Blown Insulation

Scenario:

I have just completed an addition to my house. I’ve heard that blown in insulation is better than batts since covers the joists completely and leaves no open areas. Do you have any do it yourself suggestions?

Solution:

Yes you are correct. Blown in insulation is better that batts when installed properly as it does seal the attic better.

First you need to measure your attic area that you plan on insulating. Most attics require a value of R-30, R-38 or R-49, depending on your climate and location. Once you know the square footage of your attic you can determine how much insulation you’ll need by simple looking on the chart located on the bag of insulation.

Before you get started you will need to determine what materials you will need. Assuming your home has recessed lights, ceiling and bathroom fans and eave vents you will need the following tools and materials:

Loose Fill Insulation

Cardboard Baffles

Flashing

Duct Tape

Staple Hammer and Staples

Utility Knife

Ladder

Insulation Blowing Machine (Available at your local rental store)

The attic will need preparation before you can actually blow insulation into it. Make sure you are wearing a dust mask, protective goggles and a long sleeve shirt. Recessed lights must have flashing installed around them leaving a open space of at least four inches from the flashing to the light. Using a utility knife cut a piece of flashing of the correct length and form it into a cylinder shape, securing the edge with duct tape. Place over recessed light leaving a four inch open area. This allows for the heat to escape. Use the same process for any vented kitchen or bathroom fans in the attic area.

The next step is baffles. This is a chore nobody enjoys. The baffles need be installed by using your staple hammer and install them where the ceiling joists intersect with roof rafters. Make sure you only install the baffles over the vents and that they are high enough so the vents won’t get covered with insulation. Now that you’ve installed you might want to climb out of the attic and give you back a much needed rest.

The next step of preparation is to make a dam around the attic access hole. The easiest way is to cut a few extra cardboard baffles into lengths of about 4 inches above the amount of insulation you plan on installing. Simply staple them around the perimeters of the access hole. This will allow for a uniform depth in the insulation you are blowing in.

So you don’t have to keep crawling in and out of the attic it’s best to have another person outside helping you load the insulation blowing machine. Hint: If you’re using fiberglass insulation have your helper add about a cup of water per bag, spreading it over the top after its loaded into the machine. This will help cut down static electricity when you are blowing the insulation and it will lay down more evenly when installing it. After the bag of insulation is loaded into the hopper it will take several minutes before the next bag is needed. Don’t let your helper be lazy. Have him get on the ladder and pull excess hose out of the attic for you so you don’t get tangled in it.

I’ve found blowing insulation into the attic is a simple process. Start and the far ends of the attic. Going back and forth make sure its level and smooth. Make sure to get all areas of the attic and don’t fill any vents or recessed light areas. Take a tape measure with you and check the levels once in a while. As an example, if your installing an R-38 of fiberglass insulation you would want it to measure 16 inches deep. As you work your way back near the attic access make sure your helper is getting that excess hose out of the way. When you get to about 6 feet from the access hole stop the machine so you can get on the ladder. Once on the ladder finish installing, making sure to bring the level evenly against the dam you previously built.

The final step is to place a piece of batt insulation in the access hole and carefully put the attic hole lid back into place. Now your done! Stay out of that attic as much as possible from this point as loose fill insulation that has been stepped on or crushed looses it’s R value.

Why is blown in insulation becoming so popular?

I think that one of the reasons why blown in insulation is becoming more popular is the fact that it is so easy to put in. This is especially true if you are trying to retrofit a home with insulation (i.e., after it has already been built) — you will not have to do extensive tearing out of walls or ceilings or floors — all that is really needed is enough of an opening for your contractors machinery to insert a flexible tube to blow in the insulation particles.

Which areas of my home can be insulated in this way?

Actually, you can use blown in insulation in many different areas of your home — floors, ceilings, walls, attic crawl spaces — all of these are good places to use it. Often times insulating your home can turn out to be a big expense if you have to insulate large areas — because larger areas require more material. But blown in insulation is made from recycled material, which is much cheaper — and it certainly doesn’t take as many people to install this type of insulation in your home than with, let’s say, fiberglass or rigid foam insulating blocks.

