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Archive for June, 2011

Is insulation easily retro fitted into a cavity wall

Friday, June 10th, 2011 at 9:31 am

A home is built for a lifetime. Any damage to the home out of bad weather is definitely heart breaking. So it is well-said that “prevention is better than cure”. This is not only applicable to all human beings; undeniably it fits well when coming to the use of insulators for our home.

Researches say that half the heat is lost from the home through the wall and loft, also a good contribution is made by the doors, windows and pipes. So investment on insulation is worthy. To name a few varieties of insulations applied to the homes are – cavity insulation, wool insulation, floor insulation, loft insulation, glazing, tanks and pipes and many more.

A building having a cavity wall i.e, the outer wall and the inner wall being separated by an empty space or a cavity needs to go for the cavity wall insulation, since the outer wall tends to lose a larger amount of heat. With good cavity wall insulation, which uses a suitable insulant material, a suitable room temperature can be achieved. It is a simple and a cost effective solution that saves the fuel of the occupant.

Coming to the insulating board widely used by many movie halls, pubs, conference halls and the recording studios, it guarantees noise reduction coefficient, sound absorptive properties, flame resilient and low weight when the board is an acoustic wall. Besides some other categories of insulation boards also provide benefits like UV resistance, ozone resistance and corrosion resistance. The insulating boards are also used for the floor having rooms below with adequate ventilation.

Wool insulation is also a popular choice these days. Some of the great features of the wool are – a natural choice, not inert, healthy, eco-friendly, hygroscopic, non-allergic, fire resistant, low in conductivity, absorbs gases and fumes, and low in embodied energy. Therefore with wool insulation, air conditioning is ofcourse natural

Mineral wool insulation isn’t similar to the wool insulation. Mineral wool is the rock wool which is manufactured from the steel slag. This kind of insulation is permanent and effective against moisture and some agents of rots which are often unavoidable. One of the similar properties it shares with the wool insulation is its fire resistant property. But simultaneously extra precaution needs to be taken while working with it as it raises certain health concern especially to the eyes, skin and lung. So taking professional help at the time of installations guarantees the protection of our home and health as well.

Another way of saving a lot of valuable and expensive energy is by insulating the loft. So using the loft insulation, carbon dioxide emissions can be reduced, the major cause for climate change. Loft insulation prevents internal condensation assuring a warmer winter and a cooler summer, reduces noise from outside and thus improves the energy efficiency rating of the home.

Global warming the rising concern these days can be prevented to some extent with the application of above mentioned insulators to our homes. So let us take the initiative in making our planet a better place for living.

Olive Palmer is the author of this article on Cavity Insulation. Find more information about Wool insulation here.

Author: Olive Palmer
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Guest blogger

Steve asks…

whats a good material to put in between the plasterboard and the walls to stop noise escaping?

i want to build a night club but want to keep the building costs low what material could i place inbetween the plaster board and the brick walls? hmmmm had a thought you guys tell me if you think this will work … say i had plasterboard then a 1-2 inch gap of air then corrugated pvc sheet type roofing so they reflect the sound waves away from the wall and then normal loft type insulation on the back of that im also going to angle the walls downwars slightly should also make the room look cooler if done right any other ideas would be grately appreciated

admin answers:

I’ve heard that cork board is a great sound barrier and blocks out or in sounds. I’ve heard that it will absorb the sound.

Mandy asks…

Removing attic flooring from old home (built in 1900)?

I’m considering purchasing an old home to fix up. This would also be my residence. One of the biggest detractions from the house are low ceilings in the second floor. The house is small as it is, but the height of the second floor is only 6 1/2 feet tall. Granted, I won’t be hitting the ceiling (I’m only 5 foot 3), but reselling it will be difficult with the low ceilings. Also, it makes the rooms seem incredibly smaller than it would if it was a higher ceiling.

Above the second floor, there is a very shallow height attic. It follows the pattern of the roof – where the ceiling (roof) starts at a triangular corner at the base floor of both sides of the room. You can only stand up in the center of the room. The attic floor is not very sturdy – it seems like it was made of latched boards. My uneducated thought – is that maybe the floor of the attic could be removed, opening up the space of the top floor, hence making it more marketable and most importantly, more livable.

How much does it typically cost to do something like that (remove an old attic floor such as the one in the house)? Would it potentially cause significant insulation issues – and would it be difficult to address ensuing insulation issues? Would it be something that can be done while I was living in the house – assuming that I moved my stuff downstairs and lived on the first floor for awhile? If not, how long would a project like that take? Is it something I would need to have a contractor do for me – or could part of it be done by me? I’m assuming that at least some of it would be beyond my abilities.

Thanks!

admin answers:

Hi, Laura. Most houses built in that period were all wood construction. Taking out the ceiling joists of the second floor may weaken the structure and make the walls unstable which would make your roof structure unstable. I would definitely get a design architect to look at the structure to give you her/his opinion. It sounds like a great idea, but if no one else has done it in over 100 years, there may be a reason.
The work itself, if Ok’d by the architect, should be done by a reputable contractor. Not some HooDoo off the internet or the green sheet.

(You may be able to box-in open areas using header material about 18 to 24 inches from the wall edges).

Thomas asks…

how to replace my garage door?

i ran into my garage door the other day and had my friends dad come check it out to see if he could replace it. he said that i should go through homeowners insurance, but we are leasing the house and the owner is extremely selfish, and won’t use his insurance to do so. he also said to check if the boards used in the door are still made by that company. however, i can’t find the company name, and am just going with the idea that i will have to replace the door. any other ideas? if not, how much do you think it would cost to replace it? it’s a double garage (not sure of exact size), i don’t want insulation, and i want the cheapest kind. and any ideas where to get this? thanks

admin answers:

Don’t feel bad, I’ve done it twice. The boards can usually be replaced and the doors can almost ALWAYS be repaired. The last time I did it I really ran OVER the door. They complained but were able to fix it. I ended up putting in some new boards because I had ruined the others. Look in the yellow pages under garage doors and find an installer. If there is more than one see if you can get a free estimate. I had one company “Overhead Garage Doors” give me a price break because another company said they could do it cheaper. It was a lot, but it was something. I got a new car and it has sensors that go off and I have back up cameras…but…don’t say never….because if anyone can run over a garage door….it’s me!!!! I paid out of pocket because it would raise our home owners insurance too much. Good luck!!!