Closet dilemma
biermon
| Posted in General Questions on
Live in the Southeast in a house that was built in the 1930’s and features stucco over block. Have a closet that includes two exterior walls at a corner. Cannot keep moisture off the walls when the weather cools unless we keep the door open and a fan on 24/7. Closet is already small so building into the space to provide insulation space is not an option.
Does anyone have a recommendation for a way to stop this from happening? I am considering an insulation wrap, but don’t really like the look for the interior of a closet.
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Replies
You need some kind of insulation there. If the R/inch you can get from something like polyiso is not enough, you can consider exotic options like vacuum panel insulation or aerogel insulation. But I would think that 1" of polyiso with drywall on top of it would be sufficient and not eat up too much of the space.
Also pay attention to the humidity you have in the house in general and consider addressing that if it's high.
I would prefer not to build anything into the closet if possible, as the closet space is already very small to begin with. Humidity levels in the house have been addressed- this wall just gets much colder due to its exposure and lack of consistent interior air flow.
Could a combination vapor barrier/insulation wrap type product be effective here?
“I am considering an insulation wrap”
Please be careful not to fall for the faux insulation. There is a lot of shiny bubble pack being sold as insulation. It is a total scam with made up R values. I would be very skeptical of any product claiming more than R8 per inch of thickness.
If you cant give up any interior space to insulation you may want to consider exterior insulation.
If your plan is to stay in this house more than a few years you should consider your insulation options if your current wall is an R1.9-2.5 empty blocks.
The walls are 80 year old stucco /block/plaster, and are over 10" thick. Exterior insulation is not an option.
I basically want enough insulation to stop condensation from forming on the walls of the closet should the door get closed, and without having to do a build out because of the size of the closet
( and the existing materials involved).
You could install one-inch Thermax. You might also install a small fan. Something like a PC cooling fan might be sufficient.