Advantages and disadvantages?

As I mentioned above, blown in insulation is very inexpensive — and safe. It is also very environmentally friendly. Certain types of materials are rated as a Class I fire safety material (your insurance company will love that!) — and insulation that is blown in can be done very simply by drilling a hole, pumping the stuff in, and then sealing the hole — nothing could be easier.

But there are a few downsides as well. For example, if you need to seal up very small, restricted areas such as around electrical junction boxes or plumbing structures, this method will not work as well as expanding foam insulation will. Another thing to be aware of is that over time the materials which are blown in to your wall cavities or above your ceiling can settle — and this can cause some loss in insulating effectiveness (not to mention the fact that the extra weight can cause your walls and ceilings to sag).

What types of materials are available?

A common material used as blown in insulation filler is cellulose. To make it safer, most cellulose insulation products that are sold in the US have been treated with a substance — aluminum sulfate — which acts as a fire retardant. You must make sure to keep this type of treated cellulose dry, as the effectiveness of the aluminum sulfate as a fire retardant will be lowered if it becomes wet.

If your contractor offers the option, you can select wet-spray cellulose as your filler material. Wet-spray cellulose has water mixed in with a special adhesive — and the adhesive will help the small pieces of cellulose to adhere to each other once they have been blown in to your wall or ceiling cavity.

Other types of materials used candy fiberglass, vermiculite, slag wool and perlite, hemp, granulated cork, wood chips — even corncobs! You must be very careful if you choose to use an all-natural material (such as wood chips or corncobs) as over time they may deteriorate or even rot — especially if they become wet.

Can I install blown in insulation myself?

While there is nothing inherently difficult about installing this type of insulation, you probably do not have the necessary blowing equipment to get the job done. As your local building supply store probably does not have those units for renting, your best bet is to rely on the services of a professional installation contractor.

They not only have the necessary equipment but the added experience of having done perhaps hundreds of these insulating projects over the years, in many different types of homes and buildings. You should seek them out, ask for references and always get a written estimate before agreeing to allow them to do the work for you.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Simon_Harris

There is a family in Florida that was exposed to friable fiberglass that has caused a serious health problem for the family. The wife recently had a baby and was concerned about an itching on the skin feeling that she and the other members of the family were having. The family of five experienced a variety of eye, ear, skin, and respiratory problems. She was also complaining about a lot of white dust particles all over her furniture and personal possessions.

Six months prior to this time, the family had a licensed Insulation Contractor blow in additional insulation on top of their existing Builder installed Batting Insulation. They wanted to save money on their electric bill and thought this was the right way to go. Even the Power Company got into the act by giving them an incentive award to increase the R Value of the insulation of the home. Sounds great doesn’t it. Well this is only the beginning of a nightmare for this family.

We were called in to do an Indoor Air Quality Investigation and discovered that they had the old style recessed lighting in the ceilings. There were approximately 20 of these fixtures. The problem with the old style lighting was: there were four slits on the attic side which allowed the heat of the lights to dissipate. These slits were 3/8″ X 2″ long. This equates to approximately a 2″+ hole in the ceiling at each location. Multiply this by 20 lights and you get a 40″ hole in the ceiling total. Wow, that’s a big hole in the ceiling. These holes prevented the lights from overheating and causing a fire. This is a great concept for a fire hazard, but a bad concept for Indoor Air Quality and Blown-In Insulation. The one requirement with these old style lights was you could not cover them with Insulation Batting. We found multiple recessed lights with Blown-In Insulation covering them and inside the lights also.

After doing several air and tape samples, sending them to a lab, the results came back positive for fiberglass in the air and surfaces of areas tested. The first thing we requested the client do was to remove and install the new sealed recessed lighting in the house. They hired a licensed Electrical Contractor, removed all the fixtures and solved the air intrusion problem from the attic. That was only the beginning of the fix, then they had to HEPA Vacuum and clean everything in the home to remove the friable fiberglass particles on the surfaces.

