Insulation Services Case Studies: Super Kneewall
Challenge
Make the bedroom over the garage warmer in the winter.
Solution
This is a good size modern home in Manalapan, NJ that was build in 2005. Inspite of the fact it was built and insulated to building code, the customer had comfort issues. One was a very cold room over the garage. We uncovered the reasons contributing to the problem during a comprehensive home evaluation by a certified energy professional. We found the room had 3 walls exposed to outside temperatures and a floor over the unconditioned garage. The cavities and spaces on either side and below the room let a massive amount of outside air move around the room pulling heat out and making it up to 10 degrees colder than the rest of the second floor. The solution proposed and installed was to fix the attic spaces on both side of the room by creating a SUPER KNEEWALL. This did not totally fix the problem, until we sealed and properly insulated the floor over the garage space. The garage ceiling has 2x12x16 floor joist. Meaning a 12" cavity below the floor and only 6" fiberglass insulation batts in the cavity. The insulation was not in direct contact with the floor, which allowed cold air in between the floor and the insulation- rendring it totally useless. We dense packed the cavities wiht cellulose insulation at 3.5# per cubic foot. This filled the space, perfectly insulated and stopped cold air form moving under the floor. Call us for more details on how this project worked!
