Energy Usage, Conservation and Weather Stripping - retrofit insulation, kitchen
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stevekstevek
01-05-09, 06:56 AM
Hey, Forum,
I have a kitchen, which was a 1 story extension built onto my house in the 70's. (I wasn't the owner at the time).
The insulation in there is pathetic, and the room is very cold all winter. I've discovered 2 significant problems with the way it was constructed:
1) There is a soffit (approx 1.5ft high by 1.5ft deep or so x 15-20 linear feet) over the cabinets with no insulation at all, and free air flow to the attic space above.
2) There is air flow under the cabinetry to the main room -- probably poor sealing at outer edges of flooring to the space under the floor.
Obviously, the best way to solve all of this would be to rip out the walls and cabinets, and start all over again, which I expect to do in a couple of years. But, I was wondering how I could solve these problems with a minimum of disruption to the living space.
Is there some kind of foam I could install in these spaces, using only a few small holes in the soffit area, and under the kick-panels of the cabinetry? It doesn't look like the consumer 1-part foams would be able to cure properly in these confined spaces?
I have a kitchen, which was a 1 story extension built onto my house in the 70's. (I wasn't the owner at the time).
The insulation in there is pathetic, and the room is very cold all winter. I've discovered 2 significant problems with the way it was constructed:
1) There is a soffit (approx 1.5ft high by 1.5ft deep or so x 15-20 linear feet) over the cabinets with no insulation at all, and free air flow to the attic space above.
2) There is air flow under the cabinetry to the main room -- probably poor sealing at outer edges of flooring to the space under the floor.
Obviously, the best way to solve all of this would be to rip out the walls and cabinets, and start all over again, which I expect to do in a couple of years. But, I was wondering how I could solve these problems with a minimum of disruption to the living space.
Is there some kind of foam I could install in these spaces, using only a few small holes in the soffit area, and under the kick-panels of the cabinetry? It doesn't look like the consumer 1-part foams would be able to cure properly in these confined spaces?
d00bs
01-05-09, 08:24 AM
dense pack cellulose might be your better option. Is there a way you can access the attic to block off the soffit?
stevekstevek
01-05-09, 08:41 AM
dense pack cellulose might be your better option. Is there a way you can access the attic to block off the soffit?
I'm not quite sure -- at least not enough to physically reach there with arms and hands. There's two access points:
a) through recessed lighting fixtures, average of 2-3' away, although I'm not sure how much room there is, as the roof pitches down towards the soffits. It might be enough to get a hose into the soffit area to pump something in, but not much more.
That still doesn't help me with under cabinet problems.
I've been reading about these foams in a couple of places, and it seems that there's two kinds:
a) Moisture-cure: Probably won't cure right in this size.
b) Chemical-cure 2-part systems: Seems that these have a danger of overheating if applied in these volumes.
I'm not quite sure -- at least not enough to physically reach there with arms and hands. There's two access points:
a) through recessed lighting fixtures, average of 2-3' away, although I'm not sure how much room there is, as the roof pitches down towards the soffits. It might be enough to get a hose into the soffit area to pump something in, but not much more.
That still doesn't help me with under cabinet problems.
I've been reading about these foams in a couple of places, and it seems that there's two kinds:
a) Moisture-cure: Probably won't cure right in this size.
b) Chemical-cure 2-part systems: Seems that these have a danger of overheating if applied in these volumes.