Installation of Common Insulation Types: Technote Wood-Frame Walls and Attics
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TechNote Installation of Common Insulation Types: Wood-Frame Walls and Attics Thermal insulation is added to walls, roof/ceilings, and floors to slow down the flow of heat into or out of a home. For alltyp es of insulation, the quality of installation is a significant factor in creating an energy-efficient and durable building enclosure and comfortablendoor i environment. This TechNote provides practical information for the installation of three types of insulation in various applications. Itis intended to help builders and designers meet the requirements of the energy code and maximize the value of each insulation type. Insulation Types Addressed material into wall cavities or onto an spray-applied into open wall cavities. attic floor. In open-frame wall cavities, Damp blown cellulose requires time to Fiberglass is composed of spun glass the fiberglass is held in place by a dry before drywall can be installed. fibers. netting material or can be coated with Spray Polyurethane Foam (SPF) is an acrylic binder during application. Fiberglass Batts have glass fibers fabricated on site using two components coated with a bonding agent. The batts Cellulose insulation is made up of sprayed through a nozzle. Proper foam come in pre-cut lengths and fit between 70% - 85% recycled newspaper, formation requires adhering to standard wall stud spacing or are and is shredded and treated for fire, pest, manufacturer instructions on ambient shipped in rolls and cut to length at the and mold resistance. temperature and humidity, as well as job site. Batts are hand-cut/trimmed to receiving substrate temperature. The be installed around pipes, electrical Dry-Blown Cellulose is installed using SPF cures in place and a short period of wiring, and in non-standard cavities. an insulation blowing machine. It is time is needed before re-entry. There Batts are commercially available with blown into open frame wall cavities are two types of SPF: low-density open- or without vapor retarder facings (e.g., behind netting or onto attic floors in cell (ocSPF) and high-density closed-cell Kraft paper, foil). loose form. (ccSPF). Blown Fiberglass utilizes an insulation Damp-Spray Cellulose is mixed with blowing machine to blow the fiberglass water (and possibly an adhesive), then Figure 1. Installing Fiberglass Batts, Dry-Blown Cellulose, and Spray Polyurethane Foam in Wall Cavities Photograph by Charles Bickford, Fine Homebuilding Photograph courtesy of Cellu-Spray Insulation Photograph courtesy of the Magazine ©2013, The Taunton Press, Inc. American Chemistry Council PREPARED BY MAY 2017 Wall Cavities See Home Innovation’s TechNote on Damp-blown cellulose is spray-applied into more than closed-cell foam and is applied Vapor Retarders for guidance on the wall cavity through a hose connected to in a single pass to the specified thickness. developing a vapor management strategy a blower machine. The cellulose is misted Closed-cell SPF can be applied in multiple before designing the wall assembly. with water at application to help the fibers passes ranging from one-half to 2 inches per adhere to each other and to the studs, pass depending on product manufacturer The first step to install fiberglass batts plates, and sheathing of the wall cavity instructions. The spray foam may expand between wood framing members is to cut Working from the bottom up, the installer past the studs and must be trimmed flush the batts to the proper length. If the cavity fills the cavity past the studs. After the full with the framing members. The foam must be is irregularly shaped, the batt must also be height of the cavity has been filled, a wall applied at the manufacturer-recommended cut to fit the shape of the cavity (or a smaller scrubber is used to remove excess material speed to prevent overheating during the portion of batt should be cut to fill in any from the top down. The excess material is curing process, which could cause the foam gap). The batt must be cut, notched, or split collected from the floor to be recycled, to char, smolder, or burn. Drywall should to fit around obstructions such as plumbing typically using a vacuum. be installed within the time frame and wiring. Once cut, the batt is pressed recommended by the SPF manufacturer in into the cavity until it is in contact with the order to avoid degradation caused by UV HOT SPOT: The time it takes for the exterior sheathing. Then it is pulled back to light; alternatively, if permitted by its cellulose to dry depends on the relative expand the batt until it fills the depth of the manufacturer, the SPF can be protected by cavity—this prevents compression, which humidity, air movement at the applying an elastomeric coating. would reduce the insulation’s application site, the insulation’s starting R-value. Batts without stapling tabs are moisture content, depth of fill, ambient