the upper half of my basement wall was insulated by the builder, is it necessary

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   crb60posted 14 years ago

   the upper half of my basement wall was insulated by the builder, is it necessary to insulate the...
   
   lower half if i am renovating the basement? Thanks Clint

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2. 68

   She-rahposted 14 years ago

   We just remodeled our basement and used rolled fiberglass insulation. Went from top to bottom between the studs we built. If your basement ever leaks or gets standing water then you may not want to insulate all the way down to the flooring. The ground outside, depending on how far below ground your basement is, will provide good insulation at deeper levels. You can stop insulating at about 2 feet above the basement floor if there's risks of standing water in your basement. The insulation will soak up water, hold it inside the wall, and can cause toxic mold and mildews to grow. The mold could eventually eat right thru drywall if the insulation doesn't dry out quickly enough. Could also cause rotting in the studs and drywall. Our basement never leaks so we went to the floor. Make sure electrical outlets are high enough to avoid possibility of standing water too.

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3. 61

   kowalityposted 14 years ago

   I have always used rigid insulation for interior and exterior basement walls. If you ever have a water problem within the basement, insulated walls will not be your first concern. That is why it's necessary to install a sump pump system at the lowest point in your basement.
   Just keep electrical outlets at code. I have no idea why anyone would want them lower than 16 inches.
   
   Go ahead and insulate to within 2 inches from the floor. If you have water problems higher than this level....uhh..insulating to this height will no longer be the issue.

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