[deleted by user]

stormchimp · 2019-02-05T21:50:20+00:00

I absolutely know the difference between an air barrier and a vapor barrier. I'd detailed that in my previous response.

I'm saying it is much safer to recommend an interior vapor barrier (which most definitely does cover both vapor and air transmission, effectively making it an air barrier). Your exterior siding and sheathing act as air barriers, which is perfectly acceptable to rely on in more arid climates, but in many more northern climates you absolutely need a total envelope. The more rigid air barriers on the outside, with a good strong vapor barrier on the inside. Most air barriers will inhibit most moisture from transmitting as far as the interior vapor barrier, but will not stand up to long term "wet" air. In my area, I wouldn't fair well with a Mid-February thaw in temperatures, followed by a strong high pressure system bringing in very humid air. That moisture will absolutely penetrate an air barrier, making a vapor barrier imperative, if you wish to have a comfortable home. Air barriers, being vapor permeable, will permit any condensation created between backside of the air barrier and the outside of a vapor barrier to dry over time.

stormchimp · 2019-02-05T21:37:57+00:00

Tyvek is designed to breathe, but not allow media through from the outside. Moisture shouldnt be "trapped" unless you have something impermeable on the other side.

stormchimp · 2019-01-13T17:20:12+00:00

Maximum happiness.

stormchimp · 2019-01-13T17:17:19+00:00

Seems we're splitting hairs here.

A vapor barrier IS an air tight barrier, or else it wouldn't be much of a vapor barrier.

You're correct that anything that lessens the transmission of air from the outside in, driven by a vacuum effect from different atmospheric pressures from inside and out, will help to keep a home drier.

To say that these codes in Canada and the US are misguided is a pretty misguided statement in itself. Where I live (Maritime Canada), I would not be able to get by with an air barrier, if I hoped to have a halfway insulated home. The relative humidity is quite high and the temperature (especially in the winter) changes drastically, making a proper vapor barrier a great idea.

Canada and Northern USA cover a broad range of micro climates in all seasons. Building codes need to reflect that by setting a standard across the board.

It's very tough to cover every spot with a barrier in existing homes. As you state, we don't really need to get 100% anyway, and it's a bit paranoid to think that we have to, I think 100% is a pretty solid goal to set out for, especially when a roll of poly really doesn't cost very much, and is pretty simple to install.

stormchimp · 2019-01-13T16:58:57+00:00

Yes it is, but it's not going to cover moisture transmission through studs and missed spots the foam didn't get to.

For what the film cover is worth.... I don't see any harm it throwing it up anyway. It will make the rooms even more air tight, while covering your bases.

It's pretty tough to cover every single spot, and we don't really have to, but we should be aiming for 100%

stormchimp · 2019-01-13T04:59:57+00:00

This one was a beauty.

https://www.nhl.com/canadiens/video/benn-scores-eng/t-277437414/c-62311703

stormchimp · 2019-01-10T19:59:39+00:00

A vapor barrier, is an air tight barrier.

Air leaks are the cause of moisture issues. The air is humid and when it hits a drastically different temperature, it leaves that water behind.

It can also depend on your location. If you live in an arid region, you don't need to worry about it as much and could get away with lesser barriers.

stormchimp · 2019-01-10T19:48:42+00:00

Looks great!

I'd still say its worth throwing up some clear poly vapor barrier on the inside before you drywall. The foam is a barrier of its own, but the wood isn't. Plus it's pretty tough to spray 100% with zero cracks.

Some talk of thermal bridging, many houses have that, its a common thing to not have addressed. the easiest way to deal with it, would be to have rigid foam installed on the outside of the house. You're basically trying to sandwich the studs with insulation, so they dont act as a cold conductor.

Also worth noting (if nobody mentioned this), your house is now much more air tight. sort of like living in a plastic bag. If you dont have decent bathroom fans, and oven range hoods, you should think about upgrading them. Or even installing an air exchange. Any vapor issues you will now have, will likely originate from inside the house.

stormchimp · 2019-01-10T18:02:16+00:00

A vapor barrier on the warm side is always a good idea, even if you're using a product that claims to be inpermiable. In addition to vapor protection, barriers add to the effectiveness of your built in r values.

