How To Insulate Open Air Commercial Buildings

Posted on September 18, 2020 by Jim Doyle

SATAC SYSTEM Perfect Insulation For Exposed Applications

Commercial buildings, where an exposed insulation application is required, present special challenges for architects and builders. Buildings such as gymnasiums, parking garages and warehouses are prime examples where insulation is often either omitted altogether or improperly applied for ineffective results.

The revolutionary SATAC SYSTEM from Fiberlite Technologies (FTI) offers the prefect solution where an exposed insulation is required. SATAC is a spray applied cellulose insulation. The Class 1fire-rated product uses high-bonding Encotec adhesives that allow the insulation to be applied to metal, concrete or wood. The SATAC SYSTEM adheres to surfaces providing a seamless layer of thermal protection and condensation control. In addition, it offers highly efficient sound absorption.

It can even be used over foam insulation to provide a highly effective ignition barrier. This can be done by design or as a retrofit in buildings where highly flammable spray foam insulation has been left exposed.

SATAC SYSTEM should be installed by a qualified professional insulation contractor familiar with the application process. To learn more about how to insulate commercial buildings were an open application is required using the SATAC SYSTEM, or referrals for qualified contractors, contact FTI.

Health Sensitivity Issues And Cellulose Insulation

Posted on July 31, 2020 by Jim Doyle

FTI Has Insulation Product Safe For Phytoestrogen Hypersensitivity

We recently received an inquiry on our website from a prospective homeowner who was researching different building products for their family home. He has a child with a genetic condition that creates hypersensitivity to phytoestrogens.

We fielded the inquiry and talked extensively to the individual. During our conversation, he explained that some newsprint includes soy-based inks which trigger his child’s sensitivity issues. For some individuals, soy can mimic traditional estrogen found in women. In general, many benefits exist for estrogen. However, it can lead to hormonal imbalance in some people who are particularly susceptible.

The homeowner contacted us because he was interested in purchasing our Fiberlite cellulose insulation product “WAL-MAT” due to its high cardboard content. Since cardboard is generally free of ink, their home would have less phytoestrogens floating in the air. His plan was to remove all of the existing insulation and reinsulate with WAL-MAT. Although WAL-MAT is primarily recommended for wall cavity spray applications, in fact it would work fine for use in the attic as a solution for his unique situation. He was particularly impressed to learn this product is also free of ammonia phosphate or ammonia sulfate fire retardants. In addition, WAL-MAT is not formulated with formaldehyde, which is present in some fiberglass insulation products.

These attributes made WAL-MAT an appealing option in meeting the needs of this homeowner’s family. Our team will work with him as needed to find a contractor qualified to handle the product and installation.

Have a question about any of our products and health related issues, or need assistance in selecting the right insulation for your project? We are one of the few actual building product manufacturers you can work with directly for assistance. Contact Us anytime.

Cellulose Insulation Keeps Your Summer Home Cooler

Posted on July 23, 2020 by Jim Doyle

How To Improve Summer Home Comfort

It’s hot outside. You are anxious to come inside and cool off. What happens if you remain hot even when you are inside? What happens when you crank up the AC and it’s still uncomfortably hot? Are there rooms in your house that you avoid during the summer?

If the answer is yes to any of these questions, it is very likely that you lack sufficient attic insulation. Often people think of insulation as important only during the colder winter season, but the need for proper home insulation applies to hotter summer months as well. Insufficient attic insulation allows the summer heat to permeate into homes. This is why it is very important to check attic insulation as the first step in troubleshooting a home that does not stay comfortably cool, or has extremely high electric bills, during the summer months.

The department of Energy recommends as much as an R60 value for insulation in attics, depending on the region of the U.S. where a home is located. Learn more here.

This translates to a recommended depth of approximately 16 inches of cellulose insulation. It’s easy to measure blown-in attic insulation by simply using a ruler or tape measure and sticking it into the insulation down to the ceiling. It’s as simple as the photo shown on this page.

If the attic has fiberglass batt or roll insulation, as a rule of thumb for checking levels, it should be well above the attic rafters. Again, a simple visual check will work where there is access available in the attic.

In older homes, and those where owners are experiencing warmer indoor temperatures, more than likely the insulation level will be lower than the recommended level. Once a visual confirmation is made, the next step recommended is to contact qualified insulation contractors for estimates on updating the home insulation. A qualified contractor can also include the necessary step of air sealing the attic as needed, since even the best insulation install will be less effective if there are air leaks between the home ceiling and attic.

Unless there are unique circumstances, it is best to use cellulose insulation for attic upgrades since it offers superior sealing properties compared to fiberglass batts or rolls, and it can be blown over either existing fiberglass or cellulose insulation. Homeowners may consider updating attic insulation as a Do It Yourself project opportunity. This is possible with both cellulose and fiberglass products. However, the immediate savings going the DIY route are usually lost over time since a contractor install will help achieve the highest energy efficiency.

Contact a Fiberlite expert for more information or recommendations for finding product and qualified insulation contractors.

