Under floor installation... how to do it, what to do? Changed heating systems.

[tickbitty]

We have a 1950's all masonry brick rancher. It's got a small utitity basement, about 1/5th of the house, and the rest of the house has just a crawl space. The oil furnace recently gave up the ghost, actually it's still functioning but probably not very safely or well as certain elements were cracked. We are now heating with a heat pump and that system is in the attic, and we are installing a wood stove this week.

I am not sure what to do about the basement. I had planned to have the furnace and oil tank taken out, eventually but planned to leave the ductwork in place in case we or a future resident wanted to get a gas furnace down there someday. (There's already natural gas to the house running the water heater and stove.) We could just use the furnace for a short time each day or something, but would rather not have to keep that up too long. Right now I think we've used up the oil (which we were trying to do.)

It's pretty cold today at 30f. and the floors feel cold. I am ultimately worried about the pipes and the water heater and stuff in the basement. I also feel I should insulate under the floors. That should not be terribly hard to do, but I wonder what to do around all the duct work down there. Just skip it? Insulate over or around it? we would be doing so with the idea that it would not be used, but who knows.

The system was a little odd, with the intake ducts and registers on the exterior walls and the heating ducts and registers on the interior walls in the core of the house. If that makes any difference. They are rather large galvanized (?) ducts and seem in good shape.

Also I suppose we should get a blanket for the water heater? Maybe something for the pipes in the basement part? Washer and dryer are down there. It's been a little wet down there this fall/winter too.

 

[Hakusan]

Insulate the crawl space. Insulate your water pipes. I might insulate the sills in the basement, but I would not worry about the walls--the earth is a good insulator. Look into fiber glass batts and a thermal/vapor barrier material called Reflectix. I also used rigid insulation between my joists above the sills.

You need to do a little homework as your structure and location will have specific requirements. Lots of stuff on the net, just hit Google.

 

[BucksCoBernie]

I put R-19 bats between the floor joist in my vented crawl space and it didnt make a difference...it still gets cold back there. I probably should of went higher than the recommended R rating for a crawl space in my area. If I had the extra $$ i would of went with the spray foam.

 

[homebrewz]

If one were to DIY sill plate insulation, what material should be used?

 

[NEDLAX]

i would use 2'' dow foam board, cut it to size then caulk or foam around edges. They also sell spray foam kits 2lb closed cell but get a respirator and eye protection. Those are the best ways, air sealing is important when dealing with the rim and band area. If you go the spray foam rout wrap the foam down to the foundation wall.

 

[homebrewz]

I would probably go the painstaking foam-board route. Is there any potential for moisture collection and eventual rotting of the sill?

(sorry for hi-jacking this thread!)