How would you like to live this nightmare for over one year due to the incompetence of one contractor who did not think the job through?

This is only one example of what is going on in our building industry because of poor planning on the part of the contractor. Remember, you get what you pay for; the low bid isn’t always the right person for the job.

If you decide to add insulation to your attic, check with the Insulation Manufacturer and see what their requirements are before hiring anyone to do the job. Have your attic checked out first to see if there are any holes leading into the attic that can allow air intrusion into your home. If you do this, you will not be faced with this type of problem.

Next on the list, have the duct work checked for any type of leakage and sealed. Check all your electrical fixtures in the ceiling and seal them. Make sure the person who does the repairs is competent and knows what they are doing or it will affect you in the long term.

Caution: Follow all local Building Code requirements. Give them a call and talk to them.

If you have any questions, call us at (954) 531-6476.

Insulation is the process of enclosing or covering an object with a material that serves as a barrier and reduces (or blocks) the flow of energy, specifically heat. It is essentially used for the following reasons:

-To reduce heat energy losses.

-To prevent nearby objects from heating up.

Below are some examples where insulation is typically used:

-On appliances - stoves and ovens, refrigerators and freezers, water heaters, water pipes, etc.

-On industrial applications.

When done properly, insulation can provide indoor comfort (by keeping your house cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter) and energy efficiency.

Determining and buying the insulation that is right for your household can be a challenge. Below are some helpful hints on how to go about buying the perfect insulation for your home.

1. What to insulate. The first thing to consider is to identify where the insulation will be installed or used. A personal inspection of your home may be sufficient, but it is still best to let the qualified people (such as your contractor) do the job.

Depending on your (or an expert’s) findings, your household might need any or all of the following insulation:

-Wall/cavity wall insulation. Cavity wall insulation prevents your house from being exposed to rapid temperature changes outside. Studies show that heat loss due to un-insulated walls can reach as much as 50%, and cavity wall insulation could possibly prevent 70% of this from happening.

-Loft/roof insulation. Because hot air rises, heat loss through the roof can reach as much as 25%. This can be greatly reduced with proper attic or loft insulation.

-Duct/pipe insulation. Leaky ducts or pipes can contribute to an increase in your heating (or cooling) costs. They can also burst (or freeze), so it is also important to have them properly insulated.

-Water cylinders/storage tanks. Hot water cylinders and cold water storage tanks also need to be insulated to prevent them from being exposed to intense cold or heat.

2. What to use. Traditional insulating materials that are commonly-used in the households are the following:

-Fiberglass/fiberglass mats/mineral fiber. Fiberglass is the most common and versatile type of insulating material that is made from molten glass and spun into microfibers.

Usually pink or yellow in color, fiberglass comes in 3 forms:

Rolls - blankets of insulation that may or may not have vapor barriers, which prevent condensation in cold areas that could result in damage (such as mold).

Batts - similar to rolls but come in lengths ranging from 4 to 8 feet.

Blown - these are loose insulation that can be ‘blown’ into walls or ceilings.

-Cellulose. Another insulating material that is commonly used in households is cellulose. It is a fibrous material made from scrap or recycled paper (like newsprint or cardboard) that is shredded and treated with chemicals that would make it resistant to fire and insects. It is then applied (poured or blown-in) into place, either as loose-fill or wet-sprayed with the use of a machine.

-Rock wool. As the name implies, rock wool is an insulating material that is made from rock. Manufactured similarly to that of a fiberglass (with molten rock replacing glass), rock wool can be in the form of a hollow brick or a porous concrete block.

-Synthetic insulation. Synthetic insulating materials are manufactured in several forms, some of which are the following:

Polystyrene foam - usually as rigid, pre-cut boards.

Polyurethane foam - usually as boards or foamed ‘insitu’ (”in position”).

Spray-on expanding foam - similar to that found in aerosol cans, it can completey seal and insulate even the smallest areas in the house by ‘poofing’ up to as much as 2 to 4 times the original size when applied.

