In this unique Today’s Home owner Podcast, we’re talking all about stone wool insulation with Dan Edelman, Rockwool’s National Organization Improvement Manager.
What is ROCKWOOL insulation?
Dan: ROCKWOOL insulation is a rock-based mineral fiber insulation comprised of Basalt rock and Recycled Slag. Basalt is a volcanic rock (ample in the earth), and slag is a by-products of the steel and copper sector. The minerals are melted and spun into fibers.
ROCKWOOL solutions comprise in between 16% or 40% pre-client recycled materials dependent on the ROCKWOOL production facility place.
The quantity of recycled written content is optimized to deliver the excellent thermal, acoustic, and fire security attributes from ROCKWOOL merchandise, although continue to maximizing the recycled information.
ROCKWOOL’s History
Dan: ROCKWOOL corporation commenced in 1937 in Copenhagen, Denmark, and the business expanded to the North American industry in 1988.
So, our products is somewhat new to North America, but historically it’s been all around for fairly some time now. We just opened up a new advanced manufacturing facility in Ranson, West Virginia.
All of our factories are zero squander-to-landfill, and due to the fact stone wool insulation is hydrophobic, we use recycled rainwater to slash it. Even our factories that are wind- and h2o-driven are self-building.
You can discover out more about how our sustainable factories get the job done on ROCKWOOL’s Sustainability webpage.
Benefits of Stone Wool Insulation
Dan: ROCKWOOL stone wool insulation is in a natural way hearth-resistant simply because it is produced from rock. We really do not have to increase any fireplace retardants or chemicals that boost flammability, so it is by no means going to have a flame and has zero smoke advancement.
An additional edge is mold resistance. ROCKWOOL stone wool insulation essentially repels drinking water. There will generally be humidity in the air, particularly when you are speaking about crawlspaces and attics.
Getting able to repel that humidity away and permanently currently being a mildew and mildew-resistant products, it’s likely to assistance with the toughness of your wall assembly as effectively.
Attic Insulation
Dan: ROCKWOOL insulation batts occur in 16-inch on middle or 24-inch on center by 47 or 48 inches lengthy, which is the perfect size for insulating attics. They healthy perfectly between the studs, so you get that whole cavity insulation.
Phase a person when installing attic insulation is to inspect the existing insulation. Make guaranteed there is no dampness, mold mildew, rodent droppings or rodents living there. Rodents do not principally treatment for ROCKWOOL insulation.
Immediately after inspection, basically lay the batts down perpendicular to the joists, especially if the current insulation is only to the joists.
If the current insulation is under the joists, you will want to fill up to the joist line so you get additional steady insulation.
ROCKWOOL insulation ordinarily has a 4.2 to 4.3 for every inch R-benefit, so you in fact do not have to have quite as considerably to strike the larger R-price. However, we have items with a greater R-worth mostly for attics.
What About Sound Insulation?
Dan: The very best thing for seem insulation is density and mass, each of which ROCKWOOL has.
The other aspect to audio insulation is friction suit, how restricted it suits in that wall cavity. If you have one particular spot that you can not insulate effectively, all the sound is going through that one section and you’re decreasing that sound insulation.
For additional data on ROCKWOOL stone wool insulation, go to ROCKWOOL.com and examine out our All About Insulation webpage.