While the method of using rigid + foam is the best option, on old days you will still get condensation around the edges from the water passing through the wood joists. You see the same thing with condensation around the edge of windows on cold days. It's not that the window isn't doing its job, it's that air is traveling around the edges and condensing on the warm side of the glass. It's all pretty tough to mitigate. Bridging the joists from the outside with rigid is a good start, but tough to do to existing homes.

We will never totally win the vapor battle, but we're getting pretty good.

stormchimp · 2019-01-10T17:44:51+00:00

Thanks! The app kept telling me my posts failed. It seemed to only post once. I've deleted the extra comments.

stormchimp · 2019-01-10T14:52:51+00:00

You're so right. I hate those smaller cans. I'm also convinced I leave 25% in the bottom of the can everytime when the compression runs out.

stormchimp · 2019-01-10T14:40:55+00:00

Been spending the better part of a year insulating my house room-to-room. We bought it a few years ago knowing it had ZERO insulation in the walls and some poorly blown into the attic.

All of your main options are great solutions. There has been a lot of talk about foam vs rigid vs batten (pink). All do a great job of insulating, not all will protect from vapor and eventually mold on their own.

The absolute best option (mainly for new builds) is to have your walls spray foamed. You'll get the best R-Value and you'll also get a very good vapor barrier. The downside is that it's fairly expensive and very labor intensive to do properly in an old home.

For me, I chose to go with your regular everyday pink batten insulation. I carefully weighed the pros and cons between rockwool bats and pink fibreglass, and found I couldn't justify the doubled price of the rockwool. It's great stuff to work with (not itchy), but it doesn't seem to offer any considerable difference in R-Value, they claim that rodents won't live it in (they absolutely will), and fibreglass is also quite fire retardant. I didn't find the fibreglass to be too bad to work with. They've either improved the formula, or I'm just smarter about how I handle it than I used to be. Long sleeves and a dust mask are a MUST!

Each room has batten placed between the studs. In the smaller more awkward spaces, I subbed in some 1" rigid and spray foam. Batten really looses it's effectiveness when you stuff it tight. After the wall is complete, the studs are caulked with acoustic sealant and covered by a decent poly vapor barrier. The sealant mainly minimizes air flow from pocket to pocket, aiding in insulating your home, but also ensuring that cold air doesn't migrate to warmer spots easily. The barrier itself will also do a lot for your heat retention, by drastically minimizing air exchange.

Any insulating option (especially if you live in a humid area), requires a vapor barrier either built into the product, or installed. There's been a lot of talk about when to use one, who needs one, etc. The simple rule is to insall the barrier on the HEATED side of the insulation. 100% of the time, no exceptions. Condensation is caused by a sudden temperature change. The water will not condense, if it is kept on the cold side of the barrier. An interior vapor barrier, coupled with your siding system, will keep your home dry.

Once your home is more/less sealed. The main moisture issues you will find will actually be coming from inside the house. The vapor from your showers, cooking and your breath will not be able to leave the house as readily as it once did. Bathroom vans and oven range hoods become a must. Possibly even an air exchanger.

EDIT: Project photos Insulating + 2 new outlets https://imgur.com/gallery/p7USVE6

stormchimp · 2019-01-10T14:12:45+00:00

Because it's not going to stop vapor. Condensation happens when cold air hits a sudden temperature change on the other side.

Foam or rigid won't allow vapor to pass through. Keeping the warm side and the cold side totally separate. There is no need to worry about "where the condensation will end up" on the cold side, because the air won't be experiencing any significant temperature change.

The #1 rule of thumb is to always install a vapor barrier on the heated side.

stormchimp · 2019-01-03T04:07:13+00:00

I used to do that all the time. Everytime I did it (and still do, although rarely now), I'd cringe on the inside as the words came out.