Fiberlite Increases Production Capabilities

Posted on June 22, 2020 by Jim Doyle

Fiberlite Tech Completes Plant Expansion

Plant Expansion Photo at Fiberlite Technologies Cellulose Insulation Manufacturer

Plant Expansion Equipment

Fiberlite recently completed a major expansion at its plant in Joplin, Missouri. This project involved adding several pieces of new equipment and updating aspects of its current manufacturing.

“One of the goals we set for our new General Manager, Patricia Grubb, when she was appointed in 2019 was to complete our first major plant expansion in several years,” said company president Shan Maitra. “Pat met the challenges of this project, in the face of a world-wide pandemic crisis, head on and completed the expansion on time and within budget.”

The project was completed in June with the hard work of several consulting engineering firms and the entire FTI team. Grubb said the expansion increases production capacity for several key Fiberlite cellulose insulation products.

“Now that the project is completed, FTI can double its production capacity and also improve the quality of products,” said Grubb.

Maitra said FTI, in business since 1974, and has always maintained a long term strategy for growth and innovation. Although times are currently turbulent, FTI anticipates the growth of cellulose insulation in the future.

“More and more individuals appreciate the unique benefits of cellulose insulation for its superior energy efficiency because it effectively seals all gaps and voids within a wall,” said Maitra. “Cellulose insulation is made from recycled materials and requires minimal energy to produce, appealing to many Eco-conscious consumers. The product is also highly fire resistant.”

One of Fiberlite’s products that will benefit from the plant expansion is its innovative FTI-2H Firewall. The cellulose insulation product provides a full two-hour fire rating for even greater fire safety in homes and buildings.

Learn more about all the products offered by Fiberlite Technologies.

Insulation Contractor In Home During COVID-19

Posted on May 20, 2020 by Jim Doyle

Is It Safe To Have Insulation Installed During COVID-19 Crisis

Many homeowners today are concerned about having anyone but immediate family members in their homes during the pandemic. Those interested in upgrading insulation are likely wondering if it’s safe to have work done now. Here is information on how to select an insulation contractor and what to expect when having insulation installed in your home.

As our country copes with the COVID-19 pandemic, homeowners are worried about their household budgets. Expenses like movies or sporting events may be easily cut. However, every family has fixed expenses that seem difficult to reduce. The best bang for the buck is insulating the attic. Nearly 90% of all existing homes are under-insulated according to industry experts, so most likely your home would benefit from an upgrade.

Once a decision to improve your home’s insulation is made a few extra considerations are necessary when selecting a contractor, in addition to evaluating price and other typical factors, due to COVID-19.

Most governors have categorized construction workers as “essential,” which is important to remember. Professional insulation contractors typically wear masks and gloves during installations, so generally the industry already follows the two top CDC guidelines. During this pandemic, contractors should follow additional CDC recommendations. Here is the complete list:

Fewer than 10 employees on the job at any time.
Workers wear appropriate PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) including masks and gloves.
When insulating the attic, typically just one or two workers would enter your home.
Home entry is only during setup and final cleanup.
Contractors would remain more than six feet away from home occupants.

It would be good to ask all contractors to verify what precautions they are taking before accepting an insulation proposal. All reputable companies should be following the CDC guidelines and this list.

With more people working and schooling at home, improving energy efficiency with new insulation will make for a more comfortable living environment and also reduce monthly energy bills for years to come. Homeowners ready to make the decision should not let COVID-19 dissuade them from going forward.

For more information about on insulation contractors knowledgeable about cellulose insulation, or other safety measures relating to installations, please contact Fiberlite Technologies, Inc.

COVID-19 Crisis Small Business & Industry Status

Posted on April 17, 2020 by Jim Doyle

By Shan Maitra, Fiberlite Technologies President

I write this blog hoping that everyone is safe and healthy. Regions of the United States have been impacted differently, but it is clear that infection from COVID-19 virus can cause serious illness and world-wide disruption to say the least.

The economic decline since COVID-19 began in the United States is undeniable. Because of this, the federal government has taken steps to support citizens and businesses nationwide, which include stay-at-home orders and closures of none essential businesses. There are stimulus programs intended to support different segments of the country. For small businesses, the primary vehicle is the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES) which includes Economic Injury and Disaster Loan (EIDL) and Payment Protection Program (PPP). However, at present funding for these programs have been exhausted. It appears from news coming out of Washington, D.C., that additional funding will be provided to extend these programs. FTI supports all efforts to help businesses like yours and ours financially during this unprecedented pandemic crisis.

For now, the good news is that housing and the construction industry have been declared essential businesses in most regions of the country. The Construction Connect Interactive Map has information on work status orders by state.

At FTI, our plant is up and running while following best practices for maintaining a safe workplace environment for our team. At present, we don’t anticipate any lag in providing product for insulation contractors and installers or for consumers at retail locations.

As more news is released on the industry, and government stimulus programs, we will keep you informed. Don’t hesitate to Contact Us with questions or for more information on the status of cellulose insulation.

