Comments on: The Gloriously Interesting World of Insulation

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By: nora

nora — Thu, 28 Sep 2017 19:20:07 +0000

Like the other commentors, I am pretty sure you are mixing up the terms for spray foam (similar to great stuff that hardens) and blown in (the loose stuff). I love freshly insulated spaces! You are right about the muffled sounds.

By: Rachel

Rachel — Wed, 27 Sep 2017 12:47:35 +0000

From what I understand spray foam is supposed to be the best choice, lasting longest, and saving you the most money on future utility bills
-the only drawback to it being how expensive it is.

By: sara

sara — Tue, 26 Sep 2017 17:53:19 +0000

In reply to Kirsten.

Same here–I just did our finished attic and our contractor (and my independent research confirmed) said that foam is by far the best–just very expensive. We went for it because ice dams are a concern and justified it as paying more now to avoid potential future damage. We are in a different part of the country, but we paid more for our one floor than all of the Merc, so it’s probably cost prohibitive to do for such a large space.

By: Steve

Steve — Tue, 26 Sep 2017 12:55:50 +0000

Spray foam stays in place and fills all the cracks and corners. Blow will settle in your walls over time. The biggest downfall to foam is cost but it is the best.

By: Chris Leach

Chris Leach — Tue, 26 Sep 2017 01:52:41 +0000

In reply to Kirsten. The foam can shrink and leaves gaps . Fiberglass batting is not likely to settle in walls .

By: Green Builder

Green Builder — Tue, 26 Sep 2017 01:49:24 +0000

Well, it looks like they blew plenty of insulation in the walls, maybe a little too much. When blowing fiberglass too dense, you will actually start to decrease the R value. Your insulation contractor really should have air sealed those holes in the attic instead of just laying fiberglass Batts across them and blowing over it. That is a big No-No. Every well trained contractor knows that air sealing makes the biggest difference on utility savings and keeps all of the conditioned air from escaping into hot attic spaces. Spray foam, though it has is substantially higher upfront cost, usually pays itself back in utility savings compared to fiberglass on a new construction house within a few years. Most of the houses I’ve insulated with spray foam are an average of 3500 square feet, and the heating and cooling bills generally run $100 a month or less.

By: 31W Insulation Guy

31W Insulation Guy — Tue, 26 Sep 2017 00:59:29 +0000

As a professional insulator with over five years of experience in all three major fields of insulation, I can say that foam insulation will never “settle” if it is sprayed at the right temperature and onto a non-wet surface that is actually ok to spray on.
It can however, pull away from walls if it is sprayed in with too high of a temparture.
Blown-in insulation will settle, period. Doesn’t matter if it is Cellulose, or Fiberglass.
If you install the insulation in the manner above, the only way to negate the settling as much as possible, the cavities must be filled to the maximum R-Value the studs can hold.
Even then it will settle over time, and still lose R-Value as fiberglass inevitably does.
The pros of fiberglass over spray foam are only two, it is cheaper and it is recyclable.
While spray foam provides a tighter envelope, allowing less air infiltration, and a more comfortable environment.
Closed Cell foam even increases the structural integrity of your home.
Also, to anyone that wants to have their interior walls sound-proofed, rock wool insulation such as Roxul provides the best sound mitigation, for added affect use sheetrock resilient soundproof clips every 48 inches for the best soundproofing you can get without dropping a ton of money on QuietRock or using 3 or 4 layers of sheetrock with green glue.

By: Kirsten

Kirsten — Mon, 25 Sep 2017 21:14:27 +0000

I thought it was the opposite, that blow in insulation is known for settling (especially in walls) and spray foam insulation that stick right to the walls and stays in place filling in all the nooks and crannys. I could be wrong of course, or maybe they’ve come out with new types of blow in?? I’ve been under the impression that the main downside to spray foam insulation was the cost but was otherwise kind of the top choice for efficiency.

By: shakti

shakti — Mon, 25 Sep 2017 19:53:11 +0000

I’ve never heard of foam insulation settling but can tell you from experience that blown will! I’m curious what blown stuff they used in your walls that isn’t supposed to settle. Do you have a link for that?
Our house has lots of sad areas that once were better insulated but now just have a pitiful pile of blown stuff. we’ve been putting in spray foam as we update. It’s great – filling all the nooks and crannies.