The Most Common Types of Insulation Available

Insulation is available in various forms. The common types of insulation are batt and rolls, loose fill (blown in), spray applied foam insulation, rigid insulation, and reflective insulation.

The types of batt and roll insulation contain fiber glass insulation, rock and slag wool insulation, cotton / denim insulation.  These types of insulations are generally installed in sidewalls, attics, floors, cathedral ceilings, and basements. The fiber glass batt are spun from the molten glass and sand, the rock and slag wool is like fiber glass except for the difference that it is spun from rock like materials and slag. Cotton / denim insulations are made from the recycled scrap denim. These types of insulations are available in rolls and can be custom cut as per the need. Pre-cut lengths are also available of these insulators. These are with or without the vapor retarder facings.

The loose fill or blown in fiber glass insulation is very effective insulation since it prevents air movement which causes the heat loss. These insulators are available in fiber glass, rock and slag wool, and cellulose. The fiber glass insulation prevents the air movement thereby causing reduction of heat loss. The rock and slag wool insulations are best to insulate the hard to reach places. Cellulose is made from the ground up newspapers. This insulator needs a mechanical blowing machine for the installation. It is used in insulating the attics and walls. It is very common to have installed these types of insulation by a professional.

The spray applied insulation is available in fiber glass, rock and slag wool, cellulose, and polyurethane foam. These insulators are used to insulate the sidewalls. These types of insulations are ideal to insulate the places like plumbing chases, electrical outlets and pipes which are hard to reach. It is also used to insulate the building envelope. The fiber glass spray insulations do not have the weight and corrosion problems like the cellulose insulations. The polyurethane foam is best against the air leaks which is a major cause of heat loss. The foam insulations are generally more expensive than the batt or loose fill insulation. It is better to have a professional to install these types of insulators.

The class of rigid insulation comprises of fibrous materials, and plastic foams like extruded polystyrene, expanded polystyrene, polyurethane and polyisocyanurate. These types of insulations are commonly installed in foundation wall, exterior wall, interior basement walls, under slab, and pipes. These insulators are millions of densely packed air cells. These insulators provide good acoustic and thermal insulation. The insulation boards can be faced with reflective coils to reduce potential heat flow.

The reflective insulations are fabricated using the aluminum foils. These have a variety of backings like Kraft paper, plastic film, polyethylene bubbles, and cardboard. These insulations are commonly installed in roof rafters, floor joists, wall studs, crawl spaces, ceilings and basements. These types of insulations are most effective to reduce the downward heat flow. It reduces the heat gain through roof in summer and heat loss through floor in winter. This is used in warmer climate mainly. It cannot be used as replacement for classic insulation.