Steel studs / Basement Insulation

16952 Views 9 Replies 5 Participants Last post by ccarlisle, Jun 26, 2009

Chemist1961

Discussion Starter · Jun 11, 2009

I just bought enough NEW 3 5/8" steel studs and track for the entire basement at a steal form Habitat for Humanity.
I plan to frame and insulate the outer walls only, within 6 weeks to get an energy rebate.
Several questions,
When I space away from the wall, is there a way to use more than R 13.5 fibreglass insul in , not compressed of course?
Can I use R20 and let it hand out the back without collapsing, or is there a way to support it to keep from sagging or is spray foam or rigid in behind my only other option.
Second, if I spray foam, then obviously no air gap, but can I spray over a wall with a fine crack / leak which is caused by bad drainage outside... in a window well. The drainage is being improved as I plan to excavate the outer wall and clogged window well to seal at the same time.
Any other pointers for lapping corners , etc with steel studding would be appreciated.

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Ron6519

· #2 · Jun 11, 2009

When I used steel studs for the basement I flipped every other metal stud around so the "U" shaped recess held the insulation in place on one side, which was more then enough. The batt insulation is pretty rigid.
You could do the same with, say R-19. You just put 3 1/2" into the channel and let the rest stick out the back. The studs are spaced closer then 16" on center, so the sheetrock is a little more of a pain to install, But putting batt insulation in steel studs is a challange, especially if you don't want it leaning against the wall.
By lapping the corner, do you mean having a screwing surface in the corner for the drywall? If so, you just frame it out just like you would with wood studs.
Ron

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