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Local Insulation Installers

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What R Value would you recomend for an Attic in South Carolina?

I have read online R49, but i was told by an Insulation Installer to go with R38, that any more would be basicly waisted. Any oppinions? It would be an extra $80 if i want R49 over R38. Its in the Attic, I dont care about storage, it would be fiberglass, i just want the cheapest possible utility bills

Josh D

Question answered by book writer

R 49 would be best, and just $80 more dollars it would be worth it!

White Card for Insulation Installer --- More Point would be appreciated to best answer?

Hi, I would start insulation installer job, and all company want me to have White Card. I am in South Australia, Adelaide. Anyone tell me where and how I can get this white card. Thanks,

swikar

Question answered by GG-pa

I believe that a white card is to certify that you have completed construction safety training. Here is the website that will help you get your white card: http://www.qhint.com/tmo/index.php?page=workSafely Good luck!

What is the correct insulation for my walls?

i'm having work done on my unit and the contractor is using fiberglass insulation that does not have paper backing. it is R-13, which I read is the correct rating for walls. i also see that it's bunched up in places, especially around electrical boxes, stuffed over wires, and that there are voids. any pros out there that can help? thanks.

justin_dowl

Question answered by Beau H

R-13 or R-15 is standard for exterior walls, it should not be bunched up around anything it is designed to insulate best when fully expanded, the installer shoud have cut out around electrical boxes, and there shoud not be any voids, any thing that can not be filled with insulation should be filled with a foam in a can product. as far as running it over wires that will offer the best insulation as apposed to cutting around the wires

How effective is Cavity wall insulation?

Does cavity wall insulation really improve the heat loss in a house? My flat feels very cold and wonder if cavity wall insulation will have a very noticeable feel?

Gary P

Question answered by wakeboarder82

Yes it will greatly reduce your heat loss. There are some things you should know though. Not all insulation is the same. The advertised R-Value of the insulating material is the R-Value in a lab test situation. When you install the insulation in a wall, a couple of factors bring that number down. Firstly, the entire wall is not filled with insulation. Only the cavity between the studs is insulated. The wood studs (I'm assuming this is what you have on a hunch), are much less resistant to heat flow. These become thermal bridges that bypass that insulation. Framing can make up 20% of the wall in many cases. Continuous rigid insulation will cover the entire wall and break those thermal bridges but that is not so practical for a retrofit. So anyway, installing R-19 insulation does not get you an R-19 wall. It is more likely to give you an R-12 or so. Of course since you have no insulation currently, this will be a drastic improvement. Secondly, insulation is of little use if it is not installed properly. Air must not be allowed to circulate in the cavity. The cavity must be completely filled with insulation. I once heard a great analogy that was something like "If you cut a blanket into many small pieces and lay it over you, you will not feel warm" (John Straube). You need a continuous air barrier, and a it must be contiguous to your insulation. If it's not, the heat will flow by convection in the air space. In fact this happens in any airspace greater than 1/4 inch. What I would recommend that you do is have a qualified insulator blow dense packed cellulose into your walls. This is a product made from recycled newspapers. If blown to a density of at least 3.2 lbs/cubic ft, it will provide an air tight cavity and will not require that you install any vapor diffusion retarder. Cellulose is good at regulating moisture in the wall and is also fairly fire resistant at high density. One last thing, make sure all the cavities get filled. Make sure the installer pays attention to where framing members are. PS. There is one situation where cavity insulation should absolutely never be used. Always use continuous insulation with steel studs. Steel is such a good conductor that any insulation between the steel is of no use. It's unfortunate but this is actually a very common building practice that leads to sick buildings with mold problems and high heating costs.

How much would it cost to have new insulation, solar panels and water heater?

I'm in an Environmental Design class and I'm researching on a green remodel project that includes new insulation (roof and walls), solar panels and water heater for a remodel on a 2,000 sq. ft. home for 4 people living there. I need the costs of material AND labor per item. Let's say I'm remodeling a house in Southern California. And yes, I know a thing called GOOGLE, but it's not helping much. Hopefully you can!

Fritzi ♥ Jonas Brothers

Question answered by roderick_young

For the insulation, decide what type you want, then search Home Depot's website for a price. For a solar hot water heater, if that's what you mean, call up a local Solar Installer. It will be in the neighborhood of $3-5k. If you mean solar electric panels, Southern California is one of the best places, due to the rebate structure of SoCal Edison, PLUS the new uncapped federal tax credit coming on-line next year. Again, you need to decide how much power you want to put up. After all rebates, it could end up being $4-5 a watt. Again, a local solar installer in your phone book can give you a ballpark figure. You can also find prices on photovoltaic kits at www.partsonsale.com . They're in the Palm desert, I think, not far from the hypothetical house's location. By the way, if you had just Googled "solar panel prices", that, and a lot of other places, would have come up. It's really not that hard to find.

