Frequently Asked Questions

At Rhode Island Insulation, our experienced insulation professionals specialize in residential and commercial insulation. Ensure you have all the information you need about our insulation services beforehand by reading the following questions.

Q. What is cellulose?

A. Cellulose insulation is made from recycled wood fiber, primarily newspaper. 100

pounds of cellulose insulation contains 80 to 85 pounds of recycled newsprint. The

remainder is made of Borax and Boric acid, both non toxic fire retardants. And irritants to insects and small rodents.

Q. How do I know if my house is insulated?

A. There are many ways. Most likely when other houses in the neighborhood have snow on their roofs and yours is already melted that's a sign of heat loss through your attic usually meaning you have no insulation in your attic. High heating bills, drafts, cold walls even when heat is on, boilers constantly kicking on and off shows heat loss instead of a consistent temperature, and condensation on walls. There are many signs, but most homes prior to 1950 are not insulated. The best way to know for sure is to remove a piece of siding and drill a hole through the side wall. Sometimes attics are insulated because someone had access to them, that does not mean the walls are insulated.

Q. What are the advantages to an insulated house?

A. A properly insulated house can save you up to 50% on your heating bills, save you on electric because your boiler wont kick on and off as much. Also in the summer air condition does not have to be on as high, you will be using less electric. Most dust in a house comes from wall cavities that are not insulated. Dust settlement in walls occurs over a period of times and drafts and breezes go through these walls they carry this dust into your living area. A house that is not insulated will probably catch fire and burn down 5-10 times faster than a house that is insulated because fire needs oxygen to breathe. An insulated wall has little or no oxygen which would dramatically slow the spread of a fire in a house which could be the difference between life and death. Uninsulated walls are open cavities for insects and small rodents to nest in, they may even come from your basement travel up the walls and nest in your attic. Boric acid in cellulose irritates these insects and rodents blocking off passages for them to travel in.

Insulated walls also means a quieter home, you won't hear traffic or sounds or wind blowing as much as you would if your wall weren't insulated. Cellulose is an excellent source for sound reduction.

Q. How long does it take to insulate a house?

A. A house that is 1,000 sq.ft to 2,000 sq.ft would take 1 day with 3 men. 2,000 sq.ft to 4,000 sq.ft, 2-3 days with 3 men.

Q. How much can I expect to save?

A. A house that has no insulation in the attic or sidewalls a homeowner can expect to save 35 to 50 % on their fuel bills. Some houses have insulation in there attics but not there sidewalls because someone may had access to the attic, but all attics should have 12 inches of cellulose to get the maximum amount of savings. Adding insulation to an attic or sidewalls a homeowner can still expect a savings between 15% to 25%.

Q. Can my house be insulated if I already have insulation in my attic or walls?

A. Yes, Insulation in walls primarily fiber glass batting sometimes loses its density or you could say R- factor over many years. What we call dense packing walls in the insulation industry is a process in which a hose is fed into the wall cavity were insulation already exists. Then cellulose is blown from bottom to top as the hose is pulled out of the hole of the wall cavity. Now the wall is packed and the homeowner has maximum amount of R-factor that can be achieved. Attics sometimes already have fiberglass batting or other insulation in them, but even if there is 12 inches of baits in an attic there is a stud between each piece of insulation blowing cellulose over and between these spaces assures there will be no heat lost and forms a blanket to completely seal off the attic for future savings on heating bills.

Q. How can I benefit from blown in cellulose?

A. Cellulose fills walls and ceilings and stops air filtration better. The fibers of cellulose are much finer than fiber glass. When cellulose is blown or dense-packed into walls and ceilings it takes on almost liquid like properties that let it flow into cavities and around obstructions like pipes, electrical boxes and completely fills walls and seal every crack and seam. No other material duplicates this action, liquid applied foam plastics do, but they cost much more than cellulose. In new construction cellulose insulation can be installed in walls using a wet spray process, but if not completely dried before sheet rock goes on to the walls there is concern for mold or mildew to appear in the walls. Dense pack dry techniques are very affective in sealing homes against air filtration.

Cellulose makes homes safer. Many residential structures contain large amounts of

wood. Cellulose insulation is the only wood based building material that is always

treated with fire retardant. We only use cellulose that has been treated with non-toxic Borax and Boric acid and is U. L. Listed. This makes cellulose insulation one of the safest building materials used in home construction. If a fire occurs, the dense structure of cellulose and its fire retardants slow its spread through the building by blocking flames and hot gases and the availability of oxygen in insulated walls and ceilings. Scientists at the National Research Council in Canada report that cellulose in the wall cavity provided an increase in the fire resistance performance of 22% to 55%. Air and fire roar right through fiberglass. This is due to the most flammable tar used on the paper barrier and the low density of fiberglass baits which doesn't block air movement. The NRCC showed that the fire resistance of an assembly with glass fiber insulation was

slightly lower than that of a non-insulated assembly. Several fire demonstrations have been conducted in which cellulose insulated structures have remained virtually intact while uninsulated and mineral fiber insulated structures burned to ground.

Cellulose helps in pest control. The Borax and Boric acid in cellulose is irritant to insects and small rodents.

Cellulose is a naturally recycled product. Made from ground up newspaper borax and boric acid and oil injections for dust control cellulose certainty contributes to a cleaner environment. It does not "save trees' but it makes maximum use of trees we already harvested.

Q. What is R-Value?

A. R-Value is the resistance to heat and cold.

Q. Fiber glass VRS Cellulose is?

A. Blown Loose Insulation Comparison -