What is plastic faced insulation?

Every area inside a home has a unique use and purpose.  While you can decorate your home anyway you like it and you can place furniture as you please, the rooms in the house have been created with a unique purpose in mind.

As such, the builder has created a specific room for each specific use.  There is ONE room that is meant to be the kitchen, ONE that is meant to be X bedroom and so on.  Each room has its purpose and so their needs.

There are times when homes become businesses.  Or homes are acquired by families who have different preferences or needs.  According to their needs and preferences, it might be that the insulation that is required for each part of the building changes.

This is not only applicable to buildings that were primarily intended to become homes and then were transmigrated to businesses.  It also applies to homes themselves.  It is important to understand and know what kind of insulation goes to a specific room and why.

Where do you use plastic faced insulation?

Plastic faced insulation is preferably used in basements.  Most people believe that basements “are not really an area of the home” and as such, there is no need to be concerned with.  But not only they are, they also hold several main structures and roles that are basic to the life of the building itself.

Each day more and more people turn around and realize that their basements are much more than a “second attic” or “another place to dump everything we do not need at the moment but do not want to throw away”.  Basements are slowly turning into livable rooms and places where family residents:  teenagers and the males of the home enjoy a room of their own.  Also known as a “man cave”.

In the case of office buildings, basements are also places where many equipment items are placed as these are usually cold.  Finally, it is in basements where mechanical systems, AC and heating are installed because they should NOT be placed outside the home unless there is no practical space.

Basements are dark, cold and usually humid.  These three qualities make basements a perfect place for pests and termites to settle down and even flourish.  Mold and mildew are also common basement residents.  If a garden surrounds the basement, this will be a more probable case than if concrete surrounded the basement. 

However, concrete is also laid on top of soil.  So, despite the reduction of insects and overall pests, that can happen if a basement is surrounded by concrete versus surrounded by garden; there will always be a magnet for insects and other unwanted critters.

To prevent this is what you use insulation for.  Keeping the basement at a normal temperature and avoiding the coldness and humidity take its toll and encourage the rampage of unwanted critters and development of mold and mildew.

So do I need to insulate the WHOLE basement?

In most homes, it is recommended that there is insulation between the floors.  The floor of one room is the ceiling of another and as such, it is recommended that the floors/ceilings are insulated to provide an additional layer of soundproofing.

Nonetheless, it is not particularly recommended that you insulate the basement ceiling.  These responses to the need for the basement to acquire the same temperature than the rest of the house.  If you are insulating the perimeter of the basement, then the coldness and humidity of it will no longer be an issue and you will have a basement with the same temperature or coolness than the rest of your home.

Regarding the basement walls, they should be insulated with a non-water sensitive insulation that prevents air from sifting inside and contacting the basement cold surfaces.  Otherwise what will happen is that moisture will start to form and the consequential mold and mildew will happen.

These moisture-attracting areas are not limited to the yearly weather cycle.  They are present all year round, but in the equation regarding what you need to do to insulate your basement, you should also consider the moisture spots that become present at some special weather months in the year such as during the raining season and winter, regardless if where you live snows or not. 

If you choose to use plastic faced insulation for your basement, it is important that you remember to use a fire/ignition barrier.  All plastics burn and when they do, the product toxic fumes and gases that can be extremely hazardous for sustaining life.  To ensure that you are using the right fire/ignition barrier, you can contact your local fire department.

There are, of course, other alternatives that you can use to the plastic-faced insulation.  And in the case of the basement, some contractors do recommend also the use of two complementary insulation to ensure that the moisture, coldness and water barrier for the basement is properly installed.

However, any basement is not constituted solely by a ceiling and walls, it also has a floor.  And it is probably the floor of the basement that part where insulating is more complicated.

The best place to insulate basements floors is underneath them.  The best insulation is a rigid one.   For this end, plastic faced insulation has a unique and perfect fit.

This is probably one of the least recommended processes that a basement can have mainly because the energy saving rates that this action yields in the short run isn’t that big and people tend to get discouraged by this.  However, in the long run, such a process will ensure that the basement is properly insulated, there is no mold nor mildew growth, any mechanics installed will require less maintenance and will broke down a lot less frequently.

The basement will be able to become a living space with a lot less effort; there will be less potential critters settling in.  It is important to know that since concrete dries “upward” when you insulated the basement floor and lay the concrete on top of the plastic-faced insulation, you need to be sure that the concrete is thoroughly dry before applying any finishes. 

In addition, impermeable interior floor finishes should be avoided to allow the concrete to “stay dry”

 

To get a quote on PSK insulation call Pacific Insulation Supply

Is Fiberglass Insulation Fireproof?

There are many insulation options in the market.  Designed and developed to accommodate specific needs in each part of the home or building construction, these insulation materials, mostly, are created with fire-retardant chemicals.

