Home

Ask The Pink Panther™ your energy questions Search the blog

December 29, 2006

Question: What insulation should we use in the floor over an unheated porch?

"L" writes from Wye Mills: "Our home is in Maryland (cold winters), and we are closing in a second floor porch and deck to make a heated living area...which will have an open unheated porch area underneath. This now framed in former porch/now enclosed living area is on the north side of our house, and we are anticipating very cold air blowing up under the floor. Tonight we purchased several rolls of your insulation for the walls and ceiling of our new room, but we are not sure how to insulate the floor. Could you please tell us what to do to insulate the floor, whether it should be faced or unfaced insulation - whether the facing should be up or down, or what do you recommend?"

Answer: We recommend installing Kraft-faced fiberglass insulation with the Kraft side facing the warm air. Regarding R-Value, we recommend filling the cavity of the floor joist. For example, if you have 2x10 joists install R-30; if you have 2x12 joists install R-38, etc. In really cold weather be sure to wear some nice warm slippers while in that room. I prefer PINK ones but the color is really up to you.

Posted by Pink Panther Ask the Pink Panther , Frequently Asked Energy Questions at 09:03 PM | | TrackBacks (0)

December 27, 2006

Question: Will roofing felt work as a vapor barrier?

Jay writes again from Mesa, Arizona: "Before placing the Exterior siding, I covered the exterior with my extra roofing tar paper. Will that suffice for a vapor barrier or does it need to be in the interior surface?? Also, do drywall and paint count as a vapor barrier?"

Answer: PINK and black may be a popular color combination and I like it very much, but roofing felt paper does not qualify as a vapor barrier. Also, the vapor barrier always goes to the warm-air part of a wall unless your local code says differently. Hopefully, the interior surface hasn't been covered yet.

Drywall does not serve as a vapor barrier but there are paints that serve as a vapor barrier. Check with your paint store to get information on those products.

Posted by Pink Panther Ask the Pink Panther , Frequently Asked Energy Questions at 05:14 PM | | TrackBacks (0)

December 26, 2006

Question: What insulation is recommended when adding more?

Jeff writes from Stanhope, New Jersey: "I want to reinsulate my attic which already contains R30 blown insulation. I do not want to use blown insulation I would like to use R25/R30 rolled insulation. Which insulation would work best for this installment, faced, unfaced, plastic wrapped?"

Answer: The recommendation when adding attic insulation is always to use "unfaced" insulation. You will be putting the new insulation on top of existing insulation and you don't want a second vapor barrier in the middle of your insulation.

If there was no insulation in the attic you could install insulation with a vapor retarder and place it toward the warm side in heating climates - in your case on the bottom of the insulation in the attic. Since you have insulation in the attic, there is presumably already a vapor barrier in place under the insulation and a second one is not needed. If the ventilation is sufficient - such as with a vented soffit and full ridge vent - some counties do not require a vapor barrier under insulation in the attic if the floor is flat, i.e. not over a vaulted or cathedral ceiling.

Posted by Pink Panther Ask the Pink Panther , Frequently Asked Energy Questions at 04:58 PM | | TrackBacks (0)

December 22, 2006

Question: How should I use the vapor retarder in a crawl space?

James writes from Atlanta, Georgia: "I'm confused. Your response to Bill (Oct 30, 9:11am) suggested using insulation without a vapor retarder between the joists in a crawlspace. The Owens Corning info sheet that I picked up at Home Depot today says "Always install insulation with vapor retarder toward the warm in winter side of the house." This is the section under "Floors" and discusses crawlspace. We already have plastic sheets covering the ground. Which do I use, with or without vapor retarder? If I use insulation with vapor retarder, does the retarder go on the ground side or the floor side? Do I use precut wire to hold up the insulation or staple the folded strip of paper to the joist if you recommend a vapor retarder? A seemingly knowledgeable Home Depot employ said to use insulation with the vapor retarder toward the ground side and staple the strip of folded paper on the edge of the bat to the joists and not use the precut wire for support. I really need these questions cleared up so that I don't get mold, mildew, etc."

Answer: Always install the insulation with the vapor retarder toward the warm side of the structure in heating climates. In a vented crawlspace, the warm side is usually up, closest to the floor above the crawlspace.

The Kraft paper should be touching the subfloor. The thickness of insulation you select will determine how close the insulation comes to the bottom of the joist.

The insulation should be installed all the way back at the end of each joist run so that it touches the band joist. You want complete coverage under the house. There will usually be a narrow joist space along the walls that runs parallel to the joists. Insulation should be cut to fit this space.

