by
Nick Gromicko, CMI®
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and Kenton ShepardFiberglass is a type of fiber primarily composed of glass that is used in a wide variety of applications, and is predominantly employed as a residential and commercial thermal insulator. Fiberglass is also used to create products as varied as automobile bodies, boat hulls, arrows, roofing, shower curtains, and tent poles. As an insulator, it slows the spread of heat, cold, and sound in structures, cars and aircraft. By trapping pockets of air, it keeps rooms warm in the winter and cool in the summer, and thereby serves as a convenient method to increase energy efficiency. Fiberglass is an attractive choice for home insulation because it poses no fire hazard. According to some estimates, thermal insulation (made from fiberglass and its alternatives) conserves 12 times as much energy as is lost in its production, and it may reduce residential energy costs by up to 40%.
Glass has been woven into small amounts of coarse fibers for many centuries, even by the ancient Egyptians and Phoenicians, but fiberglass did not exist in its modern form until 1932 as a result of an accident. A researcher named Dale Kleist was attempting to create a vacuum-tight seal between two glass blocks when a jet of high-pressure air turned a stream of molten glass into fine fibers. He had unintentionally discovered an effective method to produce large amounts of fiberglass particles, a method that he would refine in later years. Fiberglass was trademarked in 1938 as Fiberglas® and was subsequently used in clothing, boat hulls, fishing rods, and eventually automobile bodies in 1953 when Fiberglas® partnered with Chevrolet.
In homes, fiberglass insulation can be installed in various parts of the building envelope. It can be pink, yellow, white or green, depending on its manufacturer, and has a spongy feel. Commonly found in blanket form, called batts, it is available in bags containing standard pre-cut lengths and widths. Batts are typically stapled into place. Fiberglass insulation also comes in bags as loose fill that can be blown into attic, wall and floor cavities. Most fiberglass batts are manufactured with a paper or foil backing that faces the direction of warmth. When installed correctly, it creates a continuous membrane that retards the passage of moisture and reduces the likelihood that fibrous particles will enter the living space. It is important that the backing always faces the warm side of the structure in which the insulation is installed.
Batts are available in different thicknesses, with the thicker batts offering a higher resistance to heat flow. This resistance is known as R-value, with common R-values for walls being R-11 to R-19, and R-30 to R-38 for ceilings.
Hazards
When it is disturbed, fiberglass insulation releases particulates into the air that may be inhaled by those installing or removing it, or by property inspectors crawling through attics or crawlspaces where it is present.
If you must disturb fiberglass insulation, wear gloves, a long-sleeved shirt, pants, and goggles. A dust mask (or, for the greatest protection under any circumstances, a respirator with a particulate filter) should be used to prevent inhalation of the potentially irritating fibers.
Before removing fiberglass insulation, it is a good idea to dampen the area to prevent particles from entering the airspace. Afterwards, wash your hands with water – preferably cold water, as warm water can expand pores that can trap particles and allow them to travel deeper into the skin.
One Alternative: Cellulose
Cellulose is a plant-based insulator and is the oldest form of home insulation. At different times, it has been produced from sawdust, cotton, straw, hemp, and other plant materials with low thermal conductivity. Today, it is produced from recycled newspapers that are later treated with chemicals that reduce its ignition potential.
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Cellulose must be chemically treated in order to reduce its flammable properties, and such additives may have the potential to burn exposed skin or other membranes, so caution should be practiced when handling it.
Cellulose insulation is relatively inexpensive and significantly reduces air flow. It is possible that the material can produce harmful off-gassing from the ink contained in the newspapers, but insulation is generally contained in sealed locations, so this is not likely to be a health concern. As is true with fiberglass, protect your lungs with a breathing mask when handling cellulose insulation.
Fiberglass and cellulose are both used as insulators, although they offer somewhat different advantages. There are also other types of thermal insulation available that are not covered in this article, such as rockwool, vermiculite, and various two-part foams. Insulation is an important part of enhancing a home's energy efficiency, lowering heating and cooling costs, and increasing comfort.
