allseason Posted January 14, 2013 Report Share Posted January 14, 2013 Does anyone have information on the r value of stone walls, dating approximately 1800. Northern NJ. Not sandstone. It looks like indigenous stone, irregular sizes and was originally parged. Approx. 24" thick. Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Kibbel Posted January 14, 2013 Report Share Posted January 14, 2013 It depends on the stone. For example, granite has an r value equivalent of about .08 per inch, quartzite .03 per inch and limestone about 0.1. Any insulating value is virtually negated when considering the thermal conductivity of the stone walls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allseason Posted January 14, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2013 Any insulating value is virtually negated when considering the thermal conductivity of the stone walls. Negated in which way, keeping inside the heat from the interior heating sources during cold periods or the opposite? And how does that relate to the stones ability to absorb passive solar on the SW facing walls? Or more simply, how is it going to feel in the winter and how does it compare to an insulated wood framed wall of the same period? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Posted January 15, 2013 Report Share Posted January 15, 2013 R-value likely shares prominance with several other factors in the mathematical description of the thermal properties of mass walls like stone. Not so with insulated stud walls where R-value alone is often all you need. What motivates the question, Chris? Marc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allseason Posted January 15, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2013 Marc, I am looking at a possible purchase of said stone home for myself. It is heated with an oil fired boiler, hot water baseboard. The price of fuel oil up here is now around 3.50 to 3.99 a gallon. That's about three to four times the price of natural gas. Could influence the decision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Raymond Posted January 15, 2013 Report Share Posted January 15, 2013 Couldn't you ask the seller for a years worth of oil bills? Averaging Kibble's figures confirms my geusstimate of R-2 (1.98 so Marc doesn't have to do the math). You are correct to assume the mass will make the wall perform better than a more conventional wall of the same R-value, but probably not as much as you think. Somewhere I have an IR pic of my stone foundation (about 18" think at the mud sill) showing the exterior surface around 70 degrees F with an outdoor temp in the mid 20's. I'll see if I can find it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allseason Posted January 15, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2013 I have been in touch with the seller and I am awaiting information on fuel usage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlparham Posted January 15, 2013 Report Share Posted January 15, 2013 Does anyone have information on the r value of stone walls, dating approximately 1800. Northern NJ. Not sandstone. It looks like indigenous stone, irregular sizes and was originally parged. Approx. 24" thick. Thanks in advance. It does not matter what the R value of a stone wall is in a 200 year old home. You really need to be concerned about how moisture and air are moving (or not moving) between the interior and exterior of the home. Just focusing on insulation is short sighted. Controlling air infiltration, exfiltration and moisture movement is, in my mind, more important. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allseason Posted January 17, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2013 Couldn't you ask the seller for a years worth of oil bills? Averaging Kibble's figures confirms my geusstimate of R-2 (1.98 so Marc doesn't have to do the math). You are correct to assume the mass will make the wall perform better than a more conventional wall of the same R-value, but probably not as much as you think. Somewhere I have an IR pic of my stone foundation (about 18" think at the mud sill) showing the exterior surface around 70 degrees F with an outdoor temp in the mid 20's. I'll see if I can find it. Thanks Tom, that would be cool to see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allseason Posted January 17, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2013 Does anyone have information on the r value of stone walls, dating approximately 1800. Northern NJ. Not sandstone. It looks like indigenous stone, irregular sizes and was originally parged. Approx. 24" thick. Thanks in advance. It does not matter what the R value of a stone wall is in a 200 year old home. You really need to be concerned about how moisture and air are moving (or not moving) between the interior and exterior of the home. Just focusing on insulation is short sighted. Controlling air infiltration, exfiltration and moisture movement is, in my mind, more important. What insulation? It's a stone wall, there is no insulation outside of the stone acting as it will. This is premilary as I have only been on the property for about 60 minutes, that includes seeing the house, barn and walking 4 plus acres of wooded lot in the snow, uphill, both ways. I intend to take all of the steps needed to preserve an old building while staying as comfortable as possible and that would include moisture intrusion and elimination. As far as I can tell the house shows no signs of any moisture problems in the living space, basement or attic but a second visit will be accomponied by a more thorough look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Raymond Posted January 17, 2013 Report Share Posted January 17, 2013 I found it. Not quite as dramatic a delta as I remembered (taken over 4 years ago) but still pretty telling. According to my notes ambient temps were 24 outside and 68 inside. Click to Enlarge 17.3?KB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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