Insulation - The Concept

Technically, insulation is the process of keeping heat or cold or un-needed sounds from being transmitted from one place to the other. It also pertains to the materials used (and specifically designed) to prevent sound or heat from flowing from one place to the other, or to confine only to particular places in your house.

There are several ways by which insulation works. They, however, work best with materials that contains millions of tiny pockets of air. Still air is one of the best insulation materials. With trapped pockets of air, the result is high thermal resistance.

Thermal insulating

Basically, this is the process of controlling the flow of heat from one place to another. The materials are usually found in walls and ceilings. This is especially true to the outside of the house where heat is most likely lost or acquired.

The main idea is to keep one side of the insulation warmer than the other. In places where weather is variable, the insulation has to be coupled with the correct passive design principles. It is always hot or cold where you are, your insulation has to be incorporated into the design. 

This type is measured by way of R values. The higher the R value, the better the thermal qualities of the materials are. (This is known as Rm like concrete, bricks or plasterboards). RT is the total R value when incorporated into the building system). Reflective materials don’t have R values.

Acoustic Insulation

Aside from the control of the flow of heat, insulating materials can also isolate and control sound from being transmitted from one place to the other. This type is usually found in walls, ceilings and floors. Specialized soundproofing is usually for particular projects (like home theaters, professional theaters, and movie houses).

In places where the external noise from sources like busy roads, train lines, airports or in places where heavy industrial machineries are at work, there is need for keeping these sounds from penetrating your residences (if you are nearby) or office buildings where it can distract work productivity.

Insulating heat and sound

Thermal insulating can dampen sound transmission to some level, and this is also true for sound insulators to the flow of heat. However, either way tends to lean on one side or to the other. To date, there has been no insulating material that can do both equally well.

There are also mitigating factors in the success of either one in the process of insulating. Factors like the volume or pitch of the sound affects how much of it can be controlled or eliminated, if ever. Some factors also include how your house is constructed.

Materials

The first to come to mind include batts, fiberglass or rock wool. Batts are light and fluffy and made from fibrous materials that have enough trapped air spaces inside them.

The other common types of materials include blow-cellulose, polyurethane foam, polyester matting and reflective foil. Each of these materials and types work in inn different ways to prevent heat from flowing or maybe repel it. In short, these materials have their own insulation advantages and disadvantages.