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• INSULATION FAQ
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• Q.  Why should I consider adding insulation to my attic?

  A. Most homes leak 40% of their indoor air through the attic space. Thorsen's can insulate any attic in one day.

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• Q.  What does insulation actually do for my home?

  A. Fiber glass insulation keeps your home cool in the summer and warm in the winter, because insulation resists the flow of heat. Heat is a form of energy and always seeks a cooler area - flowing out of the home in the winter and into the home in the summer. By reducing heat flow, a properly insulated home uses less energy for heating and cooling.

  In addition to being an energy saver, fiber glass insulation also acts as a sound absorber. When installed in walls and ceilings, it can reduce the transmission of sound from one room to another or from the outside. In today's noise-laden environments, more and more homeowners are soundproofing their homes.
   

Q. What areas of my home should be insulated?

 

A. Insulation is not just for attics and outside walls. Insulation should also be installed in other areas of your home such as ceilings with unheated spaces, basement walls, floors above vented crawl spaces, cathedral ceilings, floors over unheated garages or porches, knee walls, and in between interior walls (especially bathrooms), ceilings or floors for extra sound control.

Q. How do you determine which is the right protective covering and finish?

A. The efficiency and service of insulation is directly dependent upon its protection from moisture entry and mechanical and chemical damage. Choices of jacketing and finish materials are based upon the mechanical, chemical, thermal and moisture conditions of the installation, as well a cost and appearance requirements. Protective coverings are divided into six functional types:

1. Weather Barriers
2. Vapor Retarders
3. Mechanical Abuse Coverings
4. Corrosion and Fire Resistant Coverings
5. Appearance Coverings and Finishes
6. Hygienic Coverings

Q. How does insulation help control condensation?

A. When piping and equipment operate at temperatures lower than the ambient air, moisture in the air will condense, or freeze, on or within the insulation surface - or on the cold pipe surface. Unless the system is protected by sufficient thickness and by adequate vapor retarders, the insulation can become wet, causing corrosion, and causing it to become ineffective.

Q. How and why is insulation used to control sound?

A. Sound attenuation, or the limiting of sound propagation from one area to another, requires the application of special and standard insulation materials to encase or enclose the noise generating source, forming a sound barrier between the source and the surrounding area.

The purposes of applying sound attenuation materials are to:

1. Reduce obnoxious noise levels emitting from machines, equipment, pipe lines or enclosures.
2. Reduce general noise level in plant areas.
3. Provide for better work conditions.
4. Comply with noise level standards of OSHA and EPA.