Insulation Applications

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Currents Events: Air Infiltration and Pests

It’s no surprise that pests find ways into buildings through holes in the walls, and make their homes in dark, damp places. Though we often can’t easily pinpoint them, those tiny holes in our exterior walls allow air currents to form. Like super-highways to pests, currents of air carry information they can follow to find nesting sites, mates, food, water and refuge from the elements. Insects can easily detect these tiny air currents from far away. On colder days outdoor roaches find their way inside. The warmer air exiting the building shows the way in and they follow it. Mice, ants, roaches and even bed bugs invade buildings by following these tiny air currents.

ABCS leaves nothing to chance when it comes to air infiltration barriers. We use a primary barrier at the exterior, and spray-foam insulation in the walls and attics as a secondary means for completely sealing-off the tiniest of holes.

Here’s the promised graphic showing what the R-value of the insulation
should be at the roof line (or attic) based on your climate zone:

Insulation Locations
What Goes Where and Why

Types of Insulation We Use
Now that you know why we don’t use some types of insulation and why we do use others, here are some more details about exactly what we use, where in the building envelope it goes – and why, of course.

ICF / Insulated Concrete Forms

See: Foundations

Where used: Below grade for foundations and crawl spaces, above grade for exterior walls.

ICF Technology Advantages

Energy savings: superior insulation, significantly reducing heating and cooling costs.

Fire resistance: up to a 4-hour fire resistive rating.

Structural integrity: when used for above grade wall has superior strength over any other building technology.

Ecologically sound: forms stay in place after the pour. When used with Certainteed’s Form-A-Drain, there are no wood forms. When used above grade it means less wood in the home and less impact on the environment.

Sound suppressing: interior rooms are shielded from outside noise.

PassiveCore elements are easily installed on the inside for passive and mechanical air handling systems without additional framing. Gypsum board can be applied to it with panel adhesives, saving drywall screws/nails – which makes taping/compound super-easy.

Faster construction time: an experienced crew of three or four can install ICFs in about a day (or two, depending on size). In addition, exterior sheathing, exterior vapor barrier, and insulation is integrated into the wall system. No need to return to strip forms, no big fuel bills for trucks to haul forms around or lifts required to set and remove wood forms. No snapping form-ties or plugging holes. Saving labor saves time and money – and aids in scheduling of work crews.

Versatile: any exterior or any interior finishes can be used – brick, vinyl, stucco, wood siding etc.

The Bottom Line? You get:
⌂ Faster completion time
⌂ Better moisture and mold control
⌂ Greater thermal mass and stability
⌂ Greater wind sheer and seismic stability
⌂ Healthier living environment

At a Glance

The following chart is a comparison of different insulating materials and their respective air, vapor and moisture retarding properties.

 

Note: Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are flame resistant blowing agents – the original replacement for chlorofluorocarbons (CFC’s) – enabling the global phaseout of that ozone-depleting chemical in progress since the 1980′s. Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) are more energy-efficient, low-in-toxicity, cost effective and can be used safely. Governments and industry support their global use in applications which meet important environmental and societal needs.

 

Foam as an Air Sealant

An effective air barrier is the material which prevents air movement through a building assembly.It must be continuous without penetrations or openings. (This does not mean doors and windows; but there can be no openings in the barrier itself.) Air sealants are used to ensure a complete seal along seams, penetrations, and transition areas such as where the wall assembly meets the roof assembly. Foam is also an excellent air sealant, doing this double-duty for no additional cost.

Passivecore and Open Cell Foam When used in conjunction with Passivecore elements, a tiny nozzle injects a bead of 1/2 pcf open-cell foam into the 1/4″ seam next to the element at the framing member, sealing the cavity in a just a couple of seconds. The stickiness and enduring flexibility of open cell foam, versus the higher R-value but more brittle 2.0 pfc, ensures that the air seal will remain effective among drying-out, shrinking framing members in a settling building (all buildings move a tiny bit over time).

2.0+pcf polyurethane foams also perform as a vapor retarder in addition to being effective air barrier.

References

Bynum, Richard, 2001. Insulation Handbook, McGraw-Hill, New York, NY.
Lstiburek, Joseph and John Carmody, 1993. Moisture Control Handbook, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, NY.
Lstiburek, Joseph, 1998. Builders Guide: Cold Climates, Building Science Corporation, Westford, MA.

PLEASE SEE our Credits page for additional references.