How to choose the best Rockwool insulation for your home?
To better insulate your walls, you can also buy Rockwool that has been compressed into rigid boards, making the material easier to install. Lastly, loose-fill Rockwool can be used to insulate attics and ceilings efficiently. The tiny slivers and fibers of mineral wool insulation can be easily accidentally inhaled or ingested during installation.
What happens to R-value when you compress insulation?
Here’s what they say: When you compress fiber glass batt insulation, the R-value per inch goes up, but the overall R-value goes down because you have less inches or thickness of insulation. They include a general chart for how to tell what your R-value is with different levels of compression.
Do you have to compress Roxul wool insulation?
Roxul wool insulation is supposed to be compressed to work properly. I work on new construction projects in the city & we use this stuff all the time to pass a proper inspection it has to be compressed to almost half its thickness >”we use this stuff all the time to pass a proper inspection it has to be compressed to almost half its thickness”
Can you compress fiberglass insulation?
The North American Insulation Manufacturers Association (NAIMA) has a little two-page document about compressing fiberglass insulation ( pdf ). Here’s what they say: When you compress fiber glass batt insulation, the R-value per inch goes up, but the overall R-value goes down because you have less inches or thickness of insulation.
What is Mineral Wool Insulation?
Mineral wool insulation is typically made from volcanic rocks such as basalt, dolomite, or diabase. It also contains some recycled materials such as steel slag and iron-ore waste.
The Manufacturing Process of Mineral Wool
The mineral wool manufacturing process is unique and exciting. This insulating material was first invented more than 150 years ago when an erupting volcano made onlookers realize that strong winds could whip volcanic lava into wooly tufts.
The Pros and Cons of Mineral Wool
The reason for the popularity of mineral wool insulation is that it comes with a wide range of practical and environmental benefits. However, like every other consumer product, it is not for everyone.
Finishing Thoughts
As you can see, mineral wool insulation has a wide range of benefits, as well as some drawbacks. To determine whether this insulation material is suitable for your home, you should seek the advice of professional insulation technicians, architects, and other homeowners who have previously installed Rockwool insulation in their houses.
How long does Rockwool insulation last?
ROCKWOOL insulation should last the lifetime of your building if installed in a properly designed system according to spec. ROCKWOOL products will not decay since they are inorganic, so they will retain their properties assuming no physical damage occurs.
What is rock wool insulation?
ROCKWOOL insulation is a rock-based mineral fiber insulation comprised of Basalt rock and Recycled Slag. Basalt is a volcanic rock (abundant in the earth), and slag is a by-product of the steel and copper industry. The minerals are melted and spun into fibers.
How thick is a rockwool batt?
Depending on the application ROCKWOOL can make a board product up to 6” thick and a batt product 7.25” thick. ROCKWOOL products can also be layered to achieve a higher R-value when needed. For example: R15 + R30 = R45.
What is the melting point of a rockwool?
ROCKWOOL products have a high melting point of 2150°F and can operate at high temperatures. We do not currently have tested assemblies for these applications. The recommended commercial or industrial ROCKWOOL product will depend on the temperature and usage of the stove/oven. Please contact your local representative to find specific products.
What is off gassing in rockwool?
Off-gassing refers to the gases emitted from a product post-production, often known as Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC's). ROCKWOOL products conform to testing standards limiting the emission of VOC's. For more information, please refer to our technical bulletin here.
Is Rockwool insulation made of batt board?
ROCKWOOL insulation is only manufactured in batt, board, and pipe forms.
Is Rockwool a food source?
ROCKWOOL products are inorganic which provide no food source for mold to grow. ROCKWOOL products are tested to ASTM C1338 – A Standard Test for Determining Fungi Resistance – and passes with zero fungal growth.
What are the three types of rigid foam?
The three main types of rigid foam, listed from most to least green, would be Polyiso, EPS, and XPS. Polyiso can't be used underground for sub-slab applications, but EPS can (you'd need one of the higher tier EPS types though). XPS is the one with the most environmental issues.
How deep can you put R15 batts?
I'm 100% positive that you can stuff R15 rock wool batts into 2.5" deep 2x3 framing.
Can you use mineral wool batts under slabs?
Insulation used for under slab applications needs to be rated for compressive strength. Mineral wool batts are not, so they cannot be used in this application. I’d use rigid foam here myself.
Does mineral wool insulation work?
It most certainly does not, if you’re expecting it to perform as thermal insulation. The specified R values for mineral wool are for the stated thickness as an example, the 3.5” thick batts made for 2x4 stud cavities are rated R15 when they are at the full 3.5” thickness. If you compress them from that rated thickness, you get a reduced overall R value.
Does polystyrene leach out over time?
Most plastics are pretty stable and don't leach things out over time. That includes polyethylene and polystyrene. You DO lose blowing agents over time, which is an issue for Polyiso and XPS (much more so for XPS though). EPS doesn't really have this problem, and the blowing agents are reclaimed at the factory for reuse.
Can you compress a 3.5" batt?