“Fire retardant” is a common term used in the insulation business.  For many it means that the insulation products can withstand tremendous fire temperatures without breaking a flame.  This misconception has given many homeowners the comfort and security to even bypass safety measures.

What does “fire retardant” mean?

The term “fire retardant” means that it will ignite, there is no question about it.  However, the time lapse that passes from being exposed to fire and catching fire makes the whole difference.  Insulation material without a fire-retardant coating will catch fire 3x faster than those that have the fire-retardant coatings.

There are many chemicals that are customary to use in insulation products manufacturing as fire-retardant solutions for insulation materials.  One of these common chemicals is Ammonium sulfate, this chemical will increase the combustion temperature for the material in which it has been applied.

This means that, for instance (DISCLAIMER: THIS IS JUST AN EXAMPLE TO MAKE A POINT), if a material such as wool, it will ignite after 5 seconds of being exposed to fire, when wool has been submersed in ammonium sulfate, then it will withstand the exposure to fire for about 10 seconds, that is double the time.

 

In addition, it decreases the maximum weight-loss rates as the material as it burns. Increases the production of residue or char.  This means that the material in which the ammonium sulfate is applied to, will have a lower tendency to become “volatile” in terms of small fire specs that are often carried out of the major fire to parts that haven’t been burned yet.

Despite its benefits, there is a problem.  When the ammonium sulfate decomposes (through moisture) or becomes wet, it produces sulfuric acid; this byproduct is highly corrosive to metals and dangerous for humans and any residents of the home.

While it is a very handy and effective chemical fire-retardant solution, its characteristic to change to sulfuric acid makes most installers prefer cellulose chemically treated with boric acid and borax.

Still, there is a benefit and the insulation industry has come up with corrosion inhibitors being added to the chemicals used to moisten the cellulose faced insulation products.

If you want to use insulation materials that have been prepared with this fire-retardant, it is important to make sure that there is no source or potential source for water nearby the insulation material to prevent it from getting wet. If you are insulating your ceiling, you will also need to ensure that there are not water leaks nor vapor leakage from the rest of the home. 

Kraft paper backed insulation fire hazard

 Among the list of many problems that a homeowner or contractor has to deal with when replacing or installing insulation in a building is the risk of a fire hazard. This is something none of us want to experience in our homes.

Upon installation of the new insulation or replacement of the old one, make sure that services installations such as gas, electricity and water have been properly isolated and their installations are in pristine condition. If they are not, then you will need to change or correct them until they are. 

One thing that we need to care for is the insulation that is installed or to be installed in our homes.   Insulation can be a very positive thing, but this positivity can also turn to become something negative as it explodes and combusts in fire.

Danger in all places

The right insulation applied the right way will enhance your home’s indoor weather and will save you thousands in energy bills.  However, this same insulation can burn and release toxins and poisonous gases into the very air that, in a fire, you will struggle to breathe.

When a fire starts, the same insulation that prevents warm air to leave your home will prevent -to an extent- fire from rapidly spreading into other areas of the house, but it will make the temperature of the room higher and that, in extinguishing a fire, can become troublesome if the fire department isn’t called on time.

After a while of being exposed to a fire source, all insulation will start to cave in and catch fire.  In those cases where the insulation does not combust, it is certain it will melt and it can burn and cause other surfaces and materials to catch fire.

How does it catch fire?

Insulation materials can combust as part of a building burning or as the chief source of fire. If the fire starts elsewhere in the home and as the fire progresses, it combusts the insulation materials, then they burn as part of the burning building. If they ignite because of a short circuit in their vicinity, then they will burn as the chief source of fire. 

Short circuits are just an example, there is no way to single out a source for a fire.  It can be a match, a cigarette- or any other source.  It is important to know that the electrical installation of your home can also be the source of the fire. 

When the installation of the insulation is poorly done, it puts at risk the house since most likely, installations such as water, gas, electricity and even the weatherproofing of the roof and outside of the house are equally shady. In one such example, the electrical circuits are suffocated with the insulation material.  Such action will probably overheat the electrical cords and, in time, it can lead to a short-circuit and the consequential fire.

In addition, if the insulation material is covering other installations without the proper consideration, such as the heat-producing devices can affect their performance and consequently force you to spend more money to have them working properly.  This is without considering that any appliance will overwork and overheat.

Toxicity

Undoubtedly, all insulation materials burn.  They are not fireproofed as there are little materials that can withstand a long and heavy exposure to fire.  Mostly, any construction- or home-related materials will burn even if they do not so immediately.

However, since the moment the insulation products are exposed to fire, their chemical structure changes and there will be a release of toxic gases and smoke.  The amount of gasses and smoke released will vary and become more intense the longer the insulation materials are exposed to the fire.

