Heavy Draft Coming Thru Baseboards and outlets
I purchased a renovated brownstone about 2 years ago. They clearly did absolutely no insulating of the parlor level. In fact, I did recently go into the front wall and noticed there was the front facade masonry and then the drywall. Nothing in between. That said, does anyone have any recommendations as to how best solve the insulation issue? And can anyone recommend someone to do the work?
suebklyn
in General Discussion 8 years and 6 months ago
6
Please log in, in order to post replies!
6 replies
Arkady | 8 years ago
If you have decorative woodwork around the windows such as shutter boxes, it’s likely the leaks are there. I’d check the trim work around your staircase too – I had a gale-force wind coming into mine. Also I put foam padding under the plates on all light switches & convenience outlets which helped.
myzvkowtfkjqgrul | 8 years ago
There are other options besides spray foam. We provide and air barrier system called Intello, which is a green product, along with blowing in dense packed cellulose insulation behind that. This is a modified version of a complete passive house since you are not going to be doing a complete gut renovation. But yes the best way is to open up the wall and see exactly whats going on and treat the source.
suebklyn | 8 years and 6 months ago
@Augustiner – If I find a source of air leak, would repairing that leak be enough? Since there is no insulation between my facade and drywall, I’m assuming I’ll need to insulate also. For spray foam, is my only option to open up the whole wall, spray and put back up the drywall?
JorgeF | 8 years and 6 months ago
I agree with Augustiner blown in insulation is not going to solve the problem . The problem is air sealing. you can get someone to come in and do a blower door test and see if they can track down the air leakage. Closed Cell spray foam would most likely solve the problem but that’s a big job. If you locate the leakage point you may be able to fix with caulking or cans of closed cell spray foam. There could be air leakage from a single location or many. Any penetration through an exterior wall or roof is a possible point of air leakage. This includes windows, doors, venting, pipes, cracks, poor construction etc…
Augustiner | 8 years and 6 months ago
Blown Cellulose will do exactly NOTHING in this scenario.
If you can feel the airflow you need to find the biggest air leaks first.
I assume you don’t want to open all walls and spray foam them.
So I would get a $200 thermal cam for your phone, like a Flir one or seek thermal.
You might be able to trace the hole in the wall better. Then you can also check outside the building – maybe you see some leaks there. I have one if you want it for a day or two.
As a tip – in case they penetrated the exterior wall during renovation, look there first.
E.g. Fire Hydrant hookup or water line coming from the cellar to frontyard. Or front exit hatch. Area above main entrance door. Window frames, exterior light fixtures. Under Stoop ceiling.
EJR | 8 years and 6 months ago
See the recent thread on Insulating the “Cock Loft”. Cellulose insulation might be a good option here, since it can be blown into the walls through a small hole (or a series of small holes) in the drywall.