Insulation in Stud walls

[limerickbuild]

What types of insulation are people putting into stud walls.
Do you need to consider the electric and plumbing wires that are going through the walls aswell??

I've got a mixture of stud and block walls inside so i intend using insulated plasterboard on the block walls but will i need more than the insulated plasterboard on the stud walls to give some sound insulation benefits aswell?

[kkelliher]

limerick

internal insulation is purely for sound reasons, It could be argued that it might keep heat internally in rooms therefore taking longer to escape the fabric of the building but to be honest I believe it will just make temperature control difficult / uncomfortable.

you should not require any insulation on internal block walls.

Internal stud partitions can be filled with rockwool or similar as again its purely a sound control. It would be a massive cost if you were to insulate internal walls with anything other than this which you would not get any benifit from.

Regards

keith

[michael2368]

what insulation would you recommend for external walls in a timber frame house. Also what is the best way to insulate roof space.
I have heard a lot about sheeps wool insulation and the spray insulation made out of recycled paper anyone have ant comments on these

[Earth Balance Interiors]

Hi Michael2368,

I would definitely suggest choosing a natural alternative to synthetic insulation materials to minimise the associated health consequences and environmental effects.  Natural alternatives are:

Plant cellulose: Typically flax fibres manufactured into sheets. Flax can be sourced from recycled waste textile fibres.

Sheep's wool: A readily available material that comes in rolls of sheeting. The natural qualities mean it holds its bounce/springiness

Soya based foam: A readily available renewable plant based resource which expands to fit the cavity when sprayed in place

Straw panels: Made from straw and recycled cardboard manufactured into lightweight panels

OR recycled options are:

Recycled rubber: Made from 100% recycled rubber from discarded car tires manufactured into sheet form

Recycled paper: Made from 100% recycled content which is available in panels, or can be poured or sprayed directly into cavity walls. Can be combined with borax for good mould and fire resistant properties. Material allows surfaces to breathe

Recycled textiles: Made from recycled hemp and/or denim fibres

Regards

[lowenergyhouse]

we mostly use natural woodfibre for studs. it's properties have superb thermal insulation and sound protection.

cellulose as sheets or wood fibre, nothing else -))


lowenergyhouse

[pete]

External v Internal Stud Walls, stateside standards as such are none existent, commonplace however are 2 x 6's on 16" centers for external walls and 2 x 4's (again on 16" centers for the internals) allied to batt fiberglass insulation, a vapor barrier and sheet (gypsum) rock of your chosen thickness to complete the wall assembly. In my home state, we have a latter day differentiation tending to reduced energy costs and environmentally improved living conditions, Note: following calculations use actual width of a soft wood 2 x 4 as 1.5":

1-0 Take a 30' long external wall w studs on 16" centers = 360/16 = say 24 studs x 1.5" = 3' representing 10% of total wall length and having an 'R' insulation value of R4, while the 27' balance being fiberglass batt is R19 so what we have in those (24) x 2 x 6 x 8' long wall studs is a bunch of cold spots dispersed along and down the wall length.

1-1 Taking same length wall, place the 2 x 6 studs on OFFSET 32" centers (double the distance) creating in effect a so called 12" THICK wall and you have a) reduced the R4 stud poor insulation effect and doubled up on fiberglass (or any insulation of your choice) thus taking the exterior wall insulating value to new heights = whatever you choose.   
 
2-0 Next up comes the abandonment of batt insulation in favor of spray foam insulants, rationale is that batts on a vertical wall tend to slump and wherever there's a joint (end of roll pieced together) that's another 'cold hole', up in the attic anything installed on a rook angle tends to slump leaving cold spaces, methodology has been to use string ties to keep the batt in place, same goes for basements string supported batts do slump = expended energy.

2-1 Solution is to put the batts to one side and use spray foam insulants that adhere to point of impact and fill in all the spaces eliminating all/any cold spots.

3-0 Sustainability being key, we're fast moving from 'stick building' whereby, you hammer 16d nails into soft wood studs, to using manufactured wood panels supplied to job site complete w insulation and fasteners (bolts, nuts and washers) then assembling that same 30' long wall in 1/10th of the time expended on the conventional methods.

3-1 When it comes time to expand your home and/or take it down for installation on site B and, given that we have used panel walls held together by fasteners, you can undo the nuts, washers and blots and reassemble wherever--

4-0 Door Jambs and headers ~ your wooden header can be 6' long x 16" deep x 12" thick, the jambs whatever, not to forget the windows, the principle is established these are relatively low R ratings (say R4), there's any number of ways to combat same but hey this is a long response already. bye   


hope it proves of assistance   

Hope it assists.