Energy Source Builder
Two More Non-Itch Batts
Over the past few years, insulation makers have tried hard to make fiberglass batts more user-friendly. A pair of promising itch-free products mentioned in recent issues were Owens-Corning's PinkPlus, and Schuller's ComfortTherm. Both of these are wrapped in 4-mil polyethylene that's perforated to prevent it from acting as a cold-side vapor barrier. Some of Owens-Corning's batts are also made with a new type of non-itch fiberglass called Miraflex. Now two more non-itch products have entered the fray; each is a variation on the themes.
Certainteed's new Easy Handler insulation is a standard fiberglass batt that's wrapped, not in plastic, but in a thin fabric. The company claims that the fabric is easier to handle in hot weather, when plastic can get slippery. It comes in R-13 and R-19 kraft-faced for walls, R-30 kraft-faced for floors and ceilings, and R-25 unfaced for adding a second layer of insulation to existing attics. It's priced about 18 percent over the company's unwrapped batts.
Miraflex promised users the feel of soft cotton, but if it's cotton you want, you might prefer the real thing. The Roswell, Georgia-based Greenwood Cotton Insulation Company has introduced a batt insulation made from ground-up denim-scrap from blue-jean and T-shirt factories-and polyester fibers. Greenwood Cotton Insulation is available as a loose-fill blowing insulation for attics, or as a wall batt with a kraft-paper facing. Not only does it insulate as well as standard fiberglass, but as you would expect of something made from shredded pants, it doesn't itch and requires no protective clothing to install. It looks and feels like dryer lint. A company spokesman said that Greenwood wants to compete head-to-head with Miraflex. He claims that while the cotton batts cost more than fiberglass, they're less expensive than Miraflex.
Contact:
Find Cotton Insulation in the Oikos Product Directory
Find Certainteed Corp.in the Oikos Product Directory
This article appeared in Energy Source Builder #43 February 1996, |