Deciding on the right material to be used for installation largely depends on the area that requires installation. Below are some of the standard insulating materials that are recommended for the specific areas in your home:

-For loft or roof insulation

*Mineral wool quilt

*Blown mineral wool

*Blown cellulose fibre

-For duct or pipe insulation

*Mineral wool mat

*Pre-formed split foam insulation

*Foil-faced fiberglass insulation

*Vinyl-faced insulation

*Ridged foam insulation

-For wall insulation

*Blown-in cellulose

*Fiberglass (batt and roll) insulation

3. Check with an expert. Aside from your personal considerations, the key to finding the perfect insulation for your home is to consult a professional who is knowledgeable in this field. It is still best to check with an expert, who could provide you with several options that would best suit your needs.

Insulating your home may add to your household expenses today, but in the long run, it will not only save you money (by lowering your utility bills); it will also protect you and your property.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Morris

When it comes to home and office insulation, people have a number of different choices. A great new option is available in the form of bubble foil insulation, which has proven to be a great product. One of the major challenges of insulation is reaching the required R value, which determines the strength of the insulation. This new insulation meets and exceeds the R value expectations. The bubble design forms a special layer that works as the ideal temperature barrier.

Typically, people use bubble foil insulation for many different purposes. For instance, this type of insulation is perfect for walls with or without masonry, crawl spaces, pipes, concrete slabs, garage doors, ducts, wine cellars, water heaters, and so on. Therefore, this type of insulation works for much more than just ceilings or walls. This insulation makes the home and office far more energy efficient. On average, using this type of insulation keeps rooms 10 degrees cooler than what a person would normally see with Styrofoam insulations.

Whether building a new home or updating current insulation, bubble foil insulation should be a top choice. Its versatility makes it one of the most useful insulation variants on the market. IPC Pack is a great source of affordable insulation. This company is family-owned and operated, taking great pride in what they have to offer. Their insulation is manufactured and ready for shipping. With more than 10 years of experience under their belt, this company has a full understanding of their products, and of customers’ needs.

Insulation is the phenomenon of slowing down the flow of heat, electricity or sound. Insulation can be used both to prevent heat gain and heat loss from the surrounding. Most electrical appliances use insulation technology like Refrigerators, freezers and Heaters. Insulation should be installed in the areas between heated and non heated space.

One of the main applications of insulation is house insulation. An insulated home is more energy efficient, requires less maintenance and is more comfortable as the temperature remains uniform over weather changes. Insulation at home helps in saving energy and reducing utility bills. It makes the house more comfortable. Insulation at home not only helps in keeping the house cool in summer and warm in winter but it also prevents damage from leaking water and provides a good thermal resistance. Insulation is very useful to keep the temperature of the house independent from outdoor temperature.

Insulation at home helps in saving energy and reducing utility bills. It makes the house more comfortable. Insulation at home not only helps in keeping the house cool in summer and warm in winters but it also prevents damage from leaking water and provides a good thermal resistance. Insulation is very useful to keep the temperature of the house independent from outdoor temperature.

There are many types of home insulation available. All the different types of insulation have their pros and cons. They are mainly differentiated based on the material used for the insulation. They can be separated into Plastic foam, rigid board, reflective, loose fill, batts and blankets and blown in insulation etc.

Foam insulation is performed by pouring the liquid foam from a container. Foam insulation is a bit more expensive than batt and blanket insulation. Foam insulation is convenient to install while constructing the house rather than going into already built structures. As the foam insulation used to be air tight , it is not generally recommended for attic insulation.

Spray foam insulation is used to insulate the walls and ceilings do keep the house warmer during cold weather and to keep it cool in summer. Spray Foam insulation is a bit more expensive than Fiber glass insulation. This type of insulation can reduce utility and repair bills as your house is naturally warmer and free from bugs due to the insulation. Spray form insulation lasts longer than other types.

Ductwork Insulation is used to insulate ducts and hot and cold water supply pipes, water heaters and air conditioners etc. to control the temperature of air and water. It is not that expensive but can help in high energy and cost saving.

