How To Insulate Mass Concrete Walls

One of the options the iecc prescriptive r values iecc table 502 2 1 calls for continuous insulation on concrete masonry and other mass walls.

How to insulate mass concrete walls.

Before insulating coat the exterior of the walls with fluid applied water control and air control layers. Adding 2 inch thick insofast panels will bring your walls to r 13 30 percent more than the iecc minimum. That is why insulating your basements walls is necessary especially when you live in areas that have very cold climate. It defines mass walls as walls that are made of concrete block concrete insulated concrete form masonry cavity brick earth adobe and solid timber or logs.

Otherwise you re back in the wood frame wall insulation requirements. Because it isolates the concrete s thermal mass from the inside space however it is the least desirable from the standpoint of energy conservation. How to insulate a concrete wall. Before you can install these panels you ll have to do some demolition.

Adding insulation to your concrete walls. According to the international energy conservation code iecc for your area mass walls ones made of thick block brick stone or adobe should be at least r 10. The insulation must be at least 50 on the exterior or integral to the wall to count. There are several methods available to comply with the energy requirements of the iecc.

Today there is no need to lose out on valuable interior space as you can use external wall insulation to insulate your concrete block house. This refers to insulation uninterrupted by furring or by the webs of concrete masonry units. Three basic types of thermal insulation are available rigid board batt or blanket and spray on. Concrete walls can be insulated on the interior or exterior face or by embedding the material within the wall.

Basement walls made out of concrete stone concrete bloc and other masonry foundation materials have very minimal insulating properties and cause approximately 20 of heat loss in a home. Interior installation using the rigid board batt or spray on methods is the least expensive method. Then attach 2x4s on the flat directly to the masonry insulate between and on top of them staggering the joints in the insulation and install additional furring on top of the insulation to attach your cladding. While concrete provides a high degree of strength and durability it offers very little natural insulation for the home.