Insulation, Radiant and Vapor Barriers - how to insulate a sunporch??
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rc-worth
12-11-08, 02:29 PM
hi,
please excuse my ignorance . . .
i have a 7 1/2' x 9 1/2' sunporch that i would like to insulate so my plants can stay out during the winter. it is connected to the house on 1 1/2 sides. the other 2 1/2 sides have decent double paned windows from about waist height to the ceiling. on the interior sides there are a door and a window which we have been leaving open at night so the plants dont freeze but that is a crazy waste of energy for the long term because we are loosing all of our house heat. i have thought about insulating the floor, walls, and ceiling but need some advice about which and how. i think there is just enough space for me to get under to do the floor. i have already bought some fiberglass insulation. i think i probably need a vapor barrier too, right? dirt "floor". do you think this will help? i got some of that blue styrofoam DOW insulation board thinking it might help on the exterior walls below the windows but i dont know?? and for the ceiling i was thinking about blue board also or blown in. there is "attic" space but i cant access it easily. i think i would have to cut an access door in the knee wall upstairs to do that and i would rather not if possible. so then i was thinking about blown in insulation. either drilling some holes in the ceiling or can i blow it in through the soffit??? is this crazy? should i be worried about ventilation because its a pretty small space. and how do i avoid blocking off the soffits with the blown in?? and what about the light fixture? i fear i dont know enough to even ask the right questions. i would appreciate any advice. i want to keep my plants happy through the winter! thanks for your time!
please excuse my ignorance . . .
i have a 7 1/2' x 9 1/2' sunporch that i would like to insulate so my plants can stay out during the winter. it is connected to the house on 1 1/2 sides. the other 2 1/2 sides have decent double paned windows from about waist height to the ceiling. on the interior sides there are a door and a window which we have been leaving open at night so the plants dont freeze but that is a crazy waste of energy for the long term because we are loosing all of our house heat. i have thought about insulating the floor, walls, and ceiling but need some advice about which and how. i think there is just enough space for me to get under to do the floor. i have already bought some fiberglass insulation. i think i probably need a vapor barrier too, right? dirt "floor". do you think this will help? i got some of that blue styrofoam DOW insulation board thinking it might help on the exterior walls below the windows but i dont know?? and for the ceiling i was thinking about blue board also or blown in. there is "attic" space but i cant access it easily. i think i would have to cut an access door in the knee wall upstairs to do that and i would rather not if possible. so then i was thinking about blown in insulation. either drilling some holes in the ceiling or can i blow it in through the soffit??? is this crazy? should i be worried about ventilation because its a pretty small space. and how do i avoid blocking off the soffits with the blown in?? and what about the light fixture? i fear i dont know enough to even ask the right questions. i would appreciate any advice. i want to keep my plants happy through the winter! thanks for your time!
PixelT
12-12-08, 04:57 AM
Sounds like a bit of a job. I think you are on the right track. Blow in sounds good for walls and ceiling. they can drill in both. Removal of the soffit sounds like the easiest way to baffle prior to blow-in. And, yes, make sure you install a vapor barrier on the dirt under your floor joist.
Make sure your window units are adequate and have decent insulating properties. (otherwise it's like chasing your tail) Then look to possibly heating this room with a radiant or ceramic heater. I believe this will be the most energy efficient way to heat after insulation.
Make sure your window units are adequate and have decent insulating properties. (otherwise it's like chasing your tail) Then look to possibly heating this room with a radiant or ceramic heater. I believe this will be the most energy efficient way to heat after insulation.