When it comes to insulation, there are a few options available to help you keep your home or business more comfortable and energy-efficient during extreme weather. Among these are batts or blankets, which are placed between studs or posts in a structure, then covered over with some type of hard wall surface, such as drywall or paneling. The materials available for these batts include mineral wool and fiberglass as the most common varieties.
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A third option that is very popular is blown-in cellulose insulation. This type of insulation requires a blower that uses air pressure to push the material through a hose into an opening in the wall to place the insulation properly. But which of these there options is best for your situation? Heres a quick look at the benefits and drawbacks of all three types of insulation.
In many ways, mineral wool is a superior insulation product. It has a higher R-value per inch compared to fiberglass, about a 22-37% higher R-value. It contains 70% recycled material, making it a greener product than fiberglass at 20-30% recycled material.. With a density over three times that of fiberglass, mineral wool has superior sound-deadening properties. The stiffer batts dont tend to flop over as easily as fiberglass, making it easier to put in place, and they dont require staples or wire to keep them in place. Its hydrophobic, so it wont absorb water or encourage the growth of mold and mildew. Mineral wool is also very fire resistant and can act as a fire stop.
However, like many building materials, mineral wool also has its drawbacks. It tends to be more expensive than fiberglass, often between 25-50% higher in cost . Because it is more unusual, its not available in as wide a range of sizes as fiberglass and is almost never available in a paper-faced format. Because its denser, its also heavier, which can make it more ungainly to handle during ceiling installations. Its dense nature requires the use of a serrated bread knife or wood saw to cut batts down to size, and its very difficult to find in a loose-fill format.
Heres a quick overview of the R-value you can expect from different depths of mineral wool batting:
Jan. 12,
Glass wool insulation products and rock wool insulation products have now become the main insulation materials. Household needs, industrial needs, and major businesses also use various insulation materials. It is important to ensure you have the best insulation for the job. Both have their pros and cons. Weve outlined some of the important factors to consider when deciding if fibreglass or mineral wool will be best for your project.
There has been much debate over the merits of rockwool compared to glasswool insulation. In the developing part of the world, there is also a lot of mis-information around the two materials. The simple answer is that the best material is dependent on the application and specific performance requirements.
Glass Wool
R value measures the resistance of heat transfer from one side of an object to another, the higher the R value, the greater the resistance, and better insulation power. When comparing the two, glass wool has a slightly lower R-value of around 2.2-2.7 compared with 3.0-3.3 of mineral wool, which means it is slightly less effective at preventing heat loss through conduction.
Compressive strength is required where a construction may be put under high weight loading. Not only can rock be made up to 200kg in density (compared to glass at 110kg) each m3, it can also give a more cost effective performance where compressive strength is the primary requirement. The typical application where compressive strength is required is flat roof.
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In terms of sound insulation, mineral wool is often the preferred choice for noisy areas. This is because it is much more dense than glass wool, so much less sound travels through the insulation.
Glass Wool
Although both rockwool and glasswool are non-combustible, rockwool has far better fire resistant qualities, so much so that it can be used as a fire stop. The simple fact is that a high density mineral wool product (120kg m3) is required to stop fire. At these densities, rockwool is the most cost effective solution and provides excellent fire protection. However, like glass mineral wool, low density rockwool insulation will not burn, but will also not stop flames from penetrating between the fibres. In short, for fire protection of construction, high density Rockwool is the ideal solution.
Maximum service temperature is a measure indicating the maximum continous temperature at which an insulation material can operate without any loss in thermal insulation performance. A common misunderstanding is that this is the maximum temperature before the product burns. This is not the case, all mineral wool is non-combustible. However, rockwool is able to tolerate higher temperatures without any loss to its insulation properties than glasswool. Typically, glass mineral wool can operate up to 400°C (typically 230°C without modification) whereas rock can operate up to 700°C. For this reason, in high temperature process plants, rockwool is the most commonly found insulation type.
It is a common misconception that glass or rock mineral wool fibres are damaged by water. However, water can occupy the cells between the fibres, replacing the insulating pockets of air and thus stopping the material from performing its thermal insulating requirements. The lighter the density, the easier it is for the water to penetrate. Importantly, the water resistance of mineral wool (Glass and Rock) can be engineered to meet the conditions of their application and silicon is added as a water repellent stopping water from penetrating the air pockets whilst in situ in the application.
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