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Insulation Basics

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Insulation Basics

Here's another great tip from BobVila.com. How much insulation does your home need and where? It depends on your climate and the energy costs in your area. The basic principle is that you want to keep heat energy from doing what it does best: dissipating to colder areas. The best way is to trap a layer of air next to the heat source. In new framing, sprayed-on polyurethane foam, fiberglass or cellulose do a good job of providing this layer before the drywall goes up. If you re retrofitting your insulation, you can still spray in cellulose through holes cut from the interior or the exterior. To find out what insulation will work best in your home, you ll want to know the recommended insulation r-values in your area. R-value is the measure of a material s resistance to heat flow. The higher the value, the more effective it is. To see the recommended insulation r-values and cost estimates in your ZIP code, visit the Department of Energy s web site. Even a small draft can make your insulation less effective. Seal any gaps around electrical outlets, ducts, windows and doors with foam sealants, caulking or weatherstripping. The most important area to insulate is your attic. Make sure you ve got at least the attic floor insulated with blown-in or batt insulation to your area s recommended r-value, and consider insulating the roof and attic walls as well. This can provide a fully insulated buffer zone to keep heat where you want it and keep the lid on your energy costs. Find out more at BobVila.com: The ultimate home improvement web site! BobVila.com 2008

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Blown-in Insulation

If you need to insulate your attic, blowing in cellulose insulation is an easy job you can do yourself by renting a machine at your local lumberyard. To install the insulation, blow the cellulose in up to the level of your floor joists. Cellulose is made from recycled newspaper and treated with Borax, a natural pest repellent and fire retardant. For best results, be sure to distribute the cellulose in an even layer. In an attic with two-by-six joists, you can achieve an insulation factor of R-19.

Cellulose Insulation

Cellulose insulation is made of almost entirely of recycled materials, mainly newspaper. It can cover harder to reach areas such as the small gaps around pipes and electrical wires. It's treated with boric acid, which makes it flame resistant and prevents mold from growing.

Insulation to Conserve Heat and Reduce Noise

Bob joins Buddy Loxley from MAP Insulation to talk installation in the master bedroom. The crew is using R-15 fiberglass insulation from Owens Corning in the home's exterior walls to meet Energy Star standards. The high-density batt insulation is the highest R-value possible for two-by-four cavities. To achieve maximum R-value, it's important not to compress the insulation. It must remain fluffy in order to trap air and prevent infiltration. The crew will install an R-38 insulation in the ceiling. Owens Corning QuietZone interior wall insulation, a sound attenuation material, is placed in the interior walls to reduce noise transfer from room to room.

The Blown-In Blanket Insulation Process

Bob is joined by Mikde Hobson of Westchester Insulation as the crew prepares one of the Mashpee houses for insulation installation. Hobson explains that this is a patented insulation system that uses special fabric stapled and drawn tight across any cavity that needs to be insulated. The crew works with pneumatic staplers to get the fabric in place across all the walls and the joists of the cathedral ceiling. The fabric is not intended as a moisture barrier of any kind and is just there to hold the insulation in place and prevent it from settling. Hobson shows Bob the white fiberglass that will be blown into the cavities. It is white because it is a virgin product, completely free of treatments, binders, or chemicals. Certainteed and Johns Manville both produce fiberglass insulation that is suitable for the Blow-In-Blanket installation. Once all cavities have been enclosed, the insulation contractor cuts a slit in the fabric and inserts a hose through which the fiberglass is blown. The cavity is filled to a density of two pounds per cubic foot which is visible to the eye by a slight bulge in the fabric. At this density, an R-value of 15 is achieved in two-by-four cavities like walls. In attics and ceiling cavities that are two-by-six, an R-value of 38 can be achieved. This insulation is inert and will not support moisture, mold, animals, or insects. It also serves as a sound insulator and can be blown in around drain lines, in interior partitions, and around tubs and showers. Blo-In-Blanket insulation is suitable for new construction or retrofit applications where it is blown in through the sheathing from the outside or through interior drywall to fill wall cavities. Blow-In-Blanket insulation costs about 50 to 60 percent more to install than traditional batt insulation, but offers such energy efficiency that it pays for itself within two to four years.