Insulation question
 

I am not too sure if this goes here, but it kind of does go with heating since I am trying to keep heat in the house.
Anyway, I have a rancher with a 3-5 foot crawl space (tapers from one end to the other). I has some insulation between the joice's and I am looking at adding more, and filling in the empty spots. Should I be using the insulation that does or does not have the paper backing on it? If so, does the paper go up (against the floor) or down towards the floor? And should I be putting plastic sheeting up to act as a vapour barrier and hold the insulation in place.
Any assistance in this would be appreciated. Thank you.

Report the depth of the joist bay and I'd be happy to answer your question.:)

Paper backing is called a vapor barrier.
If you are adding new insulation to a section place the vapor barrier toward the room you want to keep warm. Attic floor vapor barrier down. Attic roof vapor barrier down. If adding to existing insulation like on the floor don't add a second vapor barrier. Also don't add plastic sheeting unless the above is met. Only one vapor barrier should be used.

Depends on what zone you live and what code says. In Wisconsin r 38 for attic...

bob

I hope you guys believe that there is no such thing as a dumb question, so here goes. What is a joist bay?

A joist bay is the space between 2 joists and the ceiling is the bottom of joist bay. Or where the insulation goes. I've learned never step in the joist bay it can take you down a level....

Bob

Outbacker is talking about insulating in a crawl space, that's the floor above that will be getting the insulation. As far as I know you don't need, or want, a vapour barrier in this application. Buy some insulation without paper backing of the appropriate width for the joist spacing, 16" or 24" and the same depth as the joists, or the same depth as the insulation that you already have elsewhere between joists, and tuck it in there. Do not put plastic under this, I've seen homes where this was done and in a few years you'll have this nightmare of wet insulation and rotting joists and sub-floor. Wear a mask, too. :)

good morning i have a question? my home tend to be cooler most of the time i have no attic insolation is there any recomendations on what and how to ?

Martin, first off, where do you live ?

What kind of house is it ? What type of roof ??

Type of insulation & r- value should be determined by your zone and local code.

Can you get up into your attic ? If you do insulate, you need to be sure your attic isproperly vented. Also need to know spacing between Joists & depth.

Here's a good link to learn about insulation and what the recommended R value is for your location.
http://www.ornl.gov/sci/roofs+walls/...on/ins_16.html

Here's a recent link from the Building and Construction forum.
http://www.diychatroom.com/f19/home-insulation-1762/

Hope this helps :)
Scott

Hi. do I (must I) install a vapour barrier in the ceiling when my attic is above me? there is a portion of my bathroom with no VB there....will mositure enter my attic? won't it be vented to the outside from the soffits and vents?
also, if I add a vapour barrier, won't the mositure be trapped between the plastic and drywall? thanks

not sure if the first message went through...trying it here.
Hi. do I install a vapour barrier in the ceiling when my attic is above me? there is a section of my bathroom with no vapour barrier in the section above the shower....will mositure enter my attic? won't it be vented to the outside from the soffits and vents?
also, if I add a vapour barrier, won't the mositure be trapped between the plastic and drywall and rot it from the inside? thanks

are any mechanicals in the crawl space? maybe insted of insulating the floor joist you should insulate the crawlspace walls

attic - vapour barrier
 

...
it is not a crawl space...it is an attic...
yes, there are vents, eletrical wires, insulated fixtures and blown insulation....
but NO vapour barrier...do I need one?
the ceiling is tiled (brand new)....
could I (how could I) install a vapour barrier from the attic side? if, in fact, I need one...thanks