# Cold closet



## indyhhp (Feb 1, 2014)

You can use spray foam to insulate the walls. There are several good products available and it is a DIY project. The only down side is you do have to do some minor drywall repairs afterwards.


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

Only walls you need to be concerned with are outside walls. 
Is there a gap under the door?


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## bryanp22 (Nov 2, 2011)

Yeah we do have a gap under door of about 3/4".


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## Dave Sal (Dec 20, 2012)

I've got the same problem in a kitchen closet on an outside wall. During the recent polar vortex cold snap you could feel the chill every time the door was opened. I put a meat thermometer on one of the shelves and closed the door. An hour later I came back and saw that it was 45 degrees in there. I'm pretty sure the builder didn't put insulation in that area. Heck, at that temp I could use it as a cold room.


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## gregzoll (Dec 25, 2006)

The problem with Gyprock, is that a lot of homes that have it, do not have enough room between the inside walls and outer walls. Only way to find out, is to get a flex camera, drill a small hole to stick the camera inside the wall cavity, to see what is in between the two sections, before deciding what to do next.


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## digitalplumber (Jul 8, 2011)

Dave Sal said:


> I've got the same problem in a kitchen closet on an outside wall. During the recent polar vortex cold snap you could feel the chill every time the door was opened. I put a meat thermometer on one of the shelves and closed the door. An hour later I came back and saw that it was 45 degrees in there. I'm pretty sure the builder didn't put insulation in that area. Heck, at that temp I could use it as a cold room.


 
Does it sound hollow when you knock on the wall? compared to a known wall with insulation in it? compare sounds.


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

Old homes if there balloon framed are open from the crawl space of basement all the way to the attic.
Often times there diagonal beams for shear strength in the outside corners so the only way to insulate is to open up the wall or remove the siding and add fire stops top and bottom of the wall then insulation.


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## Dave Sal (Dec 20, 2012)

digitalplumber said:


> Does it sound hollow when you knock on the wall? compared to a known wall with insulation in it? compare sounds.


That is a good idea but I borrowed an infrared thermometer and used it to check the temps on all the exterior walls. They were generally about 68 degrees. The closet, though, was about 49 degrees. Looks like the builder either got lazy or just didn't care. I'm going to remove the drywall when it warms up and slide some Fiberglas insulation in there.


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