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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1976-10-28, Page 57an't. Warrrhup winier.;.SO eep the heat you have indoors We might as 'well forget_ about trying to heat up the great Canadian winter; we just can't do it. So let's keep our heat indoors, where it will do us the most good. As you read this sup- plement you'll discover that installing or adding insulation is neither difficult nor par- ticularly . expensive. Insulation conserves ,heating energy which in turn saves you money. Two things happen when insulation- is added to your* new or existing home. First, and most„im�portant, you :save energy because you use less fuel for heating. Secondly, you feel warmer andmore comfortable.' From the moment heat is generated, it tries to escape into the colder air outside. It vanishes throughthe ceiling and walls, sneaks .out round windows and doors. The rate of escape' depends on the difference between the inside and outside temperatures, and on the resistance it meets. Insulation is the key barrier that traps and holds heat inside. A thorough.•. re -insulation job can cut your annual heating bill by as much as 50 percent. A more modest: improvement to your in- sulation can save you -20 to .30 percent annually. So if your bill is now $300, a 30 percent saving could reduce it to $210. The cost of insulating all or part of a house is usually paid for in 5 years or less, .through lower annual heating costs... A. quick way to find out if your . house needs extra . in- sulation is oto take a look outside: On a dullday, is the snow::melting on the roof? If so, you don't. have enough insulation in the attic. Is snow disappearing from around the. sides of the house? • If so you need insulation on the basement walls. A poorly insulated house is usually uncomfortable. Blame it on the "cold wall" effect. The inside surfaceof an uninsulated wall may be from ' 8 . to 15 Fahrenheit degrees (4 • to.. 8 Celsius degrees) colder than the same wall with insulation. If you're sitting near the . wall, your body heat- will flow towards the cooler surface and you'll soon begin to feel chilly. At the same time, as ,warm' air meets the cool wall it becomes more dense and. sinks towards the floor. This displaces warm floor -air. which rises. The result can be uncomfortable drafts. Many of us turn up the thermostat, blaming a chilly feeling on. the furnace or the weather. The real problem is often a .lack' of good insulation and weather protection. Years ago weassumed that the best measure of insulation was thickness_. Times and products have changed. This rule -of -thumb is no longer reliable. Insulation' is ' now manufactured and sold -by' "resistance value" .(called the "R" value) - a precise measurement of, the in- sulation's resistance to heat. transfer. The . higher , the resistance value, the less heat will escape through the . in- sulating material. One brand of insulation may be thicker -or thinner than another, but if they both show the same R value, they'll perform ,equally well. The R .value is stamped in large letters on the cover of packaged insulation. If it isn't there, check with your dealer who should know the value. You can choose from four. basic types of 'home in-, sulation: (1)• batt and blanket, (2) loose fill, (3i);.. rigid foam plastic,,,," (4) foamed -in-place plastic. • (1) Batt and blanket in- sulation. This has a soft, woolly texture and . is made from fibres of glass, rock or slag. It• is the most common type and is probably up in your attic right now. .The batts 'are sold in pre= packaged bundles, in 4-fo 8 -foot lengths. They v y from 2 to 6 inches in thickness and come in standard widths — to fit• 'snugly between uniform -centre- ceiling joists, studs or wall strapping. -Blanket insulation is sold in rolls, of varying lengths, widths and thicknesses. Both types are sold With or w•itliout an attached vapor barrier. This barrier . is a protective coating in one side of the insulation -using wax, tarred•kraft-paper, aluminum foil or plastic — ,to guard against moisture damage which would reduce the in- sulation.'s effectiveness. (Vapor barrier's and • their uses are discussed again further on.) ' Batts or blankets are used. to insulate :,frame or brick houses - in walls, . over ceilings, under floors, ..in crawl spaces and. garages. They can be used on poured concrete and block basement walls where framing has been applied. (2) Loose -fill insulation. Loose -fill insulation is sold by the bag and may be in pellets, fibrous or granular form. When properly used, it leaves few air gaps or pockets and forms an. effective. -heat barrier. .In wall cavities, however, it may settle over the years and leave a poorly insulated gap at the top. Can Candle Pencil. ;.Imagine a candle burning in an up -ended tin can. In`time, the .inside becomes blaek coated with soot. Since soot is a good insulator, heat on the inside of the can is restricted from flowing outside, The same thing happens inside your furnace. Where "does the -trapped heat go? Up the chimney instead of into your home. Cleaning the inside of your furnace takes about an hour and can cut your fuel bill by as much as 10 per cent. There .is.no vapor barrier, so one must beapplied to protect the insulation from moisture:: (Because loose fill is so easy to apply it'soften used to re -insulate an existing home ceiling. Professional insulation contractors also use it as a "blown -in" type for the wall cavities of existing. homes. Holes are drilled in each stud space of the wall and the insulation is blown; in using a compressor. The holes are then sealed.) Loose.fill<.is, manufactured from ' glass, rock,,, slag, pulverized paper or expanded mica.' The. expanded , mica, type (zonolite or vermiculite) can be ' used in block -type walls in new construction, where the material ispoured directly into the block cores. (3) . Rigid foam plastic insulation'. Rigid polyul'ethane and polystyrene insulation are sold in panels of different sizes and thickness. They offer several advantages: high insulation value . with mini'muni thickness and weight rigidy, sound absorption, vapor barrier. • Polyurethan:e and polystyrene foamed plastics are now recognized as: severe fire hazards when used* in exposed ° or semi -exposed applications. As now manufactured, they not only :contributeto flame spread, but. produce explosive and, poisonous gases under fire conditions. They should not be used in applications which might expose them to open flame inside a building. -. Foam plastic insulation can still . be used under these conditions: (a) inside, if covered by 3/4" plaster or %" gypsum board, •• (b) on the outside of con- crete,' masonry _.or wood frame -walls, (c) inside 'masonry cavity walls,suitably fire -stopped, (d): under concrete floor slabs, (e) as roof insulation ap- plied above structural deck. (9) Foamed -in-place plastic insulation. There are Several brands of foam insulation, . such- as urea -formaldehyde and polyurethane, .which can be foamed -in-place in wall cavities. They should be installed by .a professional contractor with the- proper equipment. If a low flammability foam such as unreaformaldehyde is, chosen, or if ,proper protective,. measuresare taken., -this can be an effective Protect save ventlletlon openings • Page 15 way of retrofitting insulation in older homes.; See a local insulation contractor for more details. '• Vapor barriers are an . essential .part • of the in- sulation story. Insulation in a • wall, ceiling or floor must be • protected by a' vapor barrier applied to the warm (heated) side of the insulation. Without •. it,, moisture from the house air will' enter the insulation, condense. and cause serious damage. Some insulation is sold with an attached vapor barrier. Others require 'a separate application. Here are some common vapor barrier materials: Polyethylene • film, aluminum .foil,-,aluminum paint, varnish ad • rubber base paints, and urethanes. The. recommended. in- sulation levels for Canadian domes have been'. rising through the years, reflecting increased heating costs and. concern • for. energy con- servation•. The precise level of insulation which can be justified on eeonomic grounds (cost of insulation vs. fuel ' saving) ' varies with climate, fuel costs, insulation prices and other factors. It is possible, however, to recommend., one set of minimuminsulation' levels which : are generally ap- plicable across pplicable.across the country. The recommended levels for existing• and new housing will differ because current construction practices often limit the amount of insulation that can be added. However, innovative'. construction techniques will allow higher levelsfor new housing in =the future. The building codes for new homes are presently,being re- evaluated and updated to meet today's energy cir- cumstances. New con- struction techniques, suet' as 6 -inch wall studs and exterior insulation, are being 'con- sidered to make new houses suitable for the energy pinch ahead. Even solar heating systems are being developed and tested. . When you buy or . build a new house, besure it.'has the maximum amount of- in- sulation possible.' You might want to look into 6 -inch studs to permit more insulation in the walls, and consider built- in basement insulation. Your new 'home. 'should at .least meet the insulation levels recommended above. ` The money you invest in' extra insulation now will: more than repay itself in the years - ahead. ATTICS Keep save vents cleat Alternate -apply toad baffle to underside of miters Install thick batty • • to prevent blocklnti of *fret emit vents • Blown mineral fiber tnsliintion •