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I hope I can get some good advice here:
I am in the process of installing insulation in my attic and remodeling a finished off room up there as well (its legally a bedroom with windows and closet).
My question is I want to drywall over the new insulation in the rafters (its ventilated); this house has a central chimney which is used by the furnace (no fireplaces or stoves in the house). I am planning on using either regular drywall for covering up the rafters, though the area around the chimney I am less sure about...should a fire-resistant drywall be used? Would it a better idea to use green, mold-resistant drywall throughout, otherwise?
Previously plaster and lathe had covered about one third of this attic space's rafters (over the bedroom area), though most had fallen away long ago and I have removed that and installed new R30 insulation after ventilation was improved for this purpose.
Drywall is naturally fire-resistant. The core of it is a compound that when heated releases water vapor. The surfaces of drywall are commonly paper, but do not add appreciable fuel to a fire. Fire-resistance is increased by using thicker drywall or multiple layers. If the clay liner is in good condition and there are no wood burning appliances, I wouldn't be concerned. Your key issue will more likely be using cross-lath (furring) to create a thermal break from the cold of the rafters. If you do that, you should minimize condensation and mold issues.
Ok, thanks guys...I am in the middle of remodeling my attic into living space and I will be starting the drywall installation soon. Even though I have done many remodeling projects before, the chimney in this case had me a little worried; no wood is in direct contact with it (there is a tar-paper type material, very heavy that buffers the timbers from the brickwork ---I am guessing more for water/moisture too). The house was built around 1892.
Old central chimneys are notorious cold air shafts- Granted, when the furnace is actually firing its drawing exhaust up. Any other time, cold air migrates down it; unless you have a very air leaky house. Then it's just a vent for all the heat you're trying to put in the house.
I would frame it out and use rock wool insulation.
This, although I have limited knowledge about how often the furnace runs in MA. If it's running 24/7, the chimney never cools!
Given the winter we have had here in the Connecticut Valley in Massachusetts---we have had our heating systems running pretty much 24/7. I actually have a gas-fired boiler with steam radiators, which are very common around here--most people use oil or natural gas--electric heat is the least common in houses in this area due to the expense.
They had an article in our local newspaper yesterday of a man who's house has only electric heat and his electric bill was $822 for January (as opposed to $400 a year ago). Electric is not a good way to heat a house in New England anymore!
People's fuel and/or electric bills have been much higher than usual given the prolonged cold we have been having, and the harsh cold too (many days this past two months have been in the single positive and negative degrees, which have broken several records).
So, yes I have had my boiler running a great deal of the time.
Given the winter we have had here in the Connecticut Valley in Massachusetts---we have had our heating systems running pretty much 24/7. I actually have a gas-fired boiler with steam radiators, which are very common around here--most people use oil or natural gas--electric heat is the least common in houses in this area due to the expense.
They had an article in our local newspaper yesterday of a man who's house has only electric heat and his electric bill was $822 for January (as opposed to $400 a year ago). Electric is not a good way to heat a house in New England anymore!
People's fuel and/or electric bills have been much higher than usual given the prolonged cold we have been having, and the harsh cold too (many days this past two months have been in the single positive and negative degrees, which have broken several records).
So, yes I have had my boiler running a great deal of the time.
Why did you insulate the attic to R30 then? I'm in a mild climate and retrofitting to R50-R60-ish. If you're paying $400/mo+ for heat for 4 months a year, the additional costs of adding insulation get cancelled out in a season or two.
Electric heat can be efficient if you run a ductless inverter heat pump. Assuming that $822 bill was for resistance heating, a modern heat pump would have pulled 1/3 the energy.
The problem is more people running heat into old un-insulated structures.
Why did you insulate the attic to R30 then? I'm in a mild climate and retrofitting to R50-R60-ish. If you're paying $400/mo+ for heat for 4 months a year, the additional costs of adding insulation get cancelled out in a season or two.
Electric heat can be efficient if you run a ductless inverter heat pump. Assuming that $822 bill was for resistance heating, a modern heat pump would have pulled 1/3 the energy.
The problem is more people running heat into old un-insulated structures.
For me, with using gas, the monthly bills are comparatively low right now (this winter has been exceptionally bad, but the gas bill has been right around 300-350 this winter---last winter it was in the 200s)...though we also have gas stove, gas dryer, etc...one of my neighbors uses oil with a VERY old heating boiler and her bills I am told are several hundred every month. She also does not have good insulation, either.
My house has blown in cellulose insulation under the attic floors and some of the attic walls (and all exterior walls elsewhere), so this R30 is being added only to the rafters in the attic, which never had any apparently). R30 is commonly used here in attics.
As for electric heat, it is not especially common to find in single family houses here (though I have noticed it more in houses built in the 1960s for some reason). The vast majority of houses around here have either oil or gas fired boilers or furnaces, and sometimes propane or wood/wood-pellet stoves, but that's largely found in rural areas here.
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