Insulation advice for interior walls, stairs, plumbing fixtures
Questions & answers about brick veneer wall insulation & air leakage
Brick veneer wall building insulation specifications & advice: this article discusses the installation of foam board insulation behind brick veneer walls, and the question of air leaks at the brick ties to the wall.
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The accompanying text is reprinted/adapted/excerpted with permission from Solar Age Magazine - editor Steven Bliss. Our page top photo shows a brick veneer building undergoing demolition - the brick veneer wall ties are visible if you click to enlarge the photograph. No exterior insulation had been installed on this 1950's building at Stewart Air Force Base in Newburgh, NY.
The question-and-answer article about insulating a brick veneer wall using foam board, quotes-from, updates, and comments an original article from Solar Age Magazine and written by Steven Bliss.
How do You Keep Brick Veneer Construction Airtight?
Question:
How do you keep brick veneer construction airtight and well insulated when the ties from the brick to the wall studs puncture the rigid foam insulation board and the building's vapor barrier? -- Harold Murray, Bowie MD
Answer:
With a high-density rigid foam board insulation such as extruded polystyrene (see POLYSTYRENE FOAM INSULATION), or foil faced polyisocyanurate insulating board (see POLYISOCYANURATE FOAM INSULATION), the brick veneer wall ties can be placed on the surface of the foam sheathing and nailed through to the wall studs.
Our photo (left) of foam insulating sheating board was provided courtesy of Arlene Puentes.
This is in accordance with FHA Bulletin 71 for single- and two-family residences.
In especially windy conditions, it may be advisable to increase the number of brick veneer wall ties or use higher-density insulation.
Another option is to nail the ties directly to the studs between each 24-inch course of rigid insulation board.
In any case, the vapor barrier on the warm side of the building wall will not be affected.
Here we include solar energy, solar heating, solar hot water, and related building energy efficiency improvement articles reprinted/adapted/excerpted with permission from Solar Age Magazine - editor Steven Bliss.
The link to the original Q&A article in PDF form immediately below is preceded by an expanded/updated online version of this article.
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Solar Age Magazine was the official publication of the American Solar Energy Society. The contemporary solar energy magazine associated with the Society is Solar Today. "Established in 1954, the nonprofit American Solar Energy Society (ASES) is the nation's leading association of solar professionals & advocates. Our mission is to inspire an era of energy innovation and speed the transition to a sustainable energy economy. We advance education, research and policy. Leading for more than 50 years.
ASES leads national efforts to increase the use of solar energy, energy efficiency and other sustainable technologies in the U.S. We publish the award-winning SOLAR TODAY magazine, organize and present the ASES National Solar Conference and lead the ASES National Solar Tour – the largest grassroots solar event in the world."
Steven Bliss served as editorial director and co-publisher of The Journal of Light Construction for 16 years and previously as building technology editor for Progressive Builder and Solar Age magazines. He worked in the building trades as a carpenter and design/build contractor for more than ten years and holds a masters degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Excerpts from his recent book, Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction, Wiley (November 18, 2005) ISBN-10: 0471648361, ISBN-13: 978-0471648369, appear throughout this website, with permission and courtesy of Wiley & Sons. Best Practices Guide is available from the publisher, J. Wiley & Sons, and also at Amazon.com.
Excerpts with updates and annotations expanding the original Best Practices Guide text can be found in the online review and book summary at BEST CONSTRUCTION PRACTICES GUIDE and also at DECK & PORCH CONSTRUCTION, at INDOOR AIR QUALITY IMPROVEMENT GUIDE, and in other articles found at InspectAPedia.com such as HOUSEWRAP AIR & VAPOR BARRIERS, SOUND CONTROL in BUILDINGS, and other topics.
Arlene Puentes is a licensed home inspector, past chapter president of the Hudson Valley chapter of the American Society of Home Inspectors, an educator, and building failures researcher in Kingston, NY. Contact Arlene Puentes at: ap@octoberhome.htm or at 845-339-7984.
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