Attic insulation is a must in any house to have comfortable room temperature. A house should have an attic that has a room temperature close to the outdoor temperature. Attic insulation would not be adequate if there is not a sufficient amount of it or it has gotten wet or has become less effective due to gaps or damage in insulation. The houses that have a warm surroundings and environment can have R38 insulation while a house in a cold climate can have R49 insulation.

Maximizing the insulation for your green home is the most important step you can take towards reducing the heating and cooling energy requirements of your home. Many options are available to you, such as fiberglass batt, rigid or blown-in insulation. Let’s look at cellulose blown-in insulation, which, in my opinion, is one of the greenest options available today.

Why Use Blown-in Insulation?

Cellulose blown-in insulation is made of post-consumer, recycled paper, most often newspapers. With the new blowers available today, the insulation can be blown in and compacted to a high density. This will eliminate the settling of the insulation, which is what has happened with blown-in insulation applied 10 or so years ago.

By the way, did you know that fiberglass batt insulation also settles, especially if it was not installed properly, which sadly happens very often?

Blown-in insulation is the best option to make sure that the insulation is applied tightly and continuously around electrical outlets, piping, wiring and ductwork. It can reduce air leaks considerably, compared to having batt insulation installed. All those special boxes you can buy to prevent air leaks around electrical outlets have been developed to fix improperly installed batt insulation.

Doing it right in the first place is better, cheaper and saves you headaches and money in the future. A tight, high R-value insulation will also increase the comfort of your green home, and will minimize the required energy use for heating and cooling. A solar heating system can be sized smaller and will therefore also be more affordable.

Most providers of cellulose blown-in insulation operate within a limited geographical area, because the transportation of the insulation beyond a certain range is not feasible, due to the high ratio of volume/pound of the insulation. This means that you would be fulfilling another critical green component: buy local!

Where would I apply Blown-in insulation?

Besides insulating all exterior walls with blown-in insulation, you can also apply it in the garage ceiling and the attic floor.

Those living in the cold climates are familiar with the dangers of having ice-dams form. The dams form when the attic insulation has gaps and leaks. The heat from the rooms below will escape upwards and melt the snow on the roof. It then freezes again and an ice dam forms. More snow is melted, ice builds up and thaws again. The ice dam grows. The water from the melting ice cannot run down on the roof, because it is blocked by the ice dam. The path of least resistance is through the roof and into your home.

It takes skilled contractors to install batt insulation correctly at the edges where walls, attic and roof framing meet. Often the contractors do not take the time, or don’t know how, to prevent gaps and leaks in the batt insulation they apply. Blown-in insulation will reach those nooks and crannies and fill them up with insulation, thereby preventing heat from escaping and ice dams from forming.

Additional Benefits of Blown-in Insulation

Highly pact cellulose insulation inherently also prevents air penetration. Fiberglass batt insulation relies on correctly installed sheathing, gaskets, siding, etc.. Unfortunately these are very rarely installed correctly.

In addition to providing excellent thermal insulation, cellulose blow-in insulation will also provide very good sound proofing between rooms, from noisy pipes, showers and bathtubs. The spaces around bathtub and shower basins can easily be filled with blown-in insulation. Family members coming home late and wanting to take a shower, will no longer wake everyone up when the water runs. Of course, they might still slam the doors…

Insulating the wall between the family room and adjoining bedrooms is another good application of blown-in insulation. You will be able to sleep, while other family members play music, watch TV, and laugh in the family room.

If you have a door to separate the family room, you can turn the thermostat down in this room when it is not used for longer periods of time. With the insulation in between the family room and adjoining rooms, you will not loose heat from the warmer rooms to the cooler family room.

Any room that is only used occasionally, such as guest rooms, rooms for children who are away at college, can be thermally separated from the rest of the house by filling the walls with insulation.

What about Mold?

Cellulose insulation is treated with non-toxic boric compounds to protect it from mold. This treatment also provides fire and insect resistance.

Conclusion

I believe that one of the best options for providing good, lasting, environmentally friendly, non-toxic insulation for your home is to use blown-in cellulose insulation.