Cellulose Insulation insulation contractor maine
Dense Pack, Loose fill, Drill & Fill Cellulose Insulation
Contracting and Installation.
Low cost, environmentally friendly cellulose insulation providing excellent R-Value, air barrier, and value, all from a 100% recycled product.
Made fom recycled news paper, cellulose insulation is a highly versitile product which can be used in retrofit applications like drill & fill in old empty wall cavites, replacing poor product like fiberglass in attic flats, or in new construction or renovation dense packed into wall or ceiling cavities.
Cellulose insulation acts as a fire retardant as well as a pest and rodent deterant.
Made fom recycled news paper, cellulose insulation is a highly versitile product which can be used in retrofit applications like drill & fill in old empty wall cavites, replacing poor product like fiberglass in attic flats, or in new construction or renovation dense packed into wall or ceiling cavities.
Cellulose insulation acts as a fire retardant as well as a pest and rodent deterant.
Fiberglass vs Cellulose
Most homes, new and old alike, are insulated with fiberglass. We now know that fiberglass does not perform well. In fact when you need it most, fiberglass is at its worst. See the link below for a study done by the Natural Rescources Defense Council, comparing fiberglass and cellulose insulation.
Click here to read the study published by Natural Resources Defense Council comparing fiberglass insulation to cellulose.
click image to enlarge
click image to enlarge
Government Sponsored Research
Extensive fire research associated with various building materials and construction has been conducted by the research arm of the Canadian government (National Research Council, NRC). This testing has been done in conjunction with many major corporate sponsors such as Owens-Corning, Cellulose Insulation Manufacturers Association, Boise Cascade, Gypsum Association, Louisiana-Pacific, Roxul Inc., and others.
A July 1994 report of 48 small-scale fire resistance tests by NRC found that fiberglass had a "neutral effect on the fire resistance performance compared to a non-insulated assembly" when using Type X gypsum board. When lightweight gypsum board is used, it was found the fire resistance performance "was slightly lower than that of a non-insulated assembly". It also found that "the installation of cellulose fibre in the wall cavity provided an increase in the fire resistance performance of 22% to 55% compared to a non-insulated assembly".
Additionally an April 1998 NRC report of various 32 full-scale floor assemblies concluded very interesting results when varying the insulation material. Assemblies with solid wood joists with a single layer of gypsum board ceiling determined that "glass fibre insulation reduced the fire resistance by 20% while rock and cellulose fibre insulation increased the fire resistance by 33% and 31 %, respectively, compared to a non-insulated assembly" For wood I-joists, "cellulose fiber increased the fire resistance by 24% compared to a non-insulated assembly". The following were detailed observations contained in the report.
Extensive fire research associated with various building materials and construction has been conducted by the research arm of the Canadian government (National Research Council, NRC). This testing has been done in conjunction with many major corporate sponsors such as Owens-Corning, Cellulose Insulation Manufacturers Association, Boise Cascade, Gypsum Association, Louisiana-Pacific, Roxul Inc., and others.
A July 1994 report of 48 small-scale fire resistance tests by NRC found that fiberglass had a "neutral effect on the fire resistance performance compared to a non-insulated assembly" when using Type X gypsum board. When lightweight gypsum board is used, it was found the fire resistance performance "was slightly lower than that of a non-insulated assembly". It also found that "the installation of cellulose fibre in the wall cavity provided an increase in the fire resistance performance of 22% to 55% compared to a non-insulated assembly".
Additionally an April 1998 NRC report of various 32 full-scale floor assemblies concluded very interesting results when varying the insulation material. Assemblies with solid wood joists with a single layer of gypsum board ceiling determined that "glass fibre insulation reduced the fire resistance by 20% while rock and cellulose fibre insulation increased the fire resistance by 33% and 31 %, respectively, compared to a non-insulated assembly" For wood I-joists, "cellulose fiber increased the fire resistance by 24% compared to a non-insulated assembly". The following were detailed observations contained in the report.
- "The glass fibre melted 2 to 3 min after the gypsum board fell off and was unable to compensate for the earlier failure of the gypsum board."
- "However the rock and cellulose fibre insulations remained in place after the gypsum board fell off and were able to compensate for the earlier failure of the gypsum board and protected the wood joists and subfloor for a substantial period."
More about Cellulose
Cellulose is “green.” It’s made of 80% post-consumer recycled newsprint. The fiber is chemically treated with non-toxic borate compounds (20% by weight) to resist fire, insects and mold. The Cellulose Insulation Manufacturers Association (CIMA) claims that insulating a 1500 ft2 house with cellulose will recycle as much newspaper as an individual will consume in 40 years. If all new homes were insulated with cellulose this would remove 3.2 million tons of newsprint from the nation’s waste stream each year. There’s room to grow. Fewer than 10% of the homes built today use cellulose. Cellulose earns “green” points because it requires less energy than fiberglass to manufacture. Disciples claim 200 times less petro-energy than fiberglass. More realistically, Environmental Building News reports that fiberglass requires approximately 8 times more energy to make when adjusted to reflect energy cost per installed R-value unit.
Cellulose insulation is safe. It is made of paper, but the chemical treatment provides it with permanent fire resistance. There’s been static generated by the fiberglass industry warning that cellulose could burn. But independent testing confirms it’s safe and cellulose is approved by all building codes. In fact, many professionals consider cellulose to be more fire-safe than fiberglass. This claim rests on the fact that cellulose fibers are more tightly packed, effectively choking wall cavities of combustion air, preventing the spread of fire through framing cavities.
The fact that R-value of cellulose is slightly better than fiberglass is perhaps a minor issue.
Cellulose insulation provides greater resistance to air leakage and for me this is a biggie. The fiberglass industry points to tests demonstrating air leakage can be controlled with dedicated air-barrier systems. True. Install perfectly continuous sheathing, caulks, gaskets and sealants and you will block air leakage effectively with fiberglass or cellulose. But the simple fact remains: densely packed cellulose blocks air better than fiberglass. Fiberglass relies on trapped air for its insulation value. Cellulose is made from wood fiber and the cellular structure of wood is naturally more resistant to the conduction of heat. When dedicated air-barrier systems are not installed perfectly (which they seldom are), cellulose wins. (Dept of Natural rescources Concervation)
Cellulose insulation is safe. It is made of paper, but the chemical treatment provides it with permanent fire resistance. There’s been static generated by the fiberglass industry warning that cellulose could burn. But independent testing confirms it’s safe and cellulose is approved by all building codes. In fact, many professionals consider cellulose to be more fire-safe than fiberglass. This claim rests on the fact that cellulose fibers are more tightly packed, effectively choking wall cavities of combustion air, preventing the spread of fire through framing cavities.
The fact that R-value of cellulose is slightly better than fiberglass is perhaps a minor issue.
Cellulose insulation provides greater resistance to air leakage and for me this is a biggie. The fiberglass industry points to tests demonstrating air leakage can be controlled with dedicated air-barrier systems. True. Install perfectly continuous sheathing, caulks, gaskets and sealants and you will block air leakage effectively with fiberglass or cellulose. But the simple fact remains: densely packed cellulose blocks air better than fiberglass. Fiberglass relies on trapped air for its insulation value. Cellulose is made from wood fiber and the cellular structure of wood is naturally more resistant to the conduction of heat. When dedicated air-barrier systems are not installed perfectly (which they seldom are), cellulose wins. (Dept of Natural rescources Concervation)
Dense packing with cellulose