Every year, as football teams clash on the Super Bowl gridiron, corporations battle to catch the eye of millions of fans through advertisements. Fans watching the game in 1979 saw a commercial featuring a transparent “glass house” that showed “all the places insulation can save money.” The house was just a small plastic model, but the message was timely for a country still suffering through the energy crisis of the 1970s. “Put your house in the pink,” the announcer declared. “Get Owens-Corning Fiberglas insulation now; it’s cheaper than oil.”
Insulation was nothing new. Nineteenth-century builders often mixed hair from horse manes and tails into the first, “brown coat” of lime-based plaster. Straw, rags, and paper were other commonly used thermal insulators. One present-day homeowner living in a cold, snowy area near Lake Superior discovered that the walls of her 1850s house had been lined with Finnish-language newspapers. “Maybe the Finnish words are warmer than English,” she joked.
Those thrifty, long-ago immigrants had the right idea. Cellulose, the main component of wood, can be a good insulator. Wood can be processed into fibers, paper scraps, and fluff, which is then compressed into sturdy, insulating fiberboard or sandwiched between sheets of strong paper to make rolls or batts of insulation.
The spread of central heating in the early 20th century prompted homeowners to use insulation to save on fuel costs. One popular product named “Balsam-Wool” evoked the warmth of sheep’s wool, but the easy-to-install blanket (“It tucks in!”) was made of cellulose fluff and brown paper. An ad from 1929 described the insulation as an essential component of an up-to-date household: “Boiler—plus Radiators—plus Balsam-Wool—there’s a Modern Heating Equipment.”
Fiberboard and cellulose insulation products were inexpensive, but they were flammable and deteriorated when wet. Another kind of “wool” overcame these disadvantages. Iron refining left behind large amounts of useless slag. A simple but ingenious method developed in the late 19th century transformed this slag into metallic fibers known as “rock wool” or “mineral wool” (often confused with asbestos, a natural though hazardous material widely used for fireproofing in the United States until the 1980s). Workers aimed a jet of steam at molten slag as it poured from furnaces, scattering the slag into tiny pellets. As the pellets flew out of the steam like miniature comets, they grew fine, threadlike tails that hardened almost immediately. When the pellets dropped to the ground, the tails broke off and were suctioned into a chamber where workers forked them up like hay and packed them into bags for shipping.
A new type of fiber insulation appeared in the 1930s. At Corning Glass in 1932, researcher Dale Kleist was trying to join glass blocks together to create transparent, weatherproof walls. During an unsuccessful attempt to use glass as a sealant, a stream of compressed air hit the flow of molten glass, forming a spray of tiny fibers. This fortunate accident led to a 1936 patent for Fiberglas. Corning Glass soon joined with Owens-Illinois, another glass manufacturer, to found a new company dedicated to the product.
Fiberglas was economical and easy to produce in large quantities. A magazine article from 1938 proclaimed it a “new marvel of science” and explained that “a single marble, weighing only ¼-ounce, produces the incredible amount of 90 MILES of glass fiber, so finely are the threads drawn.” Owens Corning used the versatile material to reinforce plastic. The company also spun Fiberglas into thread, wove it to make cloth, and blew it into light, puffy insulation. The open-plan, air-conditioned homes popular in the 1950s could benefit from draperies, window screens, wall paneling, ceiling tiles, and insulation, all made from or with Fiberglas.
Owens Corning soon faced competition from other fiberglass manufacturers. The company began adding red dye to the naturally tan or yellowish insulation to distinguish it from their rivals’ products. Introduced in 1956, the bright pink color became such a powerful marketing tool that the company trademarked it in 1985.
PINK, in all capitals, continues to be a registered trademark of Owens Corning. The corporation even adopted the Pink Panther as a mascot in 1980. The long-legged cartoon feline, who shares his color with Fiberglas insulation, remains one of the most recognized American advertising figures.
Fiberglass today is joined by a host of other insulating materials. Styrofoam and other types of plastic foam come in many forms, from rigid panels to loose material blown into wall cavities. Rock wool is still used for thermal and acoustic insulation and for fire resistance. And eco-conscious consumers seeking to keep their homes comfortable can choose soy-foam insulation, cotton-based insulation made from recycled denim jeans, or even insulation made from genuine sheep’s wool.
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