Insulation Air Leaks on Brick Veneer Walls
- POST a QUESTION or COMMENT about brick veneer wall insulation & air leakage
Brick veneer wall building insulation specifications & advice:
Tthis article discusses the installation of foam board insulation behind brick veneer walls, and the question of air leaks at the brick ties to the wall.
Our page top photo shows a brick veneer building undergoing demolition - the brick veneer wall ties are visible if you click to enlarge the photograph.
No exterior insulation had been installed on this 1950's building at Stewart Air Force Base in Newburgh, NY.
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How Insulate Brick Veneer Walls
The question-and-answer article about insulating a brick veneer wall using foam board, quotes-from, updates, and comments an original article from Solar Age Magazine and written by Steven Bliss.
How do You Keep Brick Veneer Construction Airtight?
Our readers asked:
How do you keep brick veneer construction airtight and well insulated when the ties from the brick to the wall studs puncture the rigid foam insulation board and the building's vapor barrier? -- Harold Murray, Bowie MD
What is the best insulation and vapor barrier for a brick veneer wood framed house that has Blackboard behind the brick? On 2017-02-08 by M. Liota
Answer:
With a high-density rigid foam board insulation such as extruded polystyrene
(see POLYSTYRENE FOAM INSULATION),
or foil faced polyisocyanurate insulating board
(see POLYISOCYANURATE FOAM and IAQ),
the brick veneer wall ties can be placed on the surface of the foam sheathing and nailed through to the wall studs.
Our photo of foam insulating sheating board was provided courtesy of Arlene Puentes.
This is in accordance with FHA Bulletin 71 for single- and two-family residences.
In especially windy conditions, it may be advisable to increase the number of brick veneer wall ties or use higher-density insulation.
Another option is to nail the ties directly to the studs between each 24-inch course of rigid insulation board.
In any case, the vapor barrier on the warm side of the building wall will not be affected.
Here we include solar energy, solar heating, solar hot water, and related building energy efficiency improvement articles reprinted/adapted/excerpted with permission from Solar Age Magazine - editor Steven Bliss.
The link to the original Q&A article in PDF form immediately below is preceded by an expanded/updated online version of this article.
- Q & A: How to Keep Brick Veneer Construction Airtight? - PDF version, use your browser's back button to return to this page
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Citations & Reviewers
In addition to any citations in the article above, a full list is available on request.
- Solar Age Magazine was the official publication of the American Solar Energy Society. The contemporary solar energy magazine associated with the Society is Solar Today. "Established in 1954, the nonprofit American Solar Energy Society (ASES) is the nation's leading association of solar professionals & advocates.
- Steve Bliss's Building Advisor at buildingadvisor.com helps homeowners & contractors plan & complete successful building & remodeling projects: buying land, site work, building design, cost estimating, materials & components, & project management through complete construction. Email: info@buildingadvisor.com
Steven Bliss served as editorial director and co-publisher of The Journal of Light Construction for 16 years and previously as building technology editor for Progressive Builder and Solar Age magazines. He worked in the building trades as a carpenter and design/build contractor for more than ten years and holds a masters degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Excerpts from his recent book, Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction, Wiley (November 18, 2005) ISBN-10: 0471648361, ISBN-13: 978-0471648369, appear throughout this website, with permission and courtesy of Wiley & Sons. Best Practices Guide is available from the publisher, J. Wiley & Sons, and also at Amazon.com - Arlene Puentes is a licensed home inspector, past chapter president of the Hudson Valley chapter of the American Society of Home Inspectors, an educator, and building failures researcher in Kingston, NY. Contact Arlene Puentes at: ap@octoberhome.htm or at 845-339-7984.
- In addition to citations & references found in this article, see the research citations given at the end of the related articles found at our suggested
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- Carson, Dunlop & Associates Ltd., 120 Carlton Street Suite 407, Toronto ON M5A 4K2. Tel: (416) 964-9415 1-800-268-7070 Email: info@carsondunlop.com. Alan Carson is a past president of ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors.
Thanks to Alan Carson and Bob Dunlop, for permission for InspectAPedia to use text excerpts from The HOME REFERENCE BOOK - the Encyclopedia of Homes and to use illustrations from The ILLUSTRATED HOME .
Carson Dunlop Associates provides extensive home inspection education and report writing material. In gratitude we provide links to tsome Carson Dunlop Associates products and services.
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