WestCon Tribune

OCTOBER 1999

OCTOBER PRESENTATION

INSULATION MATERIALS AND HOW THEY RELATE TO HABITABLE STRUCTURES FOR BUILDING ENCLOSURES

Presented by Bruce Thomas, Contra Costa Insulation

Westcon member Bruce Thomas will be following up on last month's topic on "Moisture Control Practices For Building Enclosures" from another vantage point. Mr. Thomas founded Contra Costa Insulation in 1978 and specializes in fireproofing, firestop, draftstop, firewalls, concealed insulation and exposed insulation.

The most common materials for cavity insulation are glass fiber, mineral fiber, cellulose and spray-applied foams. Are there any products that can be both monolithic and have good permeability characteristics to prevent moisture problems? Mr. Thomas will be discussing this question, the various types of insulation materials available, the assets and problems of insulation materials, and how they relate to habitable structures from the layman's or installer's point of view.

Fiberglass is air and moisture permeable and the Department of Energy (D.O.E.) says "much more moisture is transferred by air leakage than through diffusion." Because fiberglass is the material by which insulation installations are judged, the D.O.E. adds, "Thus to truly block moisture transfer (with fiberglass), the vapor retarder must be carefully installed to stop air leakage as well as diffusion. Seams must be overlapped and sealed with acoustical sealant or other long lasting sealant. All openings and breaks, no matter how small, must be sealed and patched." Mr. Thomas will explain how this can be a reality.

Mr. Thomas will cover Thermal Performances and the International Conference of Building Officials (ICBO) Evaluation reports. Cocoon Spray and Cocoon Loose-Fill will be used as examples as well as other similar products and how they affect heating costs. He will also talk about the moisture control elements of these products in respect to filling cavities and their capacities in unvented and completely sealed spaces.

The presentation will touch on the following areas of construction relating to insulating materials:
•Thermal Performance
• Moisture
• Fire and Fire -Resistive / 2-hour fire rating
• Health Issues
• Sound
• Environmental Applications
• Perimeter Insulated Raised Floors (PIRF)

When one depends on the careful installation of batt style insulation, for which there is no enforced method of inspection, one is at the mercy of how conscientious the insulation installer is on that particular day. Further complications occur when inherently fiberglass has higher permeability and is not monolithic. Therefore it cannot perform as a dependable, interstitial vapor retarder. This is where all sorts of problems develop including moisture in ceiling cavities and mold and mildew on wall and ceiling surfaces. When an insulation is only tested as a bare sample in a laboratory, you cannot know how that insulation may actually be performing in the real world once installed as a system in the structure.

The California Energy Commission, the American Society for Testing and Materials and the D.O.E. are beginning to implement a radical change in the way that insulation materials are tested. These standards organizations are moving to measure actual insitu performance rather than laboratory "stand alone" properties.

Mr. Thomas would like to have an interactive presentation and is encouraging members and guests to bring questions, problems and job histories to discuss.

BULLETIN BOARD, MENU, REVIEW , PAST ISSUES