[Thoom]

Hi all...

In my attached garage, I have sections in the two exterior walls where there is a series of 5 steel support posts ganged together supporting the second floor. These are in one bay neat the garage door in an otherwise normal 2x6 wood-framed wall.

I have insulated the wood bays with fiberglass, but I was looking for advice on how to insulate the beams.

As you can imagine, the cold transfers right through this area and I have even seen some warm moisture come up the foundation and through the posts and condense outside (damaging the parging).

Any thoughts appreciated.

 

[Windows on Wash]

Let us see what you are seeing.

Get a couple more posts and you can attach pictures.

 

[3onthetree]

5 steel support posts ganged together

insulate the beams

warm moisture come up the foundation

Having some difficulty imagining this, second any pics to illustrate

 

[Thoom]

I was able to find a photo, you can see the posts in the wall during construction. Attached. Thanks!

 

[Windows on Wash]

Are there steel lallies in there? Pic is tough to see.

I would just wrap them if FG and be done with it. Are you drywalling that area? That is going to help keep the air movement to a minimum and once you get the air static, that will help a bunch.

 

[Thoom]

Yes, sorry, the steel posts are currently covered by a some drywall, so I can't get a better picture. Thanks for the ideas.

 

[3onthetree]

So you think there is no insulation in these stud bays with the columns, behind the drywall you haven't removed?

The 2 posts are for a beam holding the second floor stepback, and the single post holding another beam for a bumpout on that 2nd floor stepback? You're asking how to insulate those beams above, or did you mistakenly mean columns?

You have parging outside on the concrete stem wall? Or are you talking about stucco above the concrete stem wall? This is right next to the leaky garage door, so where are you getting warm air from?

 

[Thoom]

Thanks for the questions...

Garage was not insulated when we bought. I am not sure why only the space with the posts has drywall, the rest of the wall does not. I have since insulated the wall and the covered post section is ice cold all winter, so I do not think it is insulated.

I just want to insulate the posts themselves - especially between posts where fiberglass would not be as good.

Yes the stem wall has parging on the outside and it is failing where water has gotten behind it and then frozen. The exterior garage walls are just vinyl siding.

My guess is that the warm air and moisture is coming from the cars. In Canada, our cars drag in snow and slush and then warm up the garage and it all melts to water and falls to the floor. Any draft from the yes-leaky garage door can carry the moisture around, but only a theory. Possible that the leak into the parging is behind the siding, but it is not leaking very hard.

Thanks for any thoughts!

 

[Mystriss]

I'd consider a closed cell pour inside the bays with column/posts. Only thing I can think of besides doing exterior insulation (which doesn't work if you want the brick showing.)