Underslab insultaion
Last Post 07 Apr 2010 08:46 PM by toddm. 1 Replies.
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bbicfUser is Offline
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07 Apr 2010 05:39 PM

I am getting ready to pour my a slab, and am trying to decide wether the 2500 dollars of underslab insulation is really going to be value for money.  I have built an icf house to the rafters, one side has grade to 7-8 ft and it slopes down on the other side to about 4 1/2 ft to 5ft to bottom of footing at the other end.  I live in saskatchewan canada which does have a cold winter.  I have also added 2 inch rigid foam sloping away on the outside of the house in the areas that grade is lower.  I have heard everything from I wont have much heat loss through the slab, based on icf walls etc, to people saying they wouldn`t pour a slab without insulation.  I am just trying to dertermine if the 2500 is going to have much payback, yea I spent the extra on icf but this is crunch time and if it really isn`t going to do much then should I consider just a reflective barrier or nothing at all
Thanks Nathan

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07 Apr 2010 08:46 PM
The views here are equally polar, but your govt's work is making headway, I believe. Search on the word "basecalc," or go directly to the source: http://canmetenergy-canmetenergie.nrcan-rncan.gc.ca/eng/software_tools/basecalc.html Best you try it on a computer running Windows XP

Here is the short course: foundation walls are the source of most basement heat loss, and much of that happens above ground. You have that source well covered by ICF's double foam, and placing a skirt on the lower grade is money well spent. You'll want to place xps between the slab and the top of the footers. You may want to extend this thermal break by running foam around the perimeter of the slab for the first meter, leaving the center uninsulated. But Canmet's "Performance Guidelines for Basement Envelope Systems and Materials" http://irc.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/pubs/rr/rr199/rr199.pdf deals with underslab insulation in a single word: "Optional"

The story changes if you are putting radiant in the slab, or the water table or bedrock is close to the surface. The model has a climate and soil profile for Saskatoon. You might want to ask an engineer type if the defaults are realistic.
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