Re: SB: Polyurathane insulation

["Ted Shelton" <ted655@hotmail.com>]

....  Janice  ....
      .          Has anyone compared the cost of application?   My local 
foam guy charges .75/.85 per sq.foot-1inch thick.
    ..does anyone have info on  outgassing...is there a health
hazard either long term or short term? .. I've had to abandon 2 mobile homes 
in my life. They were NEW and the outgassing was killing us. Can I prove it? 
NO. Do I know it, yes, (all we had to do was leave for awhile, everything 
else being the same in our lives, and our health returned). We live in an 
older double wide now (18yrs.) and my wife presents symptoms occasionally.   
....However...as everyone
knows...the cellulose slowly compacts over time with wind moving through
the attic, and with both systems ........ You are correct, but unlike walls, 
it's not that hard to reblow the cellulose back in.  ....I know some of the 
old comments on embodied energy etc...but it seems to
me that the most inefficient component of the
SB spaces we are building is the attic ....Be very careful in the assesement 
of this space. It does more (air circulation, 
heating-cooling,transferring,reservore), than it appears to do.This 
inefficient space is in charge of the health of your roof, vapor removal 
from your living space, and plays a major role in your heat/cool comfort.
      ....I know some of the old comments on embodied energy etc.... I 
agree. What seems wasteful up front can sometimes SAVE, over time. I use 
foam!!! There I said it. I try to use everything I build with to make the 
end product sustainable and efficient. You can't beat foam, outside, in the 
ground. I don't want it in my living space. I don't think you need it in 
your attic. Don't build such a tight house, they can be unhealthy. Strive 
for a balance with nature, don't fort-up against it.


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