• "The wave of the future is SPF - Sprayed-in place Polyurethane Foam," says Craig DeWitt, Ph. D., P.E., President of RLC Engineering, Clemson, SC. "The use of SPF offers exciting potential for enhancing not only the thermal efficiency of residential structures, but important structural benefits and the potential for significant improvements in quality of residents' lives."
  • Spray Foam Insulation can be applied to a home under construction and will not only insulate, but will also reduce air leakage in the building envelope. US Department of Energy Insulation Fact Sheet, August 1997


The R-Value of a Material is Irrelevant if Air Can Get Past it.

The Test to Determine the R-Value

The test used to produce the k-value (and thus the R-Value of a material) is an ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) test. This ASTM test was designed by a committee to give us measurement values that -- they hoped -- would be meaningful.

Unfortunately, the test was designed with a flaw or bias. Because of the way it's designed, the test favors fiber insulations: fiberglass, rock wool and cellulose fiber. Very little input went into the test for solid insulations, such as foam glass, cork, expanded polystyrene or urethane foam.

The test does not account for air movement (wind) or any amount of moisture (water vapor). In other words, the test used to create the R-value is a test in non-real-world conditions.

For instance, fiberglass is generally assigned an R-value of approximately 3.5 per inch. It will only achieve that R-value if tested in an absolute zero wind and zero moisture environment. Zero wind and zero moisture are not real-world. Our houses leak air, all our buildings leak air, and they often leak water. Water vapor from the atmosphere, showers, cooking, breathing, etc. constantly moves back and forth through walls and ceilings. If an attic is not properly ventilated, water vapor from inside a house will very quickly semi-saturate the insulation above the ceilings. Even small amounts of moisture will cause a dramatic drop in fiber insulation's R-value — as much as 50 percent or more.

Vapor Barriers

We are told, with very good reason, that insulation should have a vapor barrier on the warm side.

Which is the warm side of the wall of a house?

Read more... [The R-Value of a Material is Irrelevant if Air Can Get Past it.]
 

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Welcome to MAG INSULATION

Serving all of Michigan as well as metropolitan markets throughout the Great Lakes Region . 

PROVIDING INSULATION SERVICES FOR RESIDENTIAL, COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL MARKETS.

 

MAG INSULATION offers:

  • Spray Foam Insulation (SPF)
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MAG INSULATION is a subsidiary of METAL ARTS CONSTRUCTION
1700 Gover Parkway Mt. Pleasant, MI 48858