There are often both pipes and wires in crawlspace floors and occasionally a junction box. Water pipes should be insulated and you will need to insulate carefully around electrical wiring and boxes.

Insulation should be placed around cross braces by cutting it and pushing it between the braces.

Once the insulation is in place between the floor joists, insulation hangers or nylon straps can be used to hold the product in place.

Posted by Pink Panther Ask the Pink Panther , Frequently Asked Energy Questions at 05:05 PM | | TrackBacks (0)

December 20, 2006

Question: What insulation should I use with 2x10 joists on 12" centers?

"A" writes from Chicago, Illinois: "I have 2x10 floor joists with 12" centers. What size insulation do you recommend I use?"

Answer: As far as R-Value goes, you can use R-30 or R-30C (cathedral) depending on your preference.

Owens Corning makes a 12" insulation product. If it is not available in your area there is also a 24" product that can be cut in half.

For your information, there is a Compression Chart on the Owens Corning website that indicates the R-values of fiberglass insulation products when they are compressed into smaller spaces than they were designed for. There is also a Frequently Asked Question on the topic of compression.

Bottom line: A little compression is sometimes unavoidable but you can maximize your energy saving opportunity by using the product with the highest R-value that is the closest in size to the space you have to insulate.

Posted by Pink Panther Ask the Pink Panther , Frequently Asked Energy Questions at 08:03 PM | | TrackBacks (0)

December 18, 2006

Question: How do I insulate a garage door?

Scott writes from Cocoa Beach, Florida: "how do I insulate a garage door"

Answer: That's a tough one. First, I should say that most garage doors today will come insulated. Yours must not be insulated. Secondly, Owens Corning does not manufacture an insulation product specifically for garage doors, nor does it have any instructions on how a homeowner can insulate a garage door. Before the company can be helpful there are many questions to be asked, e.g. automatic door, sliding door, how tall, flat or ribbed, how will you attach the insulation, how will it be covered, etc.? The only thing the company can do is have you call the Customer Service Center to discuss the situation and then perhaps it can offer some possible solutions. If you want to do that, please call 1-800-GET-PINK (1 800-438-7465).

Posted by Pink Panther Ask the Pink Panther , Frequently Asked Energy Questions at 08:58 PM | | TrackBacks (0)

December 16, 2006

Question: Where can I find Pink Panther merchandise?

Katrina writes from Levittown, Pennsylvania: "Sorry this isn't an energy Question. I have been searching everywhere for a Pink Panther Doll, stuffed animal or any kind of Pink Panther toy. My three year old Granddaughter, also named Katrina, LOVES the great pink. I have called every toy store in the area! Since he is your spokes-person, I thought you might be able to tell me where I might be able to find 'any' Pink Panther merchandise. Please say that you can help!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Answer: I can't give you a list of retailers selling Pink Panther merchandise because MGM licenses my image to manufacturers who don't sell products directly to consumers. You already checked your local stores and came up empty so that suggestion won't help, either. Another idea is using a search engine like www.google.com to look for merchandise online. When I have done that in the past I saw lots of cool things. Finally, check out the MGM online store at www.MGMstore.com.

Thanks for your interest in me and good luck in your search.

Posted by Pink Panther Ask the Pink Panther , Pink Panther at 04:23 PM | | TrackBacks (0)

December 15, 2006

Question: Can I put rolled insulation on top of blown-in insulation?

Larry writes from Reisterstown, Maryland: "My house was built in 1983 with blown-in insulation in the attic. Can I put rolled insulation on top of the blown-in insulation or do I need to have more blown-in insulation added?"

Answer: You can roll insulation over existing blown-in insulation but keep in mind that compressing the blown insulation will cause a loss in R value. Either the weight of the new insulation or foot traffic while installing may affect the blown insulations R-Value. I recommend having more insulation blown in to avoid any headaches.

Posted by Pink Panther Ask the Pink Panther , Frequently Asked Energy Questions at 09:17 AM | | TrackBacks (0)

December 13, 2006

Question: Can I insulate around the boiler flue pipe?

Richard writes from Medford, Massachusetts: "When I insulate in the boiler room can I insulate around the boiler flue pipe? At what temp can I place your insulation against hot temp surfaces?"

Answer: Standard fiberglass batt insulation is not made for insulating pipes, and it is not made for high temperature applications (above 250°F). Owens Corning and other manufacturers make pipe insulation for these types of applications. The first step in selecting the right pipe insulation is to find out what the maximum temperature of the pipe will be in your application.

