Weatherproofing tips

Posted by Robert Green on November 3, 2009, 8:57 am

I have an old 1941 brick Cape Cod house that has never been insulated
properly. I've replaced the incredibly drafty multi-pane lead sash weight
windows with double-paned Andersens and have been generally pleased with the
results, energy $ wise.

But now I want to figure out how best to plug up the incredibly drafty
spots. We pulled down the basement paneling to redo the electrical and
found the beginnings of what looked like one of the old East-to-West Berlin
tunnels and old termite damage. We also found lots of places where the
joists rest on the cinderblocks where bugs have been getting in. We figured
that out by the number of spider balls and webs surrounding areas where it
looks like there's just crushed stone filling the gaps above the
cinderblocks.

So, two questions. When there aren't any tell-tale signs like spider webs,
how do you determine where the leaks are?

Second, is the blown-in insulation that I've read about for old brick homes
with plaster and lathe walls worth the effort? How disruptive is it? Will
insulation leak down the walls and into the basement (don't laugh - house
was built during the WWII paper shortage so there's no building paper
between floors and as vibration and age cause the plaster to disintegrate,
it all falls through the cracks in the flooring and into the basement as a
very gritty dirt that covers everything.

We first discovered this pulling ceiling tiles down. There was several
pounds of the stuff on top of every tile! Anyway, I don't want to shove
anything in the walls that's going to make that problem worse. It's about
as hard to retrofit building paper as it is to add 1/4" to the stud you cut
too short, if you get my drift.

Thanks!

--
Bobby G.

Posted by ransley on November 3, 2009, 10:08 am

> I have an old 1941 brick Cape Cod house that has never been insulated
> properly. =A0I've replaced the incredibly drafty multi-pane lead sash wei=

ght

> windows with double-paned Andersens and have been generally pleased with =

the

> results, energy $ wise.
> But now I want to figure out how best to plug up the incredibly drafty
> spots. =A0We pulled down the basement paneling to redo the electrical and
> found the beginnings of what looked like one of the old East-to-West Berl=

> tunnels and old termite damage. =A0We also found lots of places where the
> joists rest on the cinderblocks where bugs have been getting in. =A0We fi=

gured

> that out by the number of spider balls and webs surrounding areas where i=

> looks like there's just crushed stone filling the gaps above the
> cinderblocks.
> So, two questions. =A0When there aren't any tell-tale signs like spider w=

ebs,

> how do you determine where the leaks are?
> Second, is the blown-in insulation that I've read about for old brick hom=

> with plaster and lathe walls worth the effort? =A0How disruptive is it? =

=A0Will

> insulation leak down the walls and into the basement (don't laugh - house
> was built during the WWII paper shortage so there's no building paper
> between floors and as vibration and age cause the plaster to disintegrate=

> it all falls through the cracks in the flooring and into the basement as =

> very gritty dirt that covers everything.
> We first discovered this pulling ceiling tiles down. =A0There was several
> pounds of the stuff on top of every tile! =A0Anyway, I don't want to shov=

> anything in the walls that's going to make that problem worse. =A0It's ab=

out

> as hard to retrofit building paper as it is to add 1/4" to the stud you c=

> too short, if you get my drift.
> Thanks!
> --
> Bobby G.

Get someone to do Blower Door Test, a pro uses a fan in a special
enclosure that he puts in a door, there are gauges montoring airflow
and its hooked to a computer. He will tell you how many air exchanges
you have per hour, how many you should have and go through the house
with a smoke stick pinpointing the leaks. It helped me alot. It should
be around 300$

Posted by Robert Green on November 6, 2009, 2:38 pm

> I have an old 1941 brick Cape Cod house that has never been insulated
> properly. I've replaced the incredibly drafty multi-pane lead sash weight
> windows with double-paned Andersens and have been generally pleased with

the

> results, energy $ wise.
> But now I want to figure out how best to plug up the incredibly drafty
> spots. We pulled down the basement paneling to redo the electrical and
> found the beginnings of what looked like one of the old East-to-West