Installing metal studs what insulation to use?

I want to insulate my basement which has uneven walls. So I have decided to use metal studs which I have been told they come in 2.5 inch thickness. Which will be perfect for 2 inch stroboard to fit in. Do they make insulation that fits inbetween these or do I have to cut my own size?

steady

Question answered by ishootbirds2

you can ask around to find one of those expanding spray foam insulation installers, they come in and spray a foam insulation mix that expands to your wall thickness right on the walls. no cutting, no measuring. Those seal and insulate better than regular rigid or fiberglass batts. wikipedia article on it http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Building_insulation_materials#Spray_Polyurethane_Foam_.28SPF.29_Insulation

How does insulation work?

I've been helping my dad sheet rock our basement and we needed to replace some insulation. Some insulation had aluminium foil facing the "living space", and others had brown paper. How does insulation help keep the heat inside our houses?

Scream Aim & Fire

Question answered by Chris

The insulation you are referring to is pretty simple to understand. It is thickness dependent like the blanket on your bed. It works by making it hard for heat to conduct through. It does not trap air (cheap air filters are made from fibers of glass just like insulation). It works giving heat a lot of mass to soak into. It basically absorbs the heat and stores it so it can not move from one side through to the other very quickly. The kraft paper on one side is used as a moisture barrier and to help hold it in place when installed. It gives installers something to staple to the wall or studs. The foil facing is used again as a moisture barrier but is more useful as a radiant barrier. It works by reflecting heat much as a mirror reflects light. This means that heat has a much harder time getting into the insulation which in turn, keeps the insulation from working so hard. The kraft paper is now considered a fire hazard in most areas and is against most fire codes now a days. It should be installed so that it does no have direct contact with an open airspace. The foil facing should face the airspace and is almost always rated as a class a fire rating. In a basement wall, you probably don't have an airspace as you would in an attic so I wouldn't worry about fire ratings too much. If the insulation will be totally enclosed after the wall is sheet rocked, then you can use either the kraft paper faced or unfaced insulation. I am from the Dallas area though and don't have a lot of experience with basements in general. Typically, the thicker the insulation, the higher the R-Value.

With the "dodgy" home insulation scheme across Australia, what caused the electrocutions to happen?

Wouldn't the professional installers taken safeguards first, just in case? You wouldn't usually have exposed wires (wiring) or outlets in attics, et cetera would you?

My Questions and Answers

Question answered by Splinter

If the wiring was covered with metal foil insulation which was then nailed with metal nails to fix it in place then it might be possible for a nail to connect the live wiring with the metal foil. Or maybe the installers pulled on electrical wiring and it pulled loose exposing the wiring inside. Maybe the Coroner when he investigates the deaths will be more specific as to the actual causes.

Is it better to lay new loft insulation over old?

My brother is doing our loft, and wants to keep the old fibre glass insulation that is already down, and put new insulation over this. The reason for this is that because its flattened, he will not fit in 2 lots of new insulation, as it will be above the joists. It also would be dearer to rip the old stuff up. Now this has started an argument between my Mum and Dad. My questions : - 1) Is it any more hazardous to rip the old stuff up, than just lay new stuff over it. 2)Would ripping up old stuff put his health in jeopardy? 2) Does the old stuff have a shelf life? 3) Would it be better to rip up old stuff, and lay just 1 layer of new stuff? Many Thanks in advance to anyone experienced in this Old insulation is 20 yrs old

MalayanScout

Question answered by Anthony

i work for an insulation company. the professional insulators would lay it on top but they would cross lay it the recommended depth can vary from house to house normally around 10 - 12 inches although adequate ventilation etc needs to be considered. it sounds straight forward but isnt always the case. there is a grant entitlement that you can claim where a professional can come and survey the loft for you free and then have a professional installer fit it with adequate ventilation and they will even insulate the piping/ water tanks and hatch if applicable. see if you qualify hope this will help http://www.energycutter.co.uk/#/insulation-boilers/4570657703

What are some quality alternatives to drywall when finishing a basement?

I would prefer a product that easy to install (DIY), has insulation already attached, and is able to be painted.

Jim

Question answered by This Old House

I'm don't know of anything that covers all those bases, but there are some alternatives to drywall. Wood paneling is one, and if you use prefinished paneling you won't have to paint. Another is Basement Finishing System developed by Owens Corning. It consists of fabric faced R-11 insulation panels that fit in a support grid attached to the foundation walls. The panels can be removed easily if you need access to the walls behind. The system has to be installed by a franchised installer, though--I don't think it's available for DIY use. Of course, there's more to finishing out a basement than choosing a wall covering--here's a summary of what's involved: http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/article/0,,1024509,00.html#?xid=yahoo-answers&partner=yes Make sure your basement is dry before you undertake the project. Here's how to dry out a wet basement: http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/article/0,,220912,00.html?xid=yahoo-answers&partner=yes