new Vapor Fire 100 with very poor heat

[JRHAWK9]

Looks like you have some pretty good leakage around the wall plates.....?? The red areas under the windows/doors. I can see windows/doors being like that, but those other areas are not good.

 

[gary38532]

Lots of heat on my foundation that doesnt need to be there.... Maybe I should do something about that?

 

[gary38532]

Looks like you have some pretty good leakage around the wall plates.....?? The red areas under the windows/doors. I can see windows/doors being like that, but those other areas are not good.

yeah I seen that too I wonder why

 

[laynes69]

There's quite a bit of heat loss based on the IR pics. With it being that cold, I would get pics inside the home. Any air leaks above builds to air leaks down below with the chimney effect. Is your crawlspace vented?

 

[gary38532]

There's quite a bit of heat loss based on the IR pics. With it being that cold, I would get pics inside the home. Any air leaks above builds to air leaks down below with the chimney effect. Is your crawlspace vented?

If it is I dont know about it

 

[gary38532]

There's quite a bit of heat loss based on the IR pics. With it being that cold, I would get pics inside the home. Any air leaks above builds to air leaks down below with the chimney effect. Is your crawlspace vented?

Ive tried looking around inside its random to the point Idk what to make of it... How about this... Ill show you the same points inside...

 

[laynes69]

Ive tried looking around inside its random to the point Idk what to make of it... How about this... Ill show you the same points inside...

You can filter the seek to the point of any temperature below a set temp will show in color and the remaining pictures will be black and grey. Here is an example.

 

[gary38532]

what temp do I set it to?

 

[laynes69]

what temp do I set it to?

Experiment with it. You will know when the background colors dissapear and the drafts show. I was thinking around 45 degrees or so when I took the pic.

 

[gary38532]

Experiment with it. You will know when the background colors dissapear and the drafts show. I was thinking around 45 degrees or so when I took the pic.

ok I'll see if I can work it out

 

[gary38532]

Ill try again tomorrow and let you guys know

 

[brenndatomu]

Thats the ceiling like 4k worth to get it put up... Ill never get my money back that's the problem
View attachment 253858

The "lowest fruit" needs to be picked first...while the insulation in that ceiling may not be great, air leaks are a bigger issue here I think, and as @laynes69 mentioned, hot air leaking out the top pulls cold air in the bottom. That's why it was mentioned earlier about sealing up that rim joist area, if you make it harder to pull cold air in, it slows down the warm air out the top...and a leaky rim joist is really common and likely part of that heat signature seen around the bottom of the house in your IR pics.
What many people have done to remedy leaky rim joist is a little time consuming, but cheap enough to fix.
Get a couple sheets of 1-2" thick rigid foam insulation board, cut panels that are .5 to 1" smaller than the area between the floor joists (so like 13.5 to 14" wide) and then same for the height. Take a can of spray foam and run a generous bead around on top of the sill plate, up the joist, across the top, down the other joist...also seal up any cracks/gaps you see in there. Then smoosh your foam panel into the wet spray foam and "seal it in" with another generous bead of spray foam around the perimeter on the outside of the foam board. Repeat as many times as it takes to do around the whole foundation. Also run a bead of foam in the gap between the sill plate and the block/concrete of the foundation...that is another common leak...heck, sometimes you can see light through those gaps in the daytime, especially on poorly built houses!
You can do a lot of air sealing with just a few cans of spray foam! IIRC, this was Laynes69's main secret weapon on his house...that and the Seek camera.

 

[gary38532]

The "lowest fruit" needs to be picked first...while the insulation in that ceiling may not be great, air leaks are a bigger issue here I think, and as @laynes69 mentioned, hot air leaking out the top pulls cold air in the bottom. That's why it was mentioned earlier about sealing up that rim joist area, if you make it harder to pull cold air in, it slows down the warm air out the top...and a leaky rim joist is really common and likely part of that heat signature seen around the bottom of the house in your IR pics.
What many people have done to remedy leaky rim joist is a little time consuming, but cheap enough to fix.
Get a couple sheets of 1-2" thick rigid foam insulation board, cut panels that are .5 to 1" smaller than the area between the floor joists (so like 13.5 to 14" wide) and then same for the height. Take a can of spray foam and run a generous bead around on top of the sill plate, up the joist, across the top, down the other joist...also seal up any cracks/gaps you see in there. Then smoosh your foam panel into the wet spray foam and "seal it in" with another generous bead of spray foam around the perimeter on the outside of the foam board. Repeat as many times as it takes to do around the whole foundation. Also run a bead of foam in the gap between the sill plate and the block/concrete of the foundation...that is another common leak...heck, sometimes you can see light through those gaps in the daytime, especially on poorly built houses!
You can do a lot of air sealing with just a few cans of spray foam! IIRC, this was Laynes69's main secret weapon on his house...that and the Seek camera.

Im sorry but I don't understand... you want me to seal the bottom up? I dont know what a rim joist is...

 

[brenndatomu]

Im sorry but I don't understand... you want me to seal the bottom up? I dont know what a rim joist is...

Here is a pic of the foam panels I was talking about...you'd spray foam all around the edges before putting the foam in, then again after installing.

Here is a pic of the finished product...notice the bead of spray foam between the top of the concrete and the sill plate also...

 

[gary38532]

View attachment 253868
Here is a pic of the foam panels I was talking about...you'd spray foam all around the edges before putting the foam in, then again after installing.
View attachment 253869
Here is a pic of the finished product...notice the bead of spray foam between the top of the concrete and the sill plate also...
View attachment 253872

I can make that happen... but it looks like the whole thing is leaking to me... the whole foundation that's above the ground? right?

 

[gary38532]

Some how I have to make that happen there...

 

[brenndatomu]

I can make that happen... but it looks like the whole thing is leaking to me... the whole foundation that's above the ground? right?

It could be radiating heat...especially the foundation that's in front of the VF100, but as I said before, I personally think air sealing as much as you possibly can, will yield more "bang for the buck" gains than upgrading insulation will...

 

[gary38532]

this is the finished half

 

[gary38532]

It could be radiating heat...especially the foundation that's in front of the VF100, but as I said before, I personally think air sealing as much as you possibly can, will yield more "bang for the buck" gains than upgrading insulation will...

yes and I want to do that but I need to be able to make it happen

 

[gary38532]

that part your talking about is behind all that wire

 

[brenndatomu]

Some how I have to make that happen there...
View attachment 253873

That's an outside wall? Not sure what I'm looking at there...different than standard building practice for sure...

 

[gary38532]

That's an outside wall? Not sure what I'm looking at there...different than standard building practice for sure...

that's the basement wall

 

[brenndatomu]

this is the finished half
View attachment 253875

Have you compared the IR pics on the outside of the finished part vs the unfinished part? Just wondering how well the finished part was insulated/sealed...

 

[gary38532]

Have you compared the IR pics on the outside of the finished part vs the unfinished part? Just wondering how well the finished part was insulated sealed...

its the same

 

[brenndatomu]

its the same

Ouch