Now that you have reviewed the pros and cons of spray foam, fiberglass, and cellulose insulation you may have come to a conclusion on the best type of insulation for your attic. If you'd like to learn more about what foam insulation has to offer to a homeowner, check out our Learning Center.
My Attic is Very Hot! Amanda previously has worked as a breaking news and crime reporter, TV news producer, and editor in Flint and Detroit. As part of the RetroFoam of Michigan family, Amanda uses her experience as a journalist to write content that will help educate homeowners on the benefits of foam insulation.
She also loves knitting, making art, cooking, and hosting dinner and a movie night for friends and family.
Categories Follow Us Subscribe. Spray foam attic insulation usually features one of three types of plastic: polyurethane, polyisocyanurate, or polystyrene. You or a professional can install foam insulation by spraying it or installing it into stiff foam boards. Some installers prefer to use a cement-based foam known as cementitious foam insulation.
Our number one pick for spray foam attic insulation is the Dow Froth Pak This kit is the moisture barrier closed-cell type, which is preferable to the open-cell type. It prevents air leaks, minimizes the risk of mold and mildew, and possesses a Class A Fire Rating for your peace of mind. Get it professionally installed by scheduling an attic inspection and requesting a quote!
While other materials slow conductive heat flow, reflective insulation systems and radiant barriers reduce radiant heat gain. This insulation greatly increases comfort in residential and commercial applications by reducing radiant heat gain. This product comes with a three-layer composite comprised of a perforated foil facing, a Microlite fiberglass core and a reflective foil facing to help significantly reducing cooling and heating costs. Looking for professional installation? Be sure to schedule an appointment today and get an estimate!
Not sure if you need to insulate your attic? Learn about several advantages of the best attic insulation below:. Heat tends to move toward colder environments. This addition or loss of heat will cause your air conditioner or furnace to go into overdrive.
Cooling and heating your house will be very difficult with an uninsulated attic. Pollutants like mold, smoke, radon, and dirt linger in the air outside your home. But when you invest in the best attic insulation, you can prevent these pollutants from invading your attic and home. Inadequate insulation in your attic can cause uncomfortable temperature fluctuations throughout your home. You may notice that your upstairs area is warmer than your downstairs area, or one of your spare bedrooms is warmer than the kitchen area.
When adding additional insulation, you do not have to use the same type of insulation that currently exists in your attic. You can add loose fill on top of fiberglass batts or blankets, and vice-versa.
If you use fiberglass over loose fill, make sure the fiberglass batt has no paper or foil backing; it needs to be "unfaced. Skip to main content. Homepage Header Search box Search. Go to insulation materials for more information about the products commonly used to insulate concrete block.
Foam boards -- rigid panels of insulation -- can be used to insulate almost any part of your home, from the roof down to the foundation.
They are very effective in exterior wall sheathing, interior sheathing for basement walls, and special applications such as attic hatches. They provide good thermal resistance up to 2 times greater than most other insulating materials of the same thickness , and reduce heat conduction through structural elements, like wood and steel studs.
The most common types of materials used in making foam board include polystyrene, polyisocyanurate polyiso , and polyurethane. Insulating concrete forms ICFs are basically forms for poured concrete walls, which remain as part of the wall assembly. This system creates walls with a high thermal resistance, typically about R Even though ICF homes are constructed using concrete, they look like traditional stick-built homes. ICF systems consist of interconnected foam boards or interlocking, hollow-core foam insulation blocks.
Foam boards are fastened together using plastic ties. Along with the foam boards, steel rods rebar can be added for reinforcement before the concrete is poured. When using foam blocks, steel rods are often used inside the hollow cores to strengthen the walls. The foam webbing around the concrete-filled cores of blocks can provide easy access for insects and groundwater.
To help prevent these problems, some manufacturers make insecticide-treated foam blocks and promote methods for waterproofing them. Loose-fill insulation consists of small particles of fiber, foam, or other materials. These small particles form an insulation material that can conform to any space without disturbing structures or finishes.
This ability to conform makes loose-fill insulation well suited for retrofits and locations where it would be difficult to install other types of insulation. The most common types of materials used for loose-fill insulation include cellulose, fiberglass, and mineral rock or slag wool. All of these materials are produced using recycled waste materials. Cellulose is primarily made from recycled newsprint.
Some less common loose-fill insulation materials include polystyrene beads and perlite. Loose-fill insulation can be installed in either enclosed cavities such as walls, or unenclosed spaces such as attics. Cellulose, fiberglass, and rock wool are typically blown in by experienced installers skilled at achieving the correct density and R-values.
Polystyrene beads, vermiculite, and perlite are typically poured. The Commission issued the R-value Rule to prohibit, on an industry-wide basis, specific unfair or deceptive acts or practices. R-value ratings vary among different types and forms of home insulations and among products of the same type and form.
For loose-fill insulation, each manufacturer must determine the R-value of its product at settled density and create coverage charts showing the minimum settled thickness, minimum weight per square foot, and coverage area per bag for various total R-values. This is because as the installed thickness of loose-fill insulation increases, its settled density also increases due to compression of the insulation under its own weight. Thus, the R-value of loose-fill insulation does not change proportionately with thickness.
Unlike most common insulation systems, which resist conductive and convective heat flow, radiant barriers and reflective insulation work by reflecting radiant heat. Radiant barriers are installed in homes -- usually in attics -- primarily to reduce summer heat gain, which helps lower cooling costs.
Reflective insulation incorporates reflective surfaces -- typically aluminum foils -- into insulation systems that can include a variety of backings, such as kraft paper, plastic film, polyethylene bubbles, or cardboard, as well as thermal insulation materials. Radiant heat travels in a straight line away from any surface and heats anything solid that absorbs its energy. When the sun heats a roof, it's primarily the sun's radiant energy that makes the roof hot.
A large portion of this heat travels by conduction through the roofing materials to the attic side of the roof. The hot roof material then radiates its gained heat energy onto the cooler attic surfaces, including the air ducts and the attic floor.
A radiant barrier reduces the radiant heat transfer from the underside of the roof to the other surfaces in the attic. To be effective, it must face a large air space. Radiant barriers are more effective in hot climates, especially when cooling air ducts are located in the attic.
The reduced heat gain may even allow for a smaller air conditioning system. In cool climates, however, it's usually more cost-effective to install more thermal insulation. Rigid fiber or fibrous board insulation consists of either fiberglass or mineral wool material and is primarily used for insulating air ducts in homes. It is also used when there's a need for insulation that can withstand high temperatures.
These products come in a range of thicknesses from 1 inch to 2. Installation in air ducts is usually done by HVAC contractors, who fabricate the insulation at their shops or at job sites. On exterior duct surfaces, they can install the insulation by impaling it on weld pins and securing with speed clips or washers. They can also use special weld pins with integral-cupped head washers. Unfaced boards can then be finished with reinforced insulating cement, canvas, or weatherproof mastic.
Faced boards can be installed in the same way, and the joints between boards sealed with pressure-sensitive tape or glass fabric and mastic.
Liquid foam insulation materials can be sprayed, foamed-in-place, injected, or poured. Foam-in-place insulation can be blown into walls, on attic surfaces, or under floors to insulate and reduce air leakage.
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