In the same manner, if a person is exposed to these toxic releases, he or she will begin to feel sick and dizzy. If the exposure is prolonged, it can be life threatening.  While kraft insulation has paper backing, the paper has been treated and it will also release toxic smoke and gasses like any other form of insulation.

As the fire consumes the insulation material, the smoke will get thicker and it can cause problems for the inhabitants of the home when they try to get out of harm’s way.

It is always a superb idea to be additionally careful how you install insulation materials that have a paper backing of any kind.  Especially if these papers have oily substances added for functionality and/or efficiency.

Sometimes insulation materials that have paper backing have additional materials such as asbestos.  While these might be banned or prohibited in your area, they can be extremely dangerous for your health if they are exposed to fire.

Something else to know about.

Despite the evidently logical reaction of insulation to fire, there are those who firmly believe that insulation is fireproofed and the fact that it is stated as fire retardant means that it will neither succumb to the exposition to fire.

Consider typical insulations; these are made of wood, paper, cork and cotton as their primary materials.  These materials are known as “cellulose insulation” as they are related to this by their source, origin or the fact that they can be considered byproducts.

The proposal of being retardant lies because in most cases, cellulose derived and kraft paper faced insulation are often covered in one or more layers of fire-retardant chemicals.  These chemicals are referred to as “Thermal barrier”.  Their sole purpose is to actually ensure that the ignition of the materials as they are exposed to fire for a long period of time is delayed.

The concept in this is that by delaying the ignition of the materials as they are exposed to fire, it will give time for either the fire department or the homeowner to arrive to the ignited area with a fire extinguisher or any other fire-battling tool that will prevent the insulation from getting caught on fire and causing the evident damages.

While these thermal barriers are required by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, each fire situation is unique and it can’t be bundled with any other as part of a generic situation.  It is important to consider that while the insulation passes the CPSC requirements, it may react differently than expected when given the condition for a particular fire.

Should I Put Insulation in My Home?

Every home needs to have proper insulation.  Through insulation, any housing or office building can provide adequate weather for a comfortable residence and time spent. 

All insulation is created and designed with the unique purpose of keeping a distinct differentiation between weather.  The weather outside should stay outside while the weather inside should remain unchanged.

As a rule of thumb, there are only three conditions in which insulation should be installed or replaced:

1-      It is a recent construction, and it needs to be insulated.

2-      The construction is undergoing renovation and at this time, it is always a magnificent idea to check on the state, condition and performance of the already installed insulation.

3-      The building is 20+ years old, and it is advisable that the insulation should be checked for condition and performance as its life-span is almost done.

These conditions are not the only thing that can cause an insulation replacement or installation.  Despite that insulation installment is a law stated procedure, there are still homes that are standing strong who do not have an insulation installation or worse, who happen to still have asbestos-based insulation.

Attic insulation

In most cases, attics are the first parts of the building to either lack this important part or to have a non-adequate installation.  If you are planning to buy or to renew your home, the attic is always a suitable place to start and checking the state of the installation is, naturally, a given.

If you are a Sunday do-it-yourself kind of person, it is always advisable that regarding checking the condition and performance of the already installed insulation to contact any attic insulation contractors.  A simple query: Attic insulation contractors near me- can point you in the right direction.

Keep in mind if the attic insulation is in a poor condition, doesn’t work properly or its materials are outdated or even outlawed, then removal is a must.  For this, the company that you seek when querying attic insulation contractors near me should also be one of any attic insulation removal companies available in every city in the USA.

An alternative is to simply hire an attic insulation removal and replacement company.  This would come in handy if you are not experienced in how to do the removal or the installation of insulation materials.  If your home is 20+ years or you plan to do a renewal or update of the entire building, then an attic insulation removal and replacement company is the best way to go to ensure that everything from the preparation -including the isolation of the electric, water and gas lines- to the actual insulation installation are done in the right way.

Any residential insulation contractors will do?

If you are not experienced in insulation installation or have done none ever.  It is not recommendable for you to venture without the help of someone experienced. You could approach your choice of the many insulation companies for assistance and guidance.

Getting guidance and help from insulation companies near me is an adequate way to tackle the inspection and removal of an existing insulation installation in your home. It is important to emphasize that doing the entire home insulation inspection and removal is not an easy feat.

There are a handful of requirements when dealing with attic insulation that should never be dismissed or taken lightly:

1.       Service installations:  Electricity, water, heat, AC, etc. should be isolated independently and the insulation must avoid them
2.       The area where the previous insulation was installed should be properly cleaned and debris, dust and residue should be removed.
3.       The attic must be made sure that it has no water nor vapor leaks.
4.       The right insulation should be installed.

There are many varieties of insulation providers in the market.  From spray foam to fiberglass insulation.  Each one has a unique way to properly installed.  Doing so in any other way can hinder, damage or obstruct the proper function of the insulation.