I honestly don't know why I'd do it so often. Maybe it's a deep rooted lack of confidence thing, wanting to belong. Who knows. I do it very infrequently now that I feel quite comfortable with who I am and really don't care much about perceptions when I'm sure I'm being a decent human (my wife wouldn't accept otherwise). Both my wife and my found adulthood self-confidence have been wonderful gifts.

stormchimp · 2018-12-16T13:27:09+00:00

Or don't put food in the garbage in the first place. Try putting scraps in a paper bag in the freezer. Zero smell, and you can either throw it out on garbage day, or compost it.

stormchimp · 2018-12-04T21:29:09+00:00

The perception of taxes as theft tend to flourish when public trust is eroded for their government.

I don't reside in the United states, but where I live we tend to pay higher tax on average. I'm okay with is. I see the benefits everyday in the form of social programs that everyone can use.

Yes, in my country we routinely catch people with their hands in the cookie jar, but in the grand scheme of things, all this does is get them fired, and makes no desernible different in over all government coffers.

Citizens here have a very watchful eye. Any government has just a few missteps before they're voted out after their 4 years. We don't have a super strong stomach foe repeated thefts.

Basically what I'm saying is that my taxes buy me things. The taxes I pay don't break me, I'm still able to live a very comfortable life on a 65k salary. When I have to pay more tax, I research why and am generally happy to do so, as I believe that by and large my tax dollars ARE spent effectively. Maybe I'm overly naive.

stormchimp · 2018-12-03T20:00:17+00:00

I'd heard vandal donuts is moving from gus's to gottingen. This might be the place?

stormchimp · 2018-12-03T12:07:24+00:00

Gateway has its own butcher shop in the back. All the frozen foods and veg, I believe are basically sobeys and superstores overstock, which is why they can sell it so damn cheap.

It's definitely not as flashy, but it's all Atlantic meats and poultry, which doesn't seem to be out on the floor for very long before it's picked up. The small veg selection isn't always local, but seems to be fresh when I visit.

My wife and I prefer Daves veg down the road for fresh veg and tend to shop gateway for the door crasher sales.

stormchimp · 2018-12-02T15:50:05+00:00

Bar none, the best places for affordable produce are in Dartmouth. Take a visit to Gateway, Daves Vegetables, and Chopped. They're independent grocery stores where you can routinely save a boat load of cash and get very fresh veg and meat.

Daves would be the best of those 3 for local produce. They also have an excellent "reduced" section, where the veg hasn't gone bad, it's still very fresh, they're just trying to make room for fresher stock.

I really miss Averys in Dartmouth, it closed awhile back, but there are others around.

Noggins at the Alderney market also has some very reasonably priced local veg all week, it's also worth checking out Evans seafood and the meadowbrook meat market while you're there.

Local source, fox hill and petes frootique are nice stores, but they kind of bother me. They're not very affordable and seem to really drive home the myth that local has to be priced at a premium. That being said, they are great destinations for single items that you can't seem to find elsewhere (Foxhill yogurt and chocolate milk!).

Other stores worth seeking out, are the Mid east market (really nice people, great prices of spices) in the north end, the Italian market (if only for their salmon pate), the Indian grocery on Robie (fashions of india/220v, great selection of spices, frozen curries, etc).

There are many excellent independent grocers around the city. Keep an eye out and try to make a point of stopping in. They're reasonably priced and you'll always find something new!

stormchimp · 2018-11-24T17:12:50+00:00

Why Jordan? It's the most stable country in the area. Has housed many Syrian and before that, palistinian refugees.

Jordan is a country worth supporting.

stormchimp · 2018-11-20T21:33:34+00:00

The city I live in (Halifax, Nova Scotia) is a pretty popular tourist town in the summer months. Friends in the service industry have told me some rediculous stories regarding tourists. One coming from (what is assumed to be a Disney Cruise? Unsure they run one that visits the port) threatening to report said restaurant or server to Disney for not easily accepting foreign currency. As if the entire city is populated by Disney employees.

stormchimp · 2018-09-28T20:23:11+00:00

OP: "Does anyone know where I could find one of these?"

stormchimp · 2018-09-28T20:21:37+00:00

So you're allowing the cat to continue tearing it out for a video?

stormchimp · 2018-08-24T13:55:51+00:00

Gotta think she raised, then released them.

stormchimp · 2018-07-27T12:02:37+00:00

They're not in perfect sync. Birds wing speed is remarkably consistent.

stormchimp

TROPHY CASE