Berlin

> tunnels and old termite damage. We also found lots of places where the
> joists rest on the cinderblocks where bugs have been getting in. We

figured

> that out by the number of spider balls and webs surrounding areas where it
> looks like there's just crushed stone filling the gaps above the
> cinderblocks.
> So, two questions. When there aren't any tell-tale signs like spider webs,
> how do you determine where the leaks are?
> Second, is the blown-in insulation that I've read about for old brick

homes

> with plaster and lathe walls worth the effort? How disruptive is it? Will
> insulation leak down the walls and into the basement (don't laugh - house
> was built during the WWII paper shortage so there's no building paper
> between floors and as vibration and age cause the plaster to disintegrate,
> it all falls through the cracks in the flooring and into the basement as a
> very gritty dirt that covers everything.
> We first discovered this pulling ceiling tiles down. There was several
> pounds of the stuff on top of every tile! Anyway, I don't want to shove
> anything in the walls that's going to make that problem worse. It's about
> as hard to retrofit building paper as it is to add 1/4" to the stud you

cut

> too short, if you get my drift.
> Thanks!
> --
> Bobby G.

<<Get someone to do Blower Door Test, a pro uses a fan in a special
enclosure that he puts in a door, there are gauges montoring airflow
and its hooked to a computer. He will tell you how many air exchanges
you have per hour, how many you should have and go through the house
with a smoke stick pinpointing the leaks. It helped me alot. It should

be around 300$>>

Tell me more about the smoke stick test. I assume they're pushing air into
the house at a pretty high CFM rate and that they use the smoke stick (is
that what we used to call a "punk" used for lighting fireworks?) to find
where the pressurized air is escaping from the house. I've got several very
high powered window fans that I could use for the test if I can generate the
same sort of airflow. $300 is a lot of dinero for something I could do
myself. I don't need techincal specs about air exchanges as much as I need
to know where to squire the foam and caulk! (-: If you can describe what
they did with the smoke stick I think I can tell whether I am able to
emulate the process.

Thanks for your input!

--
Bobby G.

Posted by Oren on November 6, 2009, 3:41 pm

On Fri, 6 Nov 2009 14:38:44 -0500, "Robert Green"

>Tell me more about the smoke stick test. I assume they're pushing air into
>the house at a pretty high CFM rate and that they use the smoke stick (is
>that what we used to call a "punk" used for lighting fireworks?) to find
>where the pressurized air is escaping from the house. I've got several very
>high powered window fans that I could use for the test if I can generate the
>same sort of airflow. $300 is a lot of dinero for something I could do
>myself. I don't need techincal specs about air exchanges as much as I need
>to know where to squire the foam and caulk! (-: If you can describe what
>they did with the smoke stick I think I can tell whether I am able to
>emulate the process.
>Thanks for your input!

You can buy a "smoke pencil" , but cheaper incense works just as well
for finding drafts.*

http://www.eartheasy.com/live_cheapheat.htm

Posted by Robert Green on November 6, 2009, 4:16 pm

> On Fri, 6 Nov 2009 14:38:44 -0500, "Robert Green"

> >Tell me more about the smoke stick test. I assume they're pushing air

into

> >the house at a pretty high CFM rate and that they use the smoke stick (is
> >that what we used to call a "punk" used for lighting fireworks?) to find
> >where the pressurized air is escaping from the house. I've got several

very

> >high powered window fans that I could use for the test if I can generate

the

> >same sort of airflow. $300 is a lot of dinero for something I could do
> >myself. I don't need techincal specs about air exchanges as much as I

need

> >to know where to squire the foam and caulk! (-: If you can describe what
> >they did with the smoke stick I think I can tell whether I am able to
> >emulate the process.
> >Thanks for your input!

> You can buy a "smoke pencil" , but cheaper incense works just as well
> for finding drafts.*
> http://www.eartheasy.com/live_cheapheat.htm

Sounds like a cigarette would work too. Thanks!

--
Bobby G.

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