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| Any suggestions for efficient and effective but non-toxic and reasonably priced insulation for the area between a brownstone's top floor and the flat roof? I've been researching it and it seems there was some dialogue about cotton batt (recycled denim) a number of years ago, and then there is the question whether wet or dry cellulose is appropriate under a flat roof both in terms of risk of mold and losing its insulating properties if wet cellulose doesn't dry properly before being sealed up, or if dry cellulose gets wet (if that is right) not to mention that it seems cellulose is much pricier than fiberglass insulation. I'd be interested to know what others have done. This is for a 100+ year old brownstone in New York City. (PS - I saw the helpful thread on cellulose vs. fiberglass and plan to read that again, but this is a slightly different angle I think) |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by weedmeister (My Page) on Tue, Feb 26, 13 at 18:03
| Do you have access to the roof? Have you thought about growing grass? |
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- Posted by dreamojean (My Page) on Wed, Feb 27, 13 at 11:38
| weedmeister, thanks for the suggestion - it's not a truly flat roof in that there's a crawl space and it's "flat" vs. sloped but growing grass wouldn't have the RV value we would need in our northeast climate. we are in all likelihood going with dry cellulose for the crawl space, installed via cutting holes in the roof and then installing vents to protect against moisture, according to an insulation company that specializes in cellulose insulation |
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- Posted by energy_rater_la (My Page) on Wed, Feb 27, 13 at 14:53
| what about foam insulation? ps crawlspace is under house |
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- Posted by dreamojean (My Page) on Wed, Feb 27, 13 at 15:02
| The insulation company told us that foam is fairly toxic so that isn't a great option if you're trying to be green, vs. cellulose which is basically torn up paper (then you have possible dust issues); now, this insulation company just does cellulose so it's not like they offer all options and discuss them with customers, so they would be anti-foam, but still. By crawlspace I meant to say cockloft/attic, in our house the attic space varies depending on location, in some places it's 24" and in others it's 48", since it's on a slope (fairly typical in old brownstones in NYC, I hear), so you can't walk around in there, and have to blow insulation in or use batts. (you can go from the ceiling or the roof to get access) I'd be curious what other peoples' take is on foam insulation and how "green" it is. By "green" i mean, both non-toxic and also having a good insulation "R" factor so that it actually works. |
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- Posted by energy_rater_la (My Page) on Wed, Feb 27, 13 at 16:21
| foam does two things. air seals and insulates. insulation with air moving through it does little to insulate. by combining the two, foam is a good product. as I believe that green is 80% conservation cellulose is ground newspaper with a fire retardant I'm sure others will come along with disadvantages spray foam (sf) comes in either closed cell, or in my hot humid climate..we use open cell. you'll get biased information from salesmen/women. by googling foam..you get lots of info. just contacting an energy rater in your area would give check with www.resnet.us for energy raters in and don't insulate until you air seal. things like if you have ductwork in the attic space, mastic seal best of luck. |
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