Cellulose Insulation Environmental Product Declaration

Posted on March 19, 2020 by Jim Doyle

CIMA Releases First-Ever EPD On Loose-Fill Cellulose Insulation

Fiberlite Technologies is pleased to share the news about the first-ever Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) announced recently by the Cellulose Insulation Manufacturers Association (CIMA.)

CIMA, CIMAC (Canada) and Sustainable Minds, a leading provider of products and services to facilitate environmental product transparency, collaborated to produce the declaration. An EPD is an independently verified and registered document that quantifies environmental information on the life cycle of a product to enable comparisons between products fulfilling the same function. Cellulose insulation, which is produced in energy-efficient electrically-driven mills from recovered newsprint, cardboard, and other paper fiber materials, has long been recognized as one of the most environmentally sound building materials. The EPD provides independently verified data to aid buyers and specifiers in evaluating the environmental impacts of cellulose insulation.

Fiberlite has been a producer member of CIMA for many years. The company has had representatives lead the Association including most recently FTI President Shan Maitra, who is the CIMA Immediate Past President. Shan and FTI, along with several other officers of CIMA and producer member companies, joined in the effort to bring forward the EPD.

Find out more about the work Sustainable Minds is doing and download a copy of the EPD.

Adding Home Insulation A Sound Decision

Posted on February 4, 2020 by Jim Doyle

Insulation In Home Walls Controls Sound

Having minimal unwanted noise in your home is one of those comforts that seems rather basic, yet surprisingly few people experience it. Whether it’s the neighbor mowing the lawn at 6 in the morning, someone playing music upstairs, or the dishwasher droning in the middle of the night, almost everyone has times where the noise reaches insufferable levels.

How can homeowners stop noise from penetrating into their house or from room to room? The short answer is having a something in the walls to help block the sound waves. Noise travels as an airborne wave, and for a material to stop the wave it needs to:

be gapless so the sound waves cannot travel via air, and
have sufficient density to halt the sound waves from being transferred through the material to air on the other side.

For most homes, the bad news is there is either insufficient insulation, the wrong type of insulation, and/or improperly installed insulation and sealing in the exterior walls. And in most cases homes do not have any insulation between rooms. This results in noisier environments (not to mention higher energy bills and less comfortable interior temperatures.) The good news – adding or increasing insulation is affordable and provides one of the best returns on investment a homeowner can achieve when considering energy efficient improvement options.

Cellulose insulation is one of the best choices for controlling sound within the home. It has excellent insulating characteristic and is very dense allowing it to both achieve high R-Values while also helping to minimize air intrusions. For existing homes, it is one of the best products for retrofitting into exterior walls. For those considering a home addition, or building a new home, it’s an affordable option and worth considering the additional cost to include insulation in selected interior walls of the home.

In addition to being an excellent thermal insulator, FIBER-LITE PLUS cellulose insulation is also a good way to help control sound in walls. Since it is spray-applied, the insulation fills every gap, fulfilling the first criteria above of preventing air from conducting sound through the material.

Secondly, blown cellulose insulation is far denser than fiberglass batts (the most common type of insulation), with the former installed at 3 lb/cubic foot, and the latter only 1 lb/cubic foot. This density enables the cellulose insulation to absorb the sound waves before they reach the other side of the wall. Altogether, FIBER-LITE PLUS will function as an effective soundproofing material while also making a home more comfortable to live in and less expensive to climate control.

See a demonstration video to learn how effective FIBER-LITE PLUS is at controlling sound versus fiberglass.

Home & Building Insulation That Stops Air Infiltration

Posted on January 16, 2020 by Pat Grubb

Learn Why Insulation Must Stop Air Infiltration

Air infiltration can occur when there is a penetration in the building envelope allowing outside air to flow inside a building. This often occurs between seams of plywood sheeting or around window frames. Insulation can play a role in limiting air infiltration by filling all gaps and voids. For it to work effectively, insulation must be spray applied or dense packed into a wall cavity. In contrast, manufactured, pre-formed insulation batts cannot effectively fill these voids. In fact, they can exacerbate this problem especially around electrical outlets and light switches.

This photo of two walls shows the difference. The one on the left is insulated with fiberglass batts. The wall on the right has dense packed cellulose insulation. The difference is clear – the wall cavity is fully sealed with cellulose insulation. The batt insulated wall will allow air infiltration and reduce the effectiveness of the insulation – regardless of the R-Value.

The picture shown below may look like a haunted house, but it is another perfect example of insufficient insulation within the wall cavity. This picture, taken using an infrared camera, is of a home during colder winter conditions. The red and yellow areas indicate where heat is not being contained. Common areas are shown here including the roof ridge line, chimney and windows. But on the sides of the house, the red and yellow areas clearly show where insulation is lacking. Likely there are fiberglass batts in those walls allowing air infiltration.

These small penetrations often lead to air infiltration resulting in major comfort issues as well as increased energy costs. FTI’s flagship product, Fiber-Lite, is a perfect product for insulating walls. This product can be spray applied or dense packed to effectively fill all gaps and voids.

Learn more about the product here.