Type's of Insultation

[BIGNASTY]

Looking for the best VERY COLD temp, moisture resistant outside wall and celling insulation.

Spray foam
Styrofoam
Pink Panther stuff
Rock Wool batt's

BIG

 

[jgillott]

Keep in mind that our cold and your cold there are probably very different. Most of our lows are in the teens or single digits. We will get a stretch every once in a while below zero, but those are the exception rather than the rule.

Our house here has very thick layers of the fiberglass "pink panther" insulation in the attic. Walls have fiberglass between the studs and a layer of styrofoam on the outside under the siding. On all but the coldest nights, it's so hot when the boiler is cranking that we are opening upstairs windows just to make it comfortable.

 

[mwilson]

I prefer the "Pink Panther" variety as well, I am leery of sealing a house up too tight and creating moisture issues.



The layers (or unfaced Bats) in the attics, 2 X 6 walls with faced R-19 and 1/2" sheetrock on the interior walls is still the most common construction up here. The styrofoam layer is used more now (usually when changing to vinyl siding) and don't forget the layer of "Typar" house wrap, that stuff cuts the wind like nothing else.



Mike.

 

[GHarman]

Brother BIG!
http://msdssearch.dow.com/Published...ofoam/pdfs/noreg/716-00150.pd&fromPage=GetDoc

GregH

 

[BIGNASTY]

I have found the value of foam as a building material, we have use SIP's building practices in 4 homes now, and the insulation value is fantastic. But I do have to agree that you can make a home TO TIGHT!!! that is one of the faults of SIP's construction, with some soffit venting and strategic window opening the problem is easily taken care of. The low moisture absorption is a very big plus.

Will have to look up the Typar house rap I have used the Tyvek brand have found that product to be more than what the advertisement made it out to be.

Thanks for your reply's

BIG

 

[BIGNASTY]

Mr. jgillott

I think a lot of people have the misconception that MT is the coldest place in the lower 48, on average the North woods of Maine are the coldest, don't get me wrong its cold here but the cold varies with for what direction we get the weather front coming from.

http://www.usclimatedata.com/climate.php?location=USMT0013

http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?mtbabb

 

[SHobbs]

Spray foam, Walltite.

http://walltite.basf.co.uk/

 

[BIGNASTY]

Spray foam, Walltite.

http://walltite.basf.co.uk/

Not sure if its the same kind of thing that I got to use on my Chicken coop when I found several of them so stiff that I took them in to Penny and tossed them on the kitchen counter like a piece of fire wood they were frozen so solid, the stuff I used was what was left over from a project that BIL had going it was super expensive but IT WORKED!!!! no more ICE CHICKEN, Tiger Foam it was like $1500. 00 for the two bottle set, it went pretty far but that's a lot of money

http://www.tigerfoam.com/

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

I recommend doing a bit of research on thickness vs. R factor vs. cost.

 

[DavidC]

Mr. jgillott

I think a lot of people have the misconception that MT is the coldest place in the lower 48, on average the North woods of Maine are the coldest

I can vouch for that spending 4 years at Loring AFB, Limestone Maine. That place is friggin cold.

 

[mwilson]

I can vouch for that spending 4 years at Loring AFB, Limestone Maine. That place is friggin cold.

Most folks have never experienced extended night time temps of -20 or worse. All kinds of funny things start happening.



I have seen frost showing on an interior wall where every drywall screw was. Little white dots, sometimes you can even see the frosty image of the studs.



If a home is too tight it can drip moisture right off the kitchen or bathroom ceilings.



Several evenings of -40 below overnight temps will take it to a whole new level as the house will bang loud enough to wake you up. My deck will start banging and snapping at -10 below and the dog runs for cover, the little coward.



Mike.



Mike.

 

[SierraRam]

The nice thing about the spray foam is it is water resistant and seals gaps and fill voids. If I lived in a cold state I would want that in my house.

 

[RustyJC]

There's a table HERE about 3/4 of the way down the page giving R value per inch of thickness for various types of insulation.



Rusty

 

[CBari]

I build a house here about 5 years ago and researched all kinds of different insulation options, and I was stuck between conventional blown in, in 2x6 walls or spray foam. I ended up going with the foam and sealing the whole package. I had lots of people tell me the house would be too tight and sweat all the time and the moisture would rot everything. Granted it has only been 5 years but I haven't seen any signs of this anywhere. My utility bills are phenomenal compared to other homes the same size as mine.



Now as to the type of foam they make both a closed cell and an open cell the closed has a higher R value and higher price. I used the open cell but the closed has its place too.



I used this brand and the installer was a great to work with, I am afraid he won't travel to Montana to do a job though.



http://www.demilecusa.com/

 

[DavidC]

My deck will start banging and snapping at -10 below and the dog runs for cover, the little coward.

Mike.

Mike.

That's hilarious. I remember being pulled out of an alert B-52 because the chill factor was -70. It took me 15 mins to get in there with long underwear, uniform, parka, insulated boots, gloves and tools. I had just sat down in the pilots seat when a Staff Sarge come up telling me I had to leave. Packed up and to the Van I went. Sat there for 5 mins. and was told ok you can go back it's up to -69.

Dave

 

[BIGNASTY]

I recommend doing a bit of research on thickness vs. R factor vs. cost.

Have been doing just that Mr Donnelly its a task the will make a person go blind but worth the effort.

I can vouch for that spending 4 years at Loring AFB, Limestone Maine. That place is friggin cold.

When in Maine at Loring AFB I didn't have to work I was in Rehab, went out snowmobiling one day, it got so cold that the trees were freezing, don't remember the temp but the Sky Cops came by in a truck and said to get indoors the outdoors was restricted. So ya ok what do the Sky Cops know we stopped and lit a fire to get warm and the trees started to snap like twigs when the wind came up. Pretty scary ride back to base housing with the trees exploding all over the place.

 

[Newt]

I have found the value of foam as a building material, we have use SIP's building practices in 4 homes now, and the insulation value is fantastic. But I do have to agree that you can make a home TO TIGHT!!! that is one of the faults of SIP's construction, with some soffit venting and strategic window opening the problem is easily taken care of. The low moisture absorption is a very big plus.

Will have to look up the Typar house rap I have used the Tyvek brand have found that product to be more than what the advertisement made it out to be.

Thanks for your reply's

BIG

http://www.ehow.com/facts_5779964_home-air-exchanger_.html

 

[BIGNASTY]

http://www.ehow.com/facts_5779964_home-air-exchanger_.html

The only problem with bringing in the outside air is that sometimes in the winter it's VERY COLD!!!!!!!!! the exchanger looks like it would work thou. Since we moved in the house I have installed a whole house fan in the hallway about the middle of the house along with closeable vents at the gable ends of the home, it don't happen often but sometimes it gets stuffy in the summer if the outside air isn't moving. So we open up the windows and turn on the Whole house fan within minutes its the same temp as the outside air, we like it in the evenings.

 

[Newt]

The only problem with bringing in the outside air is that sometimes in the winter it's VERY COLD!!!!!!!!! the exchanger looks like it would work thou. Since we moved in the house I have installed a whole house fan in the hallway about the middle of the house along with closeable vents at the gable ends of the home, it don't happen often but sometimes it gets stuffy in the summer if the outside air isn't moving. So we open up the windows and turn on the Whole house fan within minutes its the same temp as the outside air, we like it in the evenings.

The purpose of the heat exchanger is to bring in outside air. It also uses the outgoing air to warm/cool the outside incoming air as required.

I can see where that would come in handy with a very tight house.

Newt