R-Tech and drain wrap?
Hello every one, I have came to my final decision on what kind, and thickness of foam to retrofit my house in. I’m in NE Ohio so zone 5. Has anyone used R-tech foam its faced EPS and if so, any problems or issues? Also is Tyvek Drainwrap worth the money? Or should i just put regular house wrap on and call it a day. Ill be putting on 1 layer of 1-1/2″ R-tech on top of the drain-wrap and a course taping both. Then Vinyl side over top. The foam has a R-value of 5.67. Its a house built in 2000 with 2×4 walls and kraft faced batts no plastic. Thank you in advance for any and all help. This site has been a life saver!
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Also what are your opinions on cap nails? metal or plastic caps or doesn't matter.
Use un-faced EPS (> 1 perm total) so it can dry outward. DrainWrap under it works well.
Thank you for the advice. It's really hard to find any unfaced around my area. It's all XPS around here, R-Tech is the only EPS I can readily find around me.
Menard's stocks unfaced EPS, usually in thicknesses from 3/4" to 2". They have several locations in NE OH.
Thank you! The store closest to me has some! Has any one installed vinyl over unfaced EPS?
You need a draining housewrap. If two smooth surfaces are in contact, even a thin film of water between them can build hydrostatic pressure that will force water through housewrap penetrations. Hydrostatic pressure is influenced by the height of the water column not the quantity of water present. Kimberly Clark Block It is a draining housewrap that costs about the same as standard Tyvek.
My vinyl shaped steel siding was installed over 1/2" XPS and 3/4" fiber siding with long roofing nails. Not so great. In areas I had to rework I used GRK truss head cabinet screws. These should work for vinyl. To allow for thermal moment you don't want the fasteners to be snug to the vinyl. Trying to maintain the proper depth while fighting the squishy foam could be hard to do with nails. Screws give you more control.
Thank you for the information! So draining housewrap of some kind for sure. Ya I'd like to use unfaced EPS to get the perm but worried about it holding up with no facer and vinyl right on top.