Thursday, 7 August 2014

What To Put Into Consideration When Purchasing From An Insulation Manufacturer

By Alan Bradd


When purchasing an insulation material, you are able to choose it from a number of producers in the market. However, you will find key elements that you ought to put in consideration for example stability and performance of the application. The power saved from a correctly ventilated envelope is a lot more when compared to the impact on the environment during the manufacture of the insulation material. When evaluating two materials, you should think about the impact of each product on the environment.

Cellulose insulation is produced mainly from recycled paper. It is made from the waste materials and energy that is produced in the manufacture of mineral wool insulation and fiberglass. You can reuse scrap cellulose produced as a byproduct during installation to reduce waste. Cellulose insulation does not have any significant impact on the air quality in the building. It is blown into ceiling, wall cavities and attic surfaces.

Cotton insulation, on the other hand, is manufactured using cotton, a little boron to prevent fire ad some polyester. Most of the cotton is recycled from scrap as a by product in the manufacture of denim. The insulation does not have any formaldehyde, and cannot cause skin or respiratory problems from its fibers. Cotton batts can be used for the same purpose as mineral wool batts or fiberglass, rolled out between ceiling joists, open roof rafters or wall studs.

Another material is fiberglass, made from recycled glass and silica sand, both of which are available in abundance. It is manufactured by assembling the materials in a furnace to melt them, which uses a lot of energy and produces a significant amount of air pollution as compared to other types of insulation. If you install them well, it is hard to inhale the fibers, which are skin, eye and throat irritants.

The other type, which may have a greater environment impact than these is foam insulations due to its extraction, processing and transport of recyclables like oil and gas. They however have significant benefits that may override these difficulties for example greater R-values for any certain thickness plus they air seal surfaces better. Additionally, they use less due to their sturdiness and R-values.

Polyisocyanurate, except in areas that are damp, is the environmentally preferable form of foam insulation. It is made of polysio, a rigid foam board, and covered with a layer of foil at the back as a radiant or vapor barrier, which can be used in almost all areas of your home. Made with more than nine percent of recycled content, and flame retardants, as well as a high R- value, polyiso is preferred as a substitute to polyurethane and polystyrene foam insulation.

Two kinds of polystyrene exist; beadboard, and blueboard. There is no minimum content for recycling polystyrene; thus, its materials might have some recycled content because of the recycling from the polystyrene itself. You will find brominated flame retardants in polystyrene that raise serious environment and health issues because some compounds are bioaccumulative.

Mineral wool is required by the EPA to have a weight of at least seventy percent of recycled content by weight. It is made from strands of minerals. The insulation is more moisture-resistant and durable, even though it is more costly than fiberglass and cellulose.




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