Posted by Pink Panther Ask the Pink Panther , Frequently Asked Energy Questions at 12:25 PM | | TrackBacks (0)

December 11, 2006

Question: OK to use the Kraft-faced batts in interior walls?

Chris writes from Fargo, North Dakota: "Is it ok to use the Kraft face batts in interior walls?"

Answer: It is OK to use Kraft-faced batts in interior walls but it is a waste of money given the fact you would be paying for a vapor barrier. If you are thinking about using the Kraft facing for fastening the insulation to the studs, you should purchase QuietZone® insulation rather than Kraft-faced batts.

Posted by Pink Panther Ask the Pink Panther , Frequently Asked Energy Questions at 09:13 PM | | TrackBacks (0)

December 08, 2006

Question: Can we add insulation in our new garage?

Kathy writes from Medfield, Massachusetts: "We have just added a garage to our home, but the walls in the garage are just studs and plywood. Can we insulate these unfinished 3 walls? (garage is attached to our house and gets very cold; also our laundry room bumps out into garage)"

Answer: Yes, you can insulate those walls! In some new construction the garage walls are left unfinished as a matter of cost savings. This is very common.

If the plywood you see is on the outside of the studs under the siding, you can add PINK fiberglass insulation batts between the exposed studs. I recommend Kraft-faced batts for this application. After the insulation is installed you will need to cover the insulation with plywood or gypsum wallboard. The insulation should not be left exposed.

If the plywood you see is on the inside, either remove the plywood and install batt insulation or have a professional come and blow insulation into the cavities.

Posted by Pink Panther Ask the Pink Panther , Frequently Asked Energy Questions at 12:51 PM | | TrackBacks (0)

December 06, 2006

Question: How important is faced insulation for exterior walls?

Jay writes from Mesa, Arizona: "How important is putting faced insulation in exterior walls?"

Answer: When a vapor barrier is required it is very important because the Kraft facing is the vapor barrier. Without the barrier, water vapor will penetrate into the structure. Vapor barriers are required by building code in most places so it is also a code violation not to use it.

Posted by Pink Panther Ask the Pink Panther , Frequently Asked Energy Questions at 04:21 PM | | TrackBacks (0)

December 04, 2006

Question: How many bags of the PINK blowing stuff do I need?

"H" writes from Dallas, Texas: "How many bags of the pink blowing stuff is needed to cover 1850 sq feet? How big are the bags and how much do they cover? Why is this information not available on your web site like other manufacturers? The number of bags is important because this is how consumers get ripped off - density."

Answer: The information is available on the Owens Corning website in the product data sheets. You can access the product data sheets by clicking on the button at the top of the home page marked Literature. You need to know what R Value you want to install and then go to the chart of the selected blowing insulation to find the coverage needed. The information is also listed on every individual bag.

When you click on the Literature button and the Document Library search form appears, type "loosefill insulation" in the Topic or Keyword window, and make sure the Business Unit window reads Building Materials. If it does not, open the drop-down list and select Building Materials. When you click on Submit, you will see a list of available documents including brochures, certificates, data sheets, installation instructions, Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS), etc.

Posted by Pink Panther Ask the Pink Panther , Frequently Asked Energy Questions at 05:47 PM | | TrackBacks (0)

December 01, 2006

Question: Can I put the rolled fiberglass insulation on top of the blown-in cellulose insulation?

Michelle writes from Freedom, Pennsylvania: "My house was built in 1980, typical Pennsylvania 2-story colonial box house. The attic has blown-in insulation with just the exposed joists (no flooring ever added). It has always been very cold upstairs (bedrooms) and a normal temperature downstairs (living area). Can I put the rolled fiber glass insulation on top of the blown-in insulation? I worry about a fire hazard, plus I wouldn't know what R factor to purchase. There's approximately 8 inches of blown-in insulation, I guess that's called cellulose? Reminds me of shredded newspapers."

Answer: Yes, from your description it does seem to be cellulose. I do not have a depth-to-R-Value chart for that product because Owens Corning does not manufacture it. To answer your question: Yes, you can roll fiberglass insulation over it. Keep in mind that compressing the existing insulation will cause a loss in R value. Either the weight of the new insulation or foot traffic while installing may affect the blown-in insulation's R-Value. I recommend having the new insulation blown in to avoid such problems.

Posted by Pink Panther Ask the Pink Panther , Frequently Asked Energy Questions at 12:43 PM | | TrackBacks (0)

© 1996 - 2006 by Owens Corning     Privacy Policy