To install rigid foam boards such as Thermax Sheathing, the manufacturer recommends putting horizontal pressure treated strips at top and bottom and gluing the panels to those. Seams should also be taped. The idea is to leave the shiny surface exposed to the basement.
But more hard data on life cycle is needed. Here’s a perfect example of a product that could gain from third-party life-cycle assessment and research on lifespan, with the long-term goal of “closing the loop.”
For now, in the absence of standardized LCA data rating the eco-friendliness of foam board, Smith advises specifiers to compare products based on assorted variables such as recycled content, embodied energy and installation method (see table on p. 37).
At the end of the day, Todd explains that there’s no silver bullet when it comes to basement insulation, so every project must be evaluated based upon its own specific variables such as climate, temperature, moisture loads, wall materials and whether the foundation can be excavated and insulated from the outside. Ultimately, the goal is to reduce energy consumption and heat loss, at same time improving indoor comfort.
PIPES: INSULATE OR NOT?
To insulate or not insulate… the basement pipes, that is the question. Well, it depends on whom you ask.
“In basements without any heat distribution, we [generally] leave the pipes exposed,” states Kevin Colwell, president, BE RETROFIT, Newton, Mass. “After insulating the walls, the basement is now part of the conditioned space of the home and should be heated. There is definitely some distribution loss in this methodology, but the pipes are actually being used as a source of heat for the first story above the basement.”
On the other hand, Jason Todd, training manager, GreenHomes America, Irvine, Calif., favors insulation for improved hot water delivery and efficiencies. Similarly, he likes to insulate the cold water lines to help reduce condensation.
On board with Todd, Dennis Socolean, CEO, Rinnovo Group, Danville, Calif., states, “from an efficiency standpoint, hot should always be insulated. You’ll need to run less hot water to get it to the faucet being used and less energy at the water heater.”
One important exception, according to John B. Smith, P.E., global platform leader, environmental construction, Johns Mansville Technical Center, Denver, is the valve stem, which extends a bit into the house to keep it from freezing. By insulating the stem, this would defeat the purpose, and therefore the stem should be left alone so that it will stay warm enough.
Pipe wrap insulation can increase hot water efficiency and prevent condensation on cold water pipes.
08.2011
41
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76