Air-tight Construction Caused Plasterboard to Blow Out?
We had cellulose blown into a remodeled wall this week-end. Plasterboard broke open under the pressure. The installer blamed the air-tight construction. Does this seem right?
We re-built a wall in our home. The exterior plywood sheathing was caulked against the studs and the seams sealed with Siga Wigluv tape. The interior studs were caulked then Siga Majpell stapled and sealed with Siga Sicrall tape and Conservation Technology gaskets applied to boundaries where plasterboard was applied. The plasterboard was screwed in place per code and then caulked and mudded.
Parts of the wall have 10″ cavities, other sections are 6″, and the area underneath the windows and around the door only 4″ deep. It was the 4″ sections were which the problem. We assumed the pressure was too high for the small, narrow spaces. If air-tight construction was responsible, the whole wall (God forbid) should have been an issue, right?
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Replies
Deb,
Very interesting question!
Certainly, the installation of cellulose requires a path for air to escape the stud cavities when the walls are being blown. You need air relief.