Masonry Magazine January 2003 Page. 34
Decisions, decisions.
Is pour-in insulation the way to go or should you hire the guys with the foam-in-place truck? This question turned into one of the most heated exchanges we've had at Masonry. Come and join the discussion.
POUR IT IN or PUMPITIN
LONG BEFORE THERE WAS FOAM-IN-PLACE
insulation, there was granulated pour-in material to add to the cells in CMUs. Today, they exist side-by-side although proponents of each will tell you one is vastly superior to the other. So which is better? Let's take a look and see if we can come to an understanding of why and when one is better.
Last year we had a feature on foam insulation ("Foam-in-Place Insulation: Growing in Popularity, Masonry, November 2002) that covered the basics of this medium and how it works and is applied. This time we'll look this time at factors that might make a contractor choose foam over loose fill material.
Tailored Chemical Products, Hickory, N.C., produces Core-Fill 500, an insulation material for use in commercial and industrial construction that has excellent thermal and acoustical properties. It is a two-component system consisting of an amino-plast resin and a catalyst foaming agent surfactant. These two components, when mixed in the proper ratio and propelled by compressed air, produce a foam insulation having the appearance of shaving cream.
Mark Huckabee, national sales manager for Tailored Chemical likes to refer to the product as an "integral insulation." As he puts it, "Our product, along with loose fill, is considered an integral insulation system when used with concrete block. It's appropriate in any situation where you are filling concrete block from six to 12 inches, and up to 16 inches on occasion. It provides many benefits over other products, of course, and is the most specified and installed block insulation in the United States for commercial projects"
On the other side of the desk is Eric Moeller, sales and marketing manager for Grace Specialty Vermiculite, a part of Grace Construction Products. Moeller is based in the San Francisco area, far from the Grace home office in Cambridge, Mass. It is believed that vermiculite was originally observed nearby in Worcester, Mass., in 1824. When exposed to a flame, the mineral would expand into a variety of fanciful forms resembling small worms, hence the name vermiculite, or worm breeder.
For about 100 years after its discovery, vermiculite was not of commercial significance. In 1923, a deposit in Libby, Mont., was developed for commercial production by the Zonolite Company of Chicago, III. Grace Construction Products entered the vermiculite business in 1963 with the acquisition of the Zonolite Company.
Moeller addresses one of the big issues with insulation, thermal mass. "Thermal mass is what determines your heating or
By Tom Inglesby