Pole barn insulation - Ask Extension
Kandace,I am still waiting on an answer for the below question. Are you still working on an answer? do you need more info?I am putting a steel ceiling...
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Pole barn insulation #439160
Asked January 29, 2018, 9:38 PM EST
Kandace,
I am still waiting on an answer for the below question. Are you still working on an answer? do you need more info?
I am putting a steel ceiling in my pole barn. I plan to blow in insulation and heat the barn. We live in southeast Michigan (for climate information ) and the roof is metal. Should I put plastic between the metal and the joists before putting up the metal? Thanks for a quick response .
St. Clair County Michigan
Expert Response
My apologies. Thank you for your patience! I will have an answer for you today when I get to the office!
Good afternoon,
Again I apologize for the delayed response. Based on the information you have provided me, I would not recommend the use of a non-permeable wrap (plastic) between the joist and the insulation because of the danger of trapping moisture. You should consider a breathable material such as Tyvex which allows water vapor to pass through it. Make sure you are installing the correct thickness of blow-in insulation to achieve the needed R-value for your particular climate. Also, it is important to make sure you have proper ventilation to avoid moisture problems: i.e. soffit vents with baffles so that the roof vents from the soffit through the insulation to the attic space. I would be a little more concerned about issues with moisture because of the use of the metal ceiling which has a tendency to cause condensation when there is inadequate insulation R-values and inadequate ventilation.
Again I apologize for the delayed response. Based on the information you have provided me, I would not recommend the use of a non-permeable wrap (plastic) between the joist and the insulation because of the danger of trapping moisture. You should consider a breathable material such as Tyvex which allows water vapor to pass through it. Make sure you are installing the correct thickness of blow-in insulation to achieve the needed R-value for your particular climate. Also, it is important to make sure you have proper ventilation to avoid moisture problems: i.e. soffit vents with baffles so that the roof vents from the soffit through the insulation to the attic space. I would be a little more concerned about issues with moisture because of the use of the metal ceiling which has a tendency to cause condensation when there is inadequate insulation R-values and inadequate ventilation.
Kandace, thanks for the response. I have been getting a lot of conflicting advice from friends and local farmers. So I looked to you for advice. I have a large ridge vent the entire length of the barn and full length soffet vent on both sides. I planned for R49 insulation level, which is the recommend amount. I think I will be Ok. Thanks again. Norb
Kandace, thanks for the response. I have been getting a lot of conflicting advice from friends and local farmers. So I looked to you for advice. I have a large ridge vent the entire length of the barn and full length soffet vent on both sides. I planned for R49 insulation level, which is the recommend amount. I think I will be Ok. Thanks again. Norb
Kandace, can I trouble you once more? Is there a danger in not using any barrier between the metal ceiling and the insulation? I think, if I have the proper ventilation and the proper amount of insulation, we should eliminate the danger of condensation. Am I correct in this assumption?
Hi! No problem at all. Yes, that is correct! Proper ventilation and adequate insulation should be enough to prevent the condensation from occurring. I know you said you planned for R-49 insulation level (which is fine) but given your region you could increase the amount of insulation/R-value and that would help too!
