The
use of insulating materials in insulating your house or a room usually depends
on many factors which you and your professional installer/contractor would have
to agree on. There are many reasons so far, and costs and probably the ease of
installation are among them.
So
many materials are now available when you need them to insulate your house. The
range is from man-made materials to recycled materials and to natural organic
ones. Each of these has unique characteristics of their own which you need to
match to your present insulation needs.
Choices
The
choice you have range from the usually bulky fiber materials which includes
fiberglass, mineral wool, cellulose, natural fibers, sleek foils, and rigid foam
boards. All of these are in use and all
are to resist conductive and convective heat flow in building structures
including residences.
The
rigid foam boards have the ability to trap air and thereby resisting conductive
heat flow. Some uncommon materials (cementitious and phenolic foams,
vermiculite and perlite) are also utilized in special ways that befits their
insulating characteristics.
Fiberglass
One
of the most popular insulating materials, fiberglass are used in both
residences and buildings. Its insulating characteristic had been proven through
the years of use. the material is made of fine glass fibers stuffed into
blankets (called batts and rolls) and also used in loose-fill, rigid boards and
in duct insulation.
The
loose fill insulation is made from molten glass spun and blown into fibers. The
application use insulation-blowing equipments and are usually applied in such places
as attic spaces and other closed-cavity applications.
Mineral Wool
The runner-up
favorite is the mineral wool. There are two types of this material – the rock
wool and the slag wool. The rock wool is made from natural minerals and the
slag wool is made from slag materials in blast furnaces. Both of these are 75%
recycled.
These
insulation materials are chemical-free to make them fire resistant. These are
usually made into batts and rolls as well as loose-fill insulation.
Cotton
This
material is made from 85% recycled cotton and 15% plastic fibers. The finished
product is treated with borate for use against pests. The cotton used here are
from the trim wastes of recycled materials used in making blue jeans.
Since
it is recycled, the energy used in the manufacture is minimal. They are usually
used in batts and they are non-toxic.
Cellulose
This
one comes from recycled paper products (newsprint, usually). In the recycling,
borate is also added and is sometimes blended with ammonium sulfate. Both
chemicals make the cellulose material insect and fire-resistant. They also do
not need moisture barrier.
This
material is usually the favorite in new homes and in attic installations as
loose fill. It is also utilized as filling (dense-packed) in building cavities
(walls and ceilings).
Plastic
This
material is used as batt insulation is made from PET plastic bottles. It is
also treated with fire-retardant although it melts when exposed to flame.
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