Too much insulation packed behind sheetrock making it bend, how can you fix this w/o taking out any insulation
Question:Okay, so there is this wall with some insulation in it, packed between a wooden outside and sheetrock on the inside. The sheetrock is screwed into the beams that are about 5 feet apart, and I guess there is too much there because it is making the sheetrock bend near the middle of the sheets.
My question is, is there anyway to stop this from happening without taking the sheetrock off and without taking any of the insulation out?
Answers:
Drywall is not designed to span "about 5 feet". It will flex in the middle under these circumstances just from its own weight.
To correct the situation, you will need to remove the drywall and add additional support behind the drywall or use a different material.
Why you have a 5 foot gap with no studs is beyond me. There should be studs in the wall every 16" that you can fasten the drywall to. Now you know why.
close. load bearing would be 16" with a dbl plate.. regular inside walls can be 24 on center. if they were beams you could go further.. but thats where the problem comes in. if you put blow in behind it.. the span of the sheetrock would bow from the weight of the insulation sinking.. im thinking its the span causing the bow and not the insulation. answer is really no way to rid the bow without removing and installing something to screw to. longer screws to hit the outside wood would be a temp fix (if it all)
Just so you know insulation is not designed to be ' packed' to increase its effectivenetss. In fact, if you pack it in there you will have a lower R value. It is supposed to take up the space that it does of its own. it is through this space it occupies that it provides maximum insulation.
A 5 ft gap is about the size of a small slider door. It may have been filled in. Although insulation should not be packed into an area, you may try to attach a fairly wide shelf to the area for support. If it is in a bedroom it could make a headboard attached to the wall to hold it together.
More Related Questions & Answers...