Not many places for insulation

Paul Rohrs_5

that was added later after construction began. This is a SOG home but this bonus room is above his theatre. It is about 525 sq/ft and tons of window space. The windows hug the roof line so you can see how much actual space there is going to be for insulation.

We placed a remote (Tekmar 077) sensor for cooling only. It will handle the temperature averaging on our TN4 system. But the HO/Builder is concerned with our HVAC's return air on the exterior 2x6 wall that there is not enough insulation.

Now look again at the picture of the north wall. Header across the top, windows, studs everywhere. Not many places for the incynene foam to be placed, but he's concerned about our return air in the joist bay acting as a convective cooling area in the winter. There is 1" R-5 foam behind all of the Thermopan.

Heating is being handled by some strip heat elements.

Any other suggestions out there? Comments

Regards,

PR

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Brad White_9

Paul

Is the return air ducted beyond the verticals (such as into the attic space below it)? Or is that attic space acting as an RA Plenum? That is a concern for heating, cooling and in some cases, fire safety because of combustible pathways.

If the RA is ducted I am less concerned of course and you can install dampers to forestall convection as well as you can. But I agree, there is little insulation opportunity there.

What is the exterior? Is there a fly-by/continuous layer of insulation? A lot of detailing and if you are using Icynene everywhere else, probably not necessary. Just ferreting out the parameters.

Now, the framing: I designed a system for a house on the water out our way, a turret with probably 80% framing and the remainder lots of windows and little opportunity for real insulation. Begged as I could, we got what we got. I had to calculate based on the realities we had.

One area we did install an inch of rigid to the interior and packed out the windows with extension jambs; a lot of detailing to be sure, especially given it was an after-thought. (I came late to the project and it was half built, just closed in after framing.)

Can you do at least a half-inch or a full inch of interior continuous rigid over whatever you can use to fill the cavities?

Sometimes you have to admit defeat and calculate based on what you have, amortizing frame versus insulated for a devalued R value in those walls.

Overall at least it looks as airtight as one could hope with stick construction, so they are doing their best in that regard.

One hopes the energy detailing elsewhere can compensate for less than ideal conditions here and there, but it sure is hard departing from an ideal, isn't it?

Good luck (and enjoy your 40's!!)

Brad

Mark Hunt

I agree


add an inch of foam board to the walls and put extension jambs on the windows.

Not many options here.

Mark H

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Larry Weingarten

Do you think...

... some exterior insulating shutters could be found to fit? I've heard talk of them being translucent as well.

Yours, Larry

Weezbo

fur it out and put blue foam as well as fill all the ..

cavities with a high perm isothene. silicon all the framing member seams....as a thought.that would give you an assembly you could model. the inside of the window rough in openings could have had foam wrapped around the entire opening however thats then