simply friction-fit between the framing temperature, and presence of an interior HOT SPOT: It is recommended that members, while batts with tabs can be vapor retarder. The Cellulose Insulation only workers wearing personal face-stapled or inset-stapled to the studs. Manufacturers Association (CIMA) protective equipment are present notes that it can take between 24 to 48 during the installation of the SPF; local Both dry-blown fiberglass and dry-blown hours after application for the cellulose exhaust ventilation should be provided cellulose are installed in wall cavities via a to dry. The cellulose manufacturer’s during application and general hose connected to a blower machine. Dry ventilation should be provided directly application requires a netting material to be recommended drying times for their after. Re-entry to the space by anyone installed before blowing in the product should be followed before dry- is determined by consulting with the insulation. The netting material is stapled wall is installed. product manufacturer’s literature. The onto the interior face of the framing Center for the Polyurethanes Industry members and a hole is made in the center Both open-cell and closed-cell SPF can be notes that some manufacturers for the blower machine tube. The installer installed in wall cavities. Foam insulation is fills the cavity from the bottom to the recommend 24 hours before re-entry sprayed into the wall cavity directly against center where the hole is, then flips the tube for application of two-component, the exterior sheathing, where it expands to and fills from the top of the cavity back to high-pressure SPF. fill the entire space. Open-cell SPF expands the center. After the cavity is filled to the insulation manufacturer’s prescribed density, a roller is used to ensure the Vented Attics and Vented Roof Assemblies surface is flat. Attic ceilings can be insulated using a single prevent the batts from blocking the vents HOT SPOT: The netting must be “drum or a double layer of un-faced fiberglass and prevent wind from passing directly tight” and free of wrinkles to avoid batts. R30 and R38 batt products are through the fiberglass (air movement bulging once the insulation is installed. commercially available and will satisfy reduces the effectiveness of fiberglass Any wrinkles and loose areas in the minimum code attic insulation levels in a insulation). netting must be addressed prior to single-layer application for Climate Zones blowing in the fiberglass or cellulose 1 through 3. In double-layer applications, HOT SPOT: The IRC requires 3 in. of insulation. This can be accomplished by lower R-value fiberglass batts are typically clearance between any non-Insulation side-stapling the netting to the studs on laid between the joists and a second layer Contact (IC) rated recessed lighting and the interior of the wall cavity to of batts is laid transversely on top. The attic insulation. Clearance can be increase the tension. double-layer approach has the benefit of provided by building an air-tight housing reducing thermal bridging at the joists. For around the fixture using drywall, either method, if the attic has eave vents, non-flammable rigid foam, metal, or a baffles must be installed at the eaves to Sonotube®. 2 TechNotes – A builder’s source for construction information Vented Attics and Vented Roof Assemblies (continued) Blown-in fiberglass and blown-in cellulose the joists and, once cured, cellulose is builder needs to select a method of can be installed on the attic floor in a loose- blown-in on top. This approach may result installing more insulation. Options to fill application. The same blower machine in higher relative humidity in the conditioned accomplish this include adding cross- used to install these materials in wall space compared to a vented attic assembly. hatched 2x4 furring below the rafters to allow the installation of more fiberglass, or cavities is used to cover the entire attic Insulating a cathedral ceiling with fiberglass installing rigid foam insulation above the floor to the depth required to meet the batts requires the roof assembly to be specified R-value. Installation should begin vented. Insulating a cathedral ceiling begins roof sheathing. Drywall is installed below in the attic corner farthest from the access by installing baffles that extend from the the final layer of insulation to create the hatch and the installer should work his way eave vents to the ridge vents in order to ceiling in the living space. back to the opening. Baffles are installed to provide one inch of clearance between the ensure that the loose-fill insulation does insulation and the roof sheathing. Once the Figure 3. Attic Recessed Light Housing not block the eave vents. baffles are installed, fiberglass batts are inserted between the roof rafters to fill the HOT SPOT: Consult the manufacturer’s depth of the rafters; the batts are literature to determine the proper friction-fit in place.