# When is Insulation necessary



## Tylon (Sep 17, 2007)

Hope this is not a dumb question, but I am just unsure if this is a normal thing.

My most recent project has been remodeling a closet for my wife. When I removed all the old drywall I noticed that there is no insulation between the studs at all. Is this normal? And if not, since this is a small space should I just go and get some of that pink fiberglass insulation and fill the wall before I drywall? thanks in advance.


-T


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## CraigFL (Sep 17, 2007)

You ask "When is insulation necessary?"-- It depends on what you mean by necessary. First, if the closet wall you are talking about is not an outside wall, exposed to the heat(or cold), insulation may not do much of anything except deaden the sound. Even if it is an outside wall, some homes have insulation panels on the outside of the stud walls under the siding that may be sufficient. And lastly, considering most homes have a fair amount of outside walls, your closet may only be a very small part of the total heat gain/loss, especially if the closet door remains closed most of the time. Now it just becomes a matter of cost-- if the cost of the supplies is reasonable, you may want to put fiberglass insulation in there even though the payback might be over a long time...


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## Tylon (Sep 17, 2007)

thanks for your reply ,

Yes the closet is completly interior walls , my primary concern with this space was when I removed the drywall I was faced with a large amount of open space into the attic, and I resaoned that I prob have been leaking air into this space for a long time. I have since attached a few pieces of drywall and caulked around them to seal off this space.

Since that quick fix I have discovered quite a few places in this closet where further air conditioning is most likely leaking into the attic by one means or another. I am not sure if I should stop the project here for a few days to seal every nook and cranny with caulk and foam. I also figure when I am done with that if I missed some still that the insulation would help with any further air leaking into the attic space. 

My other thought with this is, when I redo the drywall if it is done correctly shouldnt that stop all a majority of the air leaking in itself? Any advice so I dont go way to far then necessary to make this space energy efficient?



thanks again,

-T


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## Tylon (Sep 19, 2007)

Does anyone have any more information that might help ?

thanks
-T


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## BimmerJon (Sep 19, 2007)

Tylon said:


> Does anyone have any more information that might help ?
> 
> thanks
> -T



Take and post a picture...

Insulation wouldnt hurt, and you only have the chance once while the wall is open. Do it


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## glennjanie (Sep 20, 2007)

Hello Tylon:
You are correct, the drywall will stop all air leaks to the  attic when properly installed. If you should detect a leak after the drywall is finished, then you might consider more caulking or foam.
I wish for you nothing but the best in your project and please post back to let us know how it went.
Glenn


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## joecaption (Jan 11, 2011)

All outside walls always get insulation.
Is this a really old house your working on?
If there's none there you can bet there's no insulation in the other walls as well.
I wish I was there to see why your using all this foam and caulking. It should have been install the sheetrock and tape, drywall compound and be done with it no caulking or foam at all.
If it's open to the attic that tells me it may be whats called ballon framing which has not been done for at least 50 years. It will be open from basement to attic. It acts like a chimmney in a fire.
How much is in the attic? Depending on where you live it may need up to R-50insulation in the attic.


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