# Insulating a Cold Room - My Plan



## booboohead (Jan 2, 2011)

Good Day,

We currently live in a home built in the 50's and have a cold cellar underneath the steps. The cellar is not vented and the previous owners simply layed carpet and used it as storage. The room has an interior door and as expected is giving off a very musty smell with mold developing inside. I want to turn this space into usable storage (chest freezer, solvents etc). Below is what I plan on doing and some of the challenges I'm facing:

Challenges

1. The ceiling directly above is running 2x4s directly under the concrete slab which rests on the lip of the porch and masonry of home.
2. In the Cold Room I can see that the previous owner just packed fibreglass insulation in the gaps and I can see the edge of the house where the concrete/wood meet
3. Carpet on the floor under which concrete resides
4. Interior door
5. Black mould on back of interior door forming and yellow crystalized mould on walls near the ceiling

The Plan

1. Remove door and replace with exterior door
2. Remove Carpet and Debris
3. Scrub down using a 1/2 cup bleach to 1 qt. water solution with a bit of detergent
4. Clean down concrete with grinder/brush attachment
5. Seal Gaps with larger backer rod & sealant and smaller gaps with Drylok Fast Plug (in Cold Cellar and outside porch/steps ) 
6. Resurface w/polymer-modified cement
7. Sprayfoam any insulation needed
8. Clean walls again with muriatic acid 
9. Ensure smooth surface and Apply Drylok 
10. Adhere R-5 Extruded Polystyrene Rigid Insulation (Foamular) to walls
11. Attach a 6 mil vapour barrier over insulation
Monitor humidity 2 weeks after job completion to see if humidity/moisture levels improve. Finish the steps if it does.
11. Frame the walls
12. Install drywall panels (moisture rated if I can get cheap) and apply Kilz
13. Install humidity/temp monitor I happen to have on hand

Thanks for your review folks - your input is appreciated! :thumbup:

-boo


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## Windows on Wash (Aug 30, 2011)

Skip the dryloc. Not needed and I have seen it cause more harm than good. 

Where is the home?

I would probably, depending on location, up the rigid foam in depth. 

Be sure to seal up the bands when you are sealing the gaps and insulate.


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## High Gear (Nov 30, 2009)

I have something similar and this is what I've done so far.
Line the perimeter with XPS 1" R5.
No plastic...let it breath.
Ceiling I have 2x8's ...ran 2x4 sleepers crosswise and nailed 2" XPS R10 .
PL premium glue and don't be stingy( no tape).
Now here's what I plan do do .
Rent a core drill and drill for a vent at each end of the room ( above the ceiling foam).
Cover the foam with plastic/fiberglass panels. ( I'm open to ideas here ..it's not living space ...codes..).
Thanks for reminding me of another project BTW ...heh heh


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## booboohead (Jan 2, 2011)

*Ventilation*



High Gear said:


> Rent a core drill and drill for a vent at each end of the room ( above the ceiling foam).
> Cover the foam with plastic/fiberglass panels. ( I'm open to ideas here ..it's not living space ...codes..)


Confused here. Are you venting this room for cold cellar usage or storage like myself? Your vents are above the ceiling foam - can you explain or link me to a picture if possible? Interested in this..

Windows on Wash: I'm located in southern Ontario Canada - 35 miles from Buffalo.


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## High Gear (Nov 30, 2009)

I don't have the vents drilled yet but it needs to be done IMO.
The vents above the ceiling foam are to prevent mold from occurring as its sealed as of now.
2x4's, 2x8's and plywood under the cap would be a food source for mold if moisture would ever occur. 
Cement porch is a good foot and a half above ground level so it should be fairly easy to drill from the outside.
I should have vented before sealing it up but it was 47f in there in the dead of winter and it was contributing to a cold basement.
So no the room isn't vented just the ceiling above needs to be.
Porch is covered but open so wind driven rain or snow could present a problem let alone trapped moist interior air.
Good place to hang out when the tornado sirens come alive...been a few touchdowns over the last few years..the closest a mile away.
Should store some single malt in there in case I get thirsty..heh heh


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## Windows on Wash (Aug 30, 2011)

booboohead said:


> Confused here. Are you venting this room for cold cellar usage or storage like myself? Your vents are above the ceiling foam - can you explain or link me to a picture if possible? Interested in this..
> 
> Windows on Wash: I'm located in southern Ontario Canada - 35 miles from Buffalo.


That climate...I would go with 2" of rigid on the wall and then your stud wall.

Be sure to foam and tape all the seams in the foam and make sure no inside air is getting to the cold outside wall.


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## booboohead (Jan 2, 2011)

Thanks WoW - for sure. I understand your setup now HG and appreciate the clarification. This weekend I scrubbed with mask and protection using a 10:1 bleach solution and will allow to dry. I will then roll on a Tea Tree Oil solution I made which is a natural antifungal. Exterior door is next.

Oh and by the way this project just got that much more critical. As I began to wash the walls a chipmunk poked his head out inside the cold cellar. He must have burrowed down under the earth and through a hole someplace - NOT GOOD. I may need to create another post on how to best attack this. Afters some brief research it seems that chipmunks who find their way into homes don't want to be there. They prefer to burrow (can do so up to 100ft!) into the earth for warmth/shelter.


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## booboohead (Jan 2, 2011)

Just a quick follow up on this. I actually decided to have the front of my house (outside of my cold cellar) dug up to the footing when I had my backyard graded last month. Laid new weeping tile, cut out old clay, tarred the walls, affixed membrane and backfilled. Now I will proceed with the above plan with rigid insulation.


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