Mineral wool isn't as compressible as fiberglass, and I'm not sure you'd be able to compress a 3.5" mineral wool batt down to 2.5". Even if you can do it, it might take so much effort as to not be worth doing. Bill. Expert Member.
Do you compress mineral wool?
If you’re using mineral wool as a fire stop material stuffed around wall penetrations, then it IS necessary to compress it since you want to make it as air impermeable as possible. That’s a common requirement commercially and I personally have stuff many, many wads of mineral wool around conduits and cables back when I was an installer.
Ensure you enjoy the full benefits of Rockwool by learning about the creation, composition, and features of this insulation
Fiberglass insulation has long been a popular option for slowing the transmission of heat through the walls and ceilings of a home. While it may have the added benefit of creating a fire-resistant layer between the interior and exterior walls, fiberglass still may not measure up to the natural abilities of Rockwool.
1. Rockwool is made of rocks heated to become lava-like liquid
The process by which Rockwool insulation is made helps to explain the true fire-resistant potential of this product. It’s composed primarily of basalt rock and a recycled steel-making byproduct known as slag. These components are superheated, allowing them to liquefy and mix together into a lava-like liquid.
2. It contains between 16 to 75 percent recycled material
The confusion about the amount of recycled material used to make Rockwool insulation can mostly be attributed to the statistics about mineral wool insulation in general. Rockwool is a brand-specific type of mineral wool insulation that is so popular the name became synonymous with the appropriate term, which is mineral wool.
3. Rockwool has excellent heat retention
Both fiberglass and Rockwool are effective at keeping a home cool in the summer and warm in the winter, but the specific thermal efficiency of these materials favors Rockwool. While fiberglass insulation is capable of offering an R-value of about 2.2 to 2.7 per inch of insulation, Rockwool has an R-value between 3.0 to 3.3 per inch of insulation.
4. The material is fire-resistant up to 1,400 degrees Fahrenheit
As noted previously, Rockwool insulation is formed from literal rocks and steel slag that must be heated beyond 2,900 degrees Fahrenheit in order to mix the component materials and create this highly effective insulation.
5. Rockwool is a highly durable insulation option
The durability of this insulation material is difficult to dispute, given that it is capable of retaining its thermal efficiency over several decades with minimal degradation in its R-value.
6. Rockwool insulation is great for soundproofing rooms
Some people may not appreciate the heftiness of Rockwool insulation because it does tend to be thicker than fiberglass insulation, but this helps to slow the transmission of heat and it has the added effect of slowing sound waves.
Why does R value go down when compressing insulation?
When you compress fiber glass batt insulation, the R-value per inch goes up, but the overall R-value goes down because you have less inches or thickness of insulation. They include a general chart for how to tell what your R-value is with different levels of compression.
How thick is a R-19 batt?
Here’s something you may not know. The standard R-19 fiberglass batt is 6.25″ thick. If you put that batt in a closed 2×6 wall, it will be compressed 0.75″ because a 2×6 is 5.5″ deep. That means the batt labeled R-19 really gives you R-18 in a closed cavity.
Can you compress insulation without compression?
You don’t need to worry about removing some of the insulation so you can do it without compression. Just put the whole piece back there and let it be compressed. So, compress if you need to and don’t worry about it. Just make sure the space is completely filled. That’s the real measure of a good installation.
Can you compress fiberglass insulation?
But you can compress fiberglass insulation as much as you want. The North American Insulation Manufacturers Association (NAIMA) has a little two-page document about compressing fiberglass insulation ( pdf ). Here’s what they say:
What is R-13 insulation?
I don't think that is what page 41 is saying, maybe I missed it. R-13 and r-19 are both basically low density insulations. Each is available as high density at R-15 and R-21 respectively. The nice part about using the high density products is they fit without fighting to compress them.
What is the R value of a 12" thick fiberglass batt?
At no point on that chart does it indicate: "and when taking a 12" thick piece of fiberglass batt and compressing it down to 3 1/2" the R-Value per inch is R3.1, compressing the same batt down to 2 1/2" the R-Value per inch is R3.2."
What is the R value of Roxul?
Multiply that times some slightly increased r-value per inch for your total value. With a 5.5" floor cavity, Roxul designed for that depth will give you r-22 or r-23 . The bales I have are r-23, I checked.
Can you group fiberglass insulation?
You can group them in those categories due to weight per cubic foot; http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/F/AE_fiberglass_insulation.html But, many times you have to do the math to find the weight, especially blown-in FG.
Does R value increase with compression?
The r-value per inch actually increases a bit with compression, this is for fiberglass insulation. With excessive compression you eventually eliminate a lot of the air spaces and it is those air spaces that provide the insulation.
Can mineral wool be compressed?
As for mineral wool I would guess (no information) it would tolerate very little compression as it is very dense to start with.
Does fiberglass insulation lose its R value?
That's not exactly true. The primary loss is due to less thickness. The r-value per inch actually increases a bit with compression, this is for fiberglass insulation. With excessive compression you eventually eliminate a lot of the air spaces and it is those air spaces that provide the insulation.
