musicman Posted July 25, 2007 Share Posted July 25, 2007 I was reading some info on the insulation of floors as required by the city of houston code on new construction. The city recommends r19 on floors. a neighbor did it several yrs ago but ended up removing it because it absorbed moisture. has anyone else noticed this as well? i was really thinking of trying it with the encapsulated rolls but i am still hesitant due to the moisture absorption. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jm1fd Posted July 25, 2007 Share Posted July 25, 2007 I wouldn't do it because of the potential for moisture issues unless you plan to put plastic down over the dirt, and otherwise seal up the crawlspace completely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedScare Posted July 25, 2007 Share Posted July 25, 2007 I was seriously considering it, but moisture was one of my first fears, too. I understand that one of the ways that moisture is dealt with is to attach a moisture barrier across the beams. It must be attached carefully, so as not to leave tears or holes or gaps. However, it seems to me that a moisture barrier could actually make the situation worse, as the barrier will keep moisture IN as well as out. In the end, I did nothing. In researching heat and insulation, I found that there are a few things that greatly affect interior temperatures. Attic insulation is huge. Dark roofs also conduct a lot of heat. Sun on windows and walls (especially windows) is a problem. Floors are apparently the least of the causes of lost heat or air conditioning. A study in Florida suggested that white or reflective metal roofs do the most to cool a house. Since that is not an option for many of us, good attic insulation is 2nd best. Energy efficient windows are next, followed by extended eaves that shade the exterior walls. Amazingly, wall insulation was not one of the higher priorities, especially given the cost of retrofitting an existing home.In the end, I decided the most cost efficient solutions for me are to build an arbor over my west facing deck to shade the exterior west wall, and to add more attic insulation. Replacing my windows with double pane windows would be effective. A friend did that in the 6th Ward and cut her electricity $100 per month in the summer. However, the cost is steep. I am probably not going to touch the floors. I've never had a speck of mold, and I don't want to tempt fate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted July 25, 2007 Author Share Posted July 25, 2007 thx for your comments. yeah i recently read the exact requirements and guess it made me think about it again. i know another neighbor did an add-on and they made her insulate the floor on the new part.my last electric bill was $101 so i can't really complain. i still need to get up in my attic and increase the r value from r19 to something higher. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedScare Posted July 25, 2007 Share Posted July 25, 2007 Mine was $203 (down from last year's $308 with window air conditioners), so I think you are already ahead of the curve. I am hopeful my arbor, and one or two more well placed bushes or trees will help my bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnu Posted July 25, 2007 Share Posted July 25, 2007 We had ours insulated for about 5 years.the 'normal' insulation you lay down in attics (don't remember the r value)we had it supported by wires.It worked fine over 80% of the house.But under one corner of the house it trapped moisture and it attracted termites.So to check out the condition of the rest of the house, we pulled it all down.We did not find any other bad spots.We hypothesize that the drainage might not been as good under that corner.You can tell a big difference on cold days in the winter - not so much so in the summer.Electric bill did go up some, but not exponentially.I was told to go with that styrofoam board type insulation if i wanted to go back something, but i deemed the savings would not be significant enough.and I probably wouldn't do it again anyway, even if we fixed our drainage, only because if you get a termite problem it would be harder to locate them...and i would rather have a little higher electric bill over termites. duh! :closedeyes: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted July 25, 2007 Author Share Posted July 25, 2007 i have even contemplated this stuff since i didn't think it would absorb moisture. i agree that the winter months seem to be harsher. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark F. Barnes Posted July 25, 2007 Share Posted July 25, 2007 I have a friend that redid his 150 year old home here in Montgomery, and installed Crawl Space Dehumidifiers under his home, I am pretty sure they were either "Oscar Air" or "Lennox". He was then able to run full insulation under his home and no mold or critter issues. I am pretty sure they were less than $1000.00 and it cut his electric bill by $150.00/month. Paid for themselves in less than a year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted July 25, 2007 Author Share Posted July 25, 2007 I have a friend that redid his 150 year old home here in Montgomery, and installed Crawl Space Dehumidifiers under his home, I am pretty sure they were either "Oscar Air" or "Lennox". He was then able to run full insulation under his home and no mold or critter issues. I am pretty sure they were less than $1000.00 and it cut his electric bill by $150.00/month. Paid for themselves in less than a year.i have solid concrete wall in front but the rest is piers only so this approach wouldn't work for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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