Cellulose Insulation compared to Prodex Total Insulation
Cellulose insulation: Shredded and treated newspaper, loose-fill insulation. Moisture absorption can make cellulose heavier, causing it to become compacted and lose its insulative value. It has to be chemically treated to resist attack from moisture and pests. R value per inch: Aprox 3.5
Alias(s): Blown in Insulation
Problems
Cellulose is prone to create too much dust that is blown into the house through inadequate seals around fixtures or minute holes. This is mostly found in rooms that are used frequently and can be a real health problem, especially if you live in a carpet-less home where dust stays airborn for longer.
Distribution: Problems can occur relating to the distribution of the cellulose. In time it can be difficult to maintain an even distribution of the cellulose. A typical problem is that the insulation slides down from the center peak of house towards the edges. You're left with little or no insulation along middle of house ceiling. A failure to insulate 5% of an attic results in a 52% heat loss! Not very air tight, air can flow through the insulation especially when coverage is light.
Radiant Heat Transfer: Cellulose insulation will not prevent radiant heat transfer (The primary source of heat-flow in and out of your structure). Without a radiant barrier, when the roof gets very hot (as in summer), it radiates solar-generated heat down into the attic insulation. Cellulose insulation primarily reduces heat transfer by trapping warm air. It has a high radiant heat transfer rate and is a very good radiator of this absorbed and retained heat. As surfaces radiate infrared rays in all directions, the heat trapped in cellulose insulation during the day will radiate down through the ceiling into the air-conditioned living space at night even if the night cools down. This means you will have to run the air-conditioning system even at night wasting energy. Using a radiant foil insulation will prevent this problem. An aluminum foil radiant barrier in the attic will block up to 97 percent of this heat from reaching the insulation and the air-conditioned living space below.
Shorting: In addition to the issues listed above, you have to worry about contractors shoring you on cellulose insulation. Shorting means that all of the material needed to achieve a given R-value is not installed. For example, the average settled depth of cellulose is 5-1/2 inches for an R-30 attic - It should be at least 8 inches. This is a case of an attic being shorted 31%. The average customer only gets an R-value of 19 when they request R 30. It is common to find 30% of the blown cellulose missing in an attic.
Other Issues: Good nesting material for rodents. Once wet it is permanently damaged. It does not dry quickly. Metal corrosion problems have been attributed to boric acid (fire resistant chemicals) leaching out of wet cellulose. Also, removal can be very costly depending on square footage.
Alternative to cellulose Insulation: A better insulation product would provide a radiant barrier, vapor barrier and provide more R value. It would be resistant to rodents and not be affected by moisture. It would also be environmentally friendly and safer. Prodex Total Insulation is a radiant heat barrier (Reflects 97% of radiant heat (the primary source of heat flow). It is a vapor barrier (0.033 gr/m2hkPa) and it is a reflective insulation R value 15.67. Prodex does not allow insect to pass or provide nesting for rodents and birds. It is unaffected by humidity or moisture. Prodex is a member of the US Green Building Council and it does not off-gas. It is composed of 5mm (13/64 inch) closed cell polyethylene foam sandwiched between two 99% reflective low emissivity surfaces. Rather than blown in, it's an insulation roll.
Prodex Total Insulation = reflective insulation + radiant barrier + vapor barrier ALL in One Product!
Fiberglass insulation has many of the same shortcoming described above, for more on that subject click: cellulose vs fiberglass insulation.
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