Wrongfully installing insulation in your attic will not cause your home to come crashing down, but with some insulation products, if they are not properly installed the damage can cause corrosion in the support beam. In other cases, they will let the indoor weather out and cause you additional energy expenses.

Therefore, it is important that you are honest with yourself and acknowledge if you are both experienced and crafted enough to do a well-processed insulation replacement and installation or not.

Again, in the first case, definitely seek the guidance and help of a local insulation contractor or any of the many insulation companies in your area.  Maybe the first home insulation company you approach or the first few ask you for some guidance fee, that would be up to you to choose whether to pay it.

Regardless, it is important to stress the benefits that a do-it-yourself will have from a professional company guiding and helping to sort out any problems or installation hiccups. 

In the second case, interview a few companies.  Ask them questions and get estimates. From these local insulation contractors, you will find the company that makes you feel the most comfortable with.

Wall Insulation

The attic is not the only place in a house or a commercial building that uses insulation.  While attic insulation helps maintain the weather outside and inside separate and comfortable for the inhabitants and users of the buildings, insulation in other parts of the building have a function too.

For instance, wall insulation will provide soundproof walls in the rooms of the house.  Just like with the attic insulation, if your home or interested building is 20+ old, maybe it has already been wall-insulated and just like with the attic, renewal is a great opportunity to check on the status of the insulation, whether it is functional still or if it is time to change it.

Just like with an attic, you can call for an insulation removal contractor that will take care of carefully taking away any old and/or decayed insulation materials in your walls.    If you choose for this approach during the insulation removal is the perfect time to check on the status of the household installations such as phone, electricity, water, plumbing.

 As we discussed it in the attic segment of this article, these installations should be isolated as the insulation materials often react badly to the influence of external sources such as water, water vapor and humidity.

Maybe the insulation removal contractor you seek to take care of this does not take care of the isolation of the already existing house installations.  In such a case, you could do another query for insulation companies near me that will provide you with a full and well rounded up service.

Nonetheless, you can seek a specific residential insulation contractor that specializes in the insulation material that you have installed in your walls.  One of the most popular choices is fiberglass insulation. 

Since fiberglass insulation does not accumulate dust, mold or mildew is one of the most popular choices.  You can find a fiberglass insulation installer by conducting a quick search in your favorite search engine.  There are, indeed, many wall insulation companies that specialize in fiberglass insulation installation.

Finally, if you are planning on doing the wall insulation installation yourself, unless you are experienced in the insulation installation process, avoid working on wall insulation by yourself.  The reason is simple:  Every home has service installations set up inside the walls, mainly electricity.  

When an electrical installation isn’t properly isolated and the insulation is placed without knowing how to do it in the proper way, the chances for an electrical fire increase.

Wall insulation companies provide the best service and they might provide you with the guidance you need to do the insulation installation yourself.

What happens if the building to insulate is NOT a home?

Commercial insulation contractors usually take care of the entire process regarding insulation installation in commercial buildings.  Checking for the status and condition of an existing insulation installation and the removal and the installation of the fresh insulation materials.

In the specific case for commercial structures, maybe the best insulation is spray foam as this insulation material is easily applicable, hardens quickly and, if it is installed properly, has the least amount of hindering in everyday activities, so important for businesses.

Businesses often need to have their buildings properly insulated.  The traffic of humans in and out every day can cause an imbalance in the steadiness in the indoor weather.  For instance, when it is summer, most companies have their own AC installations working during business hours to provide a nice and comfortable environment for their employees and visitors.

This will create a happy employee that will work faster and harder for the company and a happy visitor that will translate into a bigger income.  Some businesses have been settled in previously single-family homes; the business itself has a more relaxed, comfortable and inviting presence, but it also means that in terms of maintenance, it has to be done as if it still was a single-family home.

Here, it is important to start the insulation check up like you would in your own home:  From the attic and then move into the walls and ceilings of the rest of the construction. 

For efficiency and speed purposes, maybe the best way to do the insulation in your particular location is with spray foam installers.  It is always advisable to find a reputable commercial insulation contractor that will provide you with the alternatives, information and budgets for you to make an adequate and informed decision.

Two things to remember:

1-      If the insulation remover that is coming at your location to take care of this process does not convince you, dismiss him and hire someone else.  Removing the insulation is just as a delicate part of the process as installing it.  A shady removing process can cause you several hundreds in expenses for isolating and repairing damage installations.

2-      Spray foam insulation companies are specialized companies that focus specifically on this particular insulation.  Doing a spray foam insulation by yourself can be difficult and tricky.  You could end up causing more damage than benefit, even if you are seeking guidance from either other spray form insulation contractors or general commercial insulation contractors.

To buy insulation contact Pacific Insulation Supply