it
burns.

In my experience most all regular storage does not mind getting
cold, unless it has water in it. Maybe you can leave it as it is and
just make sure you don't store something in there that freezing might
damage.

On Oct 5, 4:15*pm, car crash wrote:
I have a cold storage room underneath my front porch. *It is poured
out of concrete. *It is around 20 long wide by 5 feet Wide. *We don't
use it at all for cold storage, but want to use it for regular storage
year round. *Obviously it is very cold in there during the winter.
How do I Insulate a cold storage room to make it useful at room
temperature ? *Should I frame the whole thing and then use R-12
insulation or something else ? *Should I just spray foam everything ?
Should I use Styrofoam ?

Any ideas would help.

Thanks.

D

You dont mention how it will be heated, insulation wont help without a
heat source, Humidity might be more of a problem than you realise.

wrote in message

I would use conventional home insulation. In most areas that would
be fiberglass. I would not use Styrofoam unless I was going to put it
behind a fire resistant wall. That stuff is a real killer when it
burns.

************************************************** *****
Code does require foam be covered with drywall, but the product of
combustion are soot, water, carbon. It is actually safer than many other
materials in the home. It is an oil derivative and has about the same when
burned. Please take the time to look into it before making statements that
exaggerate. Foam plastic for insulation does have additives (bromides) to
make the fire go out when the source of ignition is removed.

On Oct 5, 7:22*pm, "Edwin Pawlowski" wrote:
wrote in message
Code does require foam be covered with drywall, but the product of
combustion are soot, water, carbon.

Um... First of all, I think you mean soot, water and CARBON DIOXIDE.
And, that's when burned in an incinerator under ideal conditions. In a
house fire, there are other products, not the least of which is carbon
MONoxide.

It is actually safer than many other
materials in the home.

That is probably true, but that's not saying very much.

It is an oil derivative and has about the same when
burned.

Precidesly. The foam required to insulate a 20X5 foot room would be
equivalent to burning several gallons of gasoline. Thanks, but I'll
pass on breathing that.

*Foam plastic for insulation does have additives (bromides) to
make the fire go out when the source of ignition is removed.

The problem with a house fire is that the source of ignition is never
removed unless everything in the room is fire retardant. It's not the
same as setting a block of foam on the table in the lab and trying to
light it with a match.

On Oct 5, 7:22*pm, "Edwin Pawlowski" wrote:
wrote in message

* *I would use conventional home insulation. *In most areas that would
be fiberglass. *I would not use Styrofoam unless I was going to put it
behind a fire resistant wall. *That stuff is a real killer when it
burns.

************************************************** *****
Code does require foam be covered with drywall, but the product of
combustion are soot, water, carbon. *It is actually safer than many other
materials in the home. *It is an oil derivative and has about the same when
burned. *Please take the time to look into it before making statements that
exaggerate. * Foam plastic for insulation does have additives (bromides) to
make the fire go out when the source of ignition is removed.

"When burned without enough oxygen or at lower temperatures (as in
a campfire or a household fireplace), polystyrene can produce
polycyclic aromatic compounds, carbon black, and carbon monoxide, as
well as styrene monomers." (wikipedia) Those are some nasty things
to breath.

car crash wrote:

I have a cold storage room underneath my front porch. It is poured
out of concrete. It is around 20 long wide by 5 feet Wide. We don't
use it at all for cold storage, but want to use it for regular storage
year round. Obviously it is very cold in there during the winter.
How do I Insulate a cold storage room to make it useful at room
temperature ? Should I frame the whole thing and then use R-12
insulation or something else ? Should I just spray foam everything ?
Should I use Styrofoam ?

20 by 5! I'd love to have that for storing homebrew!

Big questions:
1. Where do you live (City/State)?
2. How deep is the frost line there?
3. How is the other part of your basement currently heated?
4. How cold does other part of your basement get unheated?
5. How is other part of your basement currently insulated?
6. How cold does the storage area get when it is 0F outside?

Unless the temperature where you live is well-below
freezing for 6 weeks, it is unlikely anything will
freeze. I'd be more concerned about moisture than
cold. First thing I'd do is apply waterproofing -
as many coats as needed.

Afterthat I'd put down a flooring of 1x6's on top of
half inchers. Store what you want in there without
putting up shelves. BUT leave cloth on top of some
things so you can check for moisture. AND leave a
closed plastic container half filled with water so
you can check for freezing.

It would also help to put a thermometer in the room
so you can periodically record the temperature in the
storage area as well as the temperature in the other
part of your basement.

If you do that, you may avoid the expense and the
labor of insulating.

Dick

wrote in message news:a170aee7-bbc6-492f-aebc-

"When burned without enough oxygen or at lower temperatures (as in
a campfire or a household fireplace), polystyrene can produce
polycyclic aromatic compounds, carbon black, and carbon monoxide, as
well as styrene monomers." (wikipedia) Those are some nasty things
to breath.

Well duh, everything burning is bad to breath. My point it that it is no
more a danger than any other product in the typical house. Carpet, drapes,
upholstery can be much worse. The insulating value far outweighs any other
consideration.