Best way to insulate a concrete saferoom attached to house
tarnie
| Posted in Energy, Heating & Insulation on
We’re having a 10’x12’6″ concrete safe room built to FEMA 320 standards. The new concrete slab will be tied in to the house slab, and it will be accessed from one of the bedrooms.
What is the best way to insulate the concrete room so it can be used as part of the house year round? We’re in Oklahoma so large temperature range to contend with. The safe room will have venting into the house, and plan will be to leave the door open for airflow.
Grateful for all suggestions.
Replies
This will be above ground?
Probably several inches of foam insulation -- could be inside or out. Some outfits can pour concrete with the foam inside, though that might not meet the safe house specs.
Yes, this will be above ground. My understanding is that as long as FEMA's standards are met for steel reinforcement in the concrete, also the outward opening steel door. Walls will be 8" thick. This contractor does not pour the concrete with foam inside. His forms look like brick on the outside.
Insulation on the outside. Also, you want an inswing door, not outswing. You can't open an outswing door if your house falls down around your saferoom.
I prefer an inswing door (aesethically, as well as for the reason you mentioned), but was told by the FEMA rep that it had to be outswing. However, just checked FEMA 320 regs it said either was acceptable. My contractor told me it had to be outswing. Will touch base with the FEMA rep about this again.
And thanks re the suggestion to insulate outside. We'll do this.
I am not sure about FEMA 320 but the Florida wind codes just set a standard for the pounds per square foot rating of the door.
If you buy a door that is certified by an engineer (who usually works for the door company) to meet or exceed the standard you should be OK no matter which way it swings. I can think of good reasons to have an inswing door. Your safe room might become a prison cell if something heavy landed in front of an outswing door.
I was just reading in the paper today about the hellishly hot AND cold weather you guys had this year... that factors in to where you insulate this beast. All that concrete is going to act like a big heat sink. After about a week in the heat, it will be heating your house with 90 degree air for you.
The contractors forms basicly assume you are just going to throw a coat of paint on the outside. What you want to do is throw a bunch of foam insulation around the outside - like 4" worth, along with a radient barrier for that hot sun. You want that room to help maintain the temp of the house, insulating the outside will keep it in sync with the inside instead of the outside.
Yes, we get terrible extremes of temperature here in SW OK, esp this summer ... we're at 78 days above 100, many of them above 110. (Which is why the safe room hasn't been finished ... contractor doesn't want to pour in these temps. And as we want the safe room to be a permanent part of the house, we do need to have it well insulated. Really appreciate your comments re insulating from the outside ... we will do this. Also the tip about the radiant barrier.
Many thanks!
Foam sheats on the outside with stucco on it..
One of my neighbors did that to insulate his CBS Florida house. It was 3" of foam in 4x8 sheets glued to the wall and I think there were also some anchor pins (tapcons). Then they stuccoed it with the usual knockdown finish we see everywhere.
Hadn't thought of stucco ... thank you.