insulation question

Factual Questions
1

A friend of mine recently used an insulation company called the Comfort Zone. 626 area code, so somewhere in the Pasadena area (just outside of Los Angeles). I’m trying to get info on them, but good look Googling “comfort zone” and insulation… talk about getting a million generic responses.

Here’s the question. They use cellulose insulation… basically made from old newspaper. I know newspaper is a fantastic insulator, but it’s obviously extremely flammable. My friend says the company claims it treats the material with a fire proof coating, that the fire department has signed off on the insulation as safe, that they bring insulation in to demo and hold a flame to it and it won’t light on fire.

OK, I can believe it won’t light on fire now. But… has anyone heard of this stuff before? Does the fireproofing actually last, or is it a temporary thing good for showing prospective clients but that wears off in a while?

Is this a common insulating material? Any overall insulation advice would be appreciated. (This is a follow-up to a recent posting I did concerning how to make my house more efficient. It’s one of the options we’re considering, putting insulation in our walls.)

2

I can’t comment on the fire resistant aspects, but my buddy is remodeling his garage into a small apartment, and recently used cellulose. He said it was very easy to install. I believe the machine that shreds the bundles was “free” (included in the cost of the bundles).

Here’s what Bob Villa has to say: TV Shows with Bob Vila

On preview, yes, putting insulation in your walls is a good option. :wink:

ETA: Here’s a company that makes it: http://greenfiber.com/

Try googling cellulose and insulation instead of the name of the specific company.

3

Good point. I just wasn’t sure if this process was a standard one or just used by this company. Thanks for the links!

4

I am not a contractor or an insulator. I do have the use of a very expensive infrared camera and a normal curiosity. I have never photographed a house with blown in cellulose insulation that did not have significant settling. When new the cellulose performs well, but come back a year or two later and you’ll find that the insulation has decreased in volume by as much as a third. You could probably blow more in on top of the old, and I guess somewhere along the line the settling would asymptotically reach zero, and I figure having 2/3 of the wall insulated is better than nothing, but I would not spend money on cellulosic insulation.

5

I am going to be insulating my attic and I’ve been considering cellulose (it’s about half the price of fiberglass for equivalent R value, amongst other things). I did a little looking online and one contractor’s site did note that cellulose can settle but it didn’t seem that the R-value of the layer of insulation actually changed much, did your camera show anything either way? Obviously settling in a wall cavity is different than in an attic (in a wall cavity you’ll wind up with an uninsulated space at the top).

Filmyak, what I read is that the treated cellulose used in insulation is quite fire-resistant (the same stuff that aids that - borax - also makes it pest-resistant). Fiberglass on the other hand can burn extremely hot.

I just checked at the local Home Despot and the blower (for installation) is free if you buy ten bales of insulation.

6

I’d be much less concerned about using it in an attic. As you said, the problem in a wall is leaving the uninsulated place on top of the cellulose. You can get some pretty significant convection patterns in an uninsulated vertical space. In a horizontal attic these would be minimized.