I’ve been reading with interest the posts on weatherizing old brick buildings, but I still have some specific questions I hope someone can answer.
I have a circa 1837 brick federal with double wythe walls in central Vermont. The bricks are hard fired with tight mortar joints and moisture from the outside is relatively well controlled. Exterior walls are strapped with 5/4” planks supporting the lath and plaster. Interior walls are the same 5/4” planking with lath and plaster on both sides.
多年来，我一直在努力对房子进行风化。当我12年前搬家时，我拉起了阁楼地板板，在天花板托梁上添加了2英寸的绑带，并在12英寸的纤维素中吹了。我选择等待空气密封墙壁的顶部，因为我还没有完成重新布线，我想进入墙壁钓鱼。大约在同一时间，我在泥土地下室地板上安装了6磨坊和碎石，以控制水分。现在，我已经准备好进行进一步的气候措施。在阅读了GBA网站上的大量信息之后，我决定不隔离墙壁，但是Istill对如何进行空气密封有疑问。
We have just gone through an extended cold spell. There is frost coating the inside of the roof sheathing in the attic and evidence of frost in between the attic floor boards. There is venting in the attic via 1/4 circle windows currently, but they are not ideal as they are located close to the floor level. I plan to install gable vents in the spring.
I guess my question boils down to whether or not I should air seal all wall cavities. I do plan to foam seal the tops of the wall cavities on interior partitions, but after learning how important it is for brick walls to breathe, I’m having second thought about sealing the exterior walls. I’m even wondering if I should install proper vents along the exterior walls to allow air flow up the walls without passing through and causing dampness in the cellulose. Will the exterior walls breathe adequately horizontally with the top of the walls air sealed?, or would it be better to allow air to move vertically to ensure that the bricks avoid freeze/thaw damage and the embedded timbers stay sound?