condoowner
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- Joined
- Dec 6, 2009
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Hello,
I am in the process of converting a small storage room in my basement to a small closet for servers/IT equipment/telecom stuff. This closet is approx. 80sqft and is located between a family room and a mechanical room (sump pumps, hot water heater, water well pressure tank, septic tank piping, etc).
Because of its proximity to the family room, it will be heavily insulated against noise which means heat dissipation will be negligible and no openings to evacuate the heat from the servers. It will require a small AC to keep it at around 18C (65F).
In the summer the humidity in the basement can get up to 60% and around 28-30C (80-85F). The adjacent mechanical room is also pretty humid due to the foundation sumps, misc water equipment.
I wonder how to properly insulate the walls and ceiling of that little closet. I believe that I need thermal and noise insulation and also need to block off moisture from the remainder of the house/basement so I dont end up with condensation and mold issues down the road. I have already stripped the walls from within the closet. The other side still has drywall. This is now I envision doing it:
Questions:
I am in the process of converting a small storage room in my basement to a small closet for servers/IT equipment/telecom stuff. This closet is approx. 80sqft and is located between a family room and a mechanical room (sump pumps, hot water heater, water well pressure tank, septic tank piping, etc).
Because of its proximity to the family room, it will be heavily insulated against noise which means heat dissipation will be negligible and no openings to evacuate the heat from the servers. It will require a small AC to keep it at around 18C (65F).
In the summer the humidity in the basement can get up to 60% and around 28-30C (80-85F). The adjacent mechanical room is also pretty humid due to the foundation sumps, misc water equipment.
I wonder how to properly insulate the walls and ceiling of that little closet. I believe that I need thermal and noise insulation and also need to block off moisture from the remainder of the house/basement so I dont end up with condensation and mold issues down the road. I have already stripped the walls from within the closet. The other side still has drywall. This is now I envision doing it:
- Walls (except the foundation wall): vapor barrier, 3 1/2" batt cavity insulation, 1-1/4 extruded polystyrene board, sonopan noise panel + resilient channels, 2x 5/8" drywall. Total R value approx. 21
- Ceiling: vapor barrier, 8" batt cavity insulation, 1-1/4 extruded polystyrene board, sonopan noise panel + resilient channels, 2x 5/8" drywall. Total R value approx. 36
- Foundation wall: I have no idea... Similar to the other walls? Need to spray urethane to block moisture from concrete?
Questions:
- As far as I know usually vapor barriers are normally installed on the "hot side" of the wall, which in my case would be on the unstripped side of the walls of that closet. Unless I strip the walls down to the studs on both sides of the walls, I cannot install a vapor barrier film on the "hot side" of the walls. How do I do this?
- How to insulate the foundation wall?
- How do I do the joints/junctions between walls and ceiling?