Insulating Slab


  #1  
Old 12-10-17, 07:22 AM
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Insulating Slab

Hey folks. I'm planning a 30X72 metal shop house. I am located in north central Arkansas so I don't believe radiant heat would be utilized to it's potential here like say, Montana. I am now doing my due diligence to create a plan on how to best insulate the slab from underneath. There seems to be a lot of new products on the market like Roxul and what not, but I'm unsure of whats going to work AND has been found to be reliable. I'm not interested in being a guinea pig for a new home product.

If I wanted to insulate with a bit of overkill and not break the bank, what would be my best bet?

Thank you.
 
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Old 12-10-17, 10:04 AM
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Insulation is one of those, pay me now or pay for heat later. You refer to this as a shop/house, will it be heated and cooled just like a normal house?

In many cases the best choice would be rigid foam insulation under the slab plus perimeter rigid foam.

Will this be a frost wall with a floating slab on the inside, or a monolithic pour with just an extra thick slab?

Bud
 
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Old 12-10-17, 10:19 AM
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Thank you for your reply, Bud. Yes it will be heated and cooled with traditional HVAC, a heat pump to be more specific. We've had good luck with those so far. It's going to be approx. 5" rebar reinforced slab with fiber mixed in, or at least thats the plan.

As far as I know it will be a mono pour. It's just a slab on grade home but the shell is a metal building, then framed inside on one end for the residential quarters. Like a morton building without the price tag. lol

How thick would i want the foam to be to go with underneath the slab?
 

Last edited by tlhfirelion; 12-10-17 at 11:02 AM.
  #4  
Old 12-10-17, 02:41 PM
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Check local authorities as they have the final word. Below is a link to the 2009 energy codes for MO but their requirement is for vertical perimeter insulation. They are showing 2" minimum. Perimeter is a pain because it gets exposed to the elements and insects. Under the slab is difficult as the masons will need to walk on it. Saw some 1" that ended up looking like a bunch of puzzle pieces. They have rigid foam specific for the under slab use, compressive strength and bug resistant.

The other bad issue will be the hole in your wallet.

Bud
https://energycode.pnl.gov/EnergyCod...state=Missouri
 
 

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