Pole barn insulation help!!!! rodents/moisture

[Skerby]

Hi all, after moving to Indiana last year, I went to the expen$e of having my 40x50ish pole barn poured with a center drain. I really really really want to add four season functionality to it.. I'm pretty much STOPPED in my tracks twiddlin' my hair trying to conquer what many of you rural intelligenzia already have.. namely, how the heck do i insulate the steel wall without wicking water/moisture in from the steel siding and 2 x 6 bottom frame? ALSO, how do i effectively create a RODENT barrier at the same time before putting up wood or other wall as my 2 x 6 bottom has the steel siding screwed to it, but the steel is corrugated thus having about 1" square every repeat (16, 20, 24" or whatever it is).
Thanks for any help! I'll see if i can post a pic for those with good ideas that haven't tackled a pole barn structure specifically!

 

[Erik_in_Hoyt]

spray foam insulation? (no wicking, seals the holes, tastes bad, vapor barrier, but expensive)
foil-bubble-bubble-foil radiant barrier?(no wicking, doesn't seal the holes, vapro barrier, fairly easy to install)
stuff steel wool in all those 1x1 holes? (rodents won't chew through it, but a literal pain to stuff in all the holes. inexpensive.)

 

[Jimmyp5]

Spray foam for sure... I put up a 30x50 ran all the electoral then had the entire thing foamed. Then I finished off half of the barn for my "man cave", that includes a full bath, 12x15 foot wine chiller, office space, small room to ferment wine, and a 10x12 climant controlled storage room for the wife.

So it leave half of the barn work "barn type work", and the other half for me to play in and watch HD football...lol.

Sitting in the man cave typing this now... I used a Packaged Terminal Unit Heat Pump (think motel type air/heat) to heat and cool the main finished off area.

 

[PBinWA]

Spray foam for sure... I put up a 30x50 ran all the electoral then had the entire thing foamed. Then I finished off half of the barn for my "man cave", that includes a full bath, 12x15 foot wine chiller, office space, small room to ferment wine, and a 10x12 climant controlled storage room for the wife.

So it leave half of the barn work "barn type work", and the other half for me to play in and watch HD football...lol.

Sitting in the man cave typing this now... I used a Packaged Terminal Unit Heat Pump (think motel type air/heat) to heat and cool the main finished off area.

What was the cost to get it spray foamed? How thick is the foam?

 

[Jimmyp5]

I would have to go did out the receipt, but it was around ~3500.00 and I put two full inches on everything. It really helps with the wind load, no rattle, etc...

 

[Skerby]

[x] Steel wool would rust rather quickly, i'd need something like a roll of stainless steel wool..
[x] Spray foam (eurathane) doesn't that stuff ROT over time with exposure to water/moisture? maybe just spray the bottom foot for cost purposes, then hang up glass? would there be too much moisture to have glass/then drywall type (standard) construction you think??? thx again!

 

[Jimmyp5]

[x] Steel wool would rust rather quickly, i'd need something like a roll of stainless steel wool..
[x] Spray foam (eurathane) doesn't that stuff ROT over time with exposure to water/moisture? maybe just spray the bottom foot for cost purposes, then hang up glass? would there be too much moisture to have glass/then drywall type (standard) construction you think??? thx again!

The spray foam chemical are not pure eurathane anymore. They used to become real brittle over time. The new chemical mixture seems to be better, it is even pant-able. Here the basic framing on my finished areas...working from the outer wall in , steel, foamed spray 2 inches, fiber glass, then foam board/taped and sealed (only on the wall that touches my wine chiller). Then wood frame, glass, vapor barrier, sheet rock... on interior walls that touch chiller - it more of the insulation, and foam board - sealed for a vapor barrier, ditto on the celling of the chiller room. The framed inside roof (attic space, is sprayed to stop all air flow - ditto the inside chiller wood framed walls) a lot more insulation that you normally need.

That said the wine chiller is kept at 58 degrees 24x7, my office area (bath etc) kept at 70 most of the time, my electric bills have been modest (most ever in one month was last Aug when it was over 100 a lot) $100.00. I do capture the heat from the wine chiller air unit to heat my office space in the winter. In the winter it adverages less than $30.00 and that includes running my tankless hot water heater.

Oh one thing I did not count on with the spray... no air flow! So I have a fan on a thermonsat to move the air over the top of the finished area... the barn door on the working side when open keep the air moving on that side.

 

[rdln]

thousands of pole barns use fiberglass blanket between outside wall and plastic sheeting.
my insulation was made by Knauf

 

[PBinWA]

I would have to go did out the receipt, but it was around ~3500.00 and I put two full inches on everything. It really helps with the wind load, no rattle, etc...

That's not bad. I'm assuming you had some local contractor do it?

AFAIK most spray foam insulation will break down if exposed to UV light but even a coat of paint will keep it.

 

[Skerby]

Thanks much! I'll look into a lower seal of spray foam and do unfaced glass, then a nice thick mil vapor barrier, then 'maybe' greenboard on the first course followed by regular drywall... best thing about a pole barn would be the 'ease' of installing l-o-n-g boards, like 12' etc., on the drywall... then i could probably tackle the drywall finish myself.. i'll certainly post pics, but i'm so behind on all my projects so far.. )