Posted by jtown on October 24, 2001 at 07:22:38:
In Reply to: Hi fuel costs, oversizing posted by jtown on October 24, 2001 at 07:01:05:
Also, Many readers have houses old enough to have a steam boiler and ballon-framing. That is where the wall studs are fastened to the floor and ceiling joists and then the floors and ceilings are added. Look at the top of your basement walls and look for the bottom of the studs. If your house is balloon-framed, make sure the walls are sealed and insulated (fiberglass in plastic grocery bags?) at the top and bottom to stop airflow. Some houses may be able to take poured insulation down into bays that don't need wiring later(seal bottom first). Also, the center of the house usually has a bearing wall, perpindicular to the basement ceiling joists that is done in the same manner. That makes a big chimney carrying the boiler's heat to the attic. Sometimes flooring is notched to fit between the studs making it harder to fix. In the attic, the tops of interior partition walls are framed the same way and should be packed before insulating the attic. Even if the interior walls are air-tight, there can be huge losses from the heat going through the plaster and then up and out.