Larry Janesky, owner and founder of Dr. Energy Saver was recently on the job to help the owner of this ranch style home lower his energy bills and make the house more comfortable. This particular property was wasting a lot of energy and they had rooms that were drafty and cold. The attic was under insulated; a huge portion of the air that they were paying to cool and heat was leaking out due to poor air sealing, and the walls themselves were poorly insulated with fiberglass batts.
In this episode of ‘On The Job,’ Larry will show us how AirKrete, a brand new type of injection foam insulation material, was used to both increase the R-value (resistance to heat flow) and eliminate air leakages through the existing fiberglass insulated walls.
Fiberglass batts are a popular insulation material, frequently used to insulate wall cavities, but they have a major problem: they don’t stop air flow. The walls in this ranch were sided with wood clapboard, and there was no tar paper, Tyvek or similar material to act as a wind breaker, so the air was flowing right through the fiberglass.
To solve that problem, Dr. Energy Saver removed a few pieces of clapboard to be able to access the wall cavities from the outside in order to drill holes in the walls. A tube was inserted through these holes to inject AirKrete into the walls.
Dr. Energy Saver offers all types of foam insulation for just about any residential and commercial application. For this particular job they selected AirKrete, because the foam insulation offers many advantages over other types, especially in this particular application.
AirKrete is made with 100% inorganic and environmentally-safe compounds, and is free from volatile chemicals that produce strong and/or harmful fumes during the application. In fact, you can’t smell AirKrete at all, not even during the mixing and application process.
The shaving cream-like consistency allows it to expand and completely fill every wall cavity and any small gaps in the wall, providing added R-value (R- 4 per inch) while air sealing the walls at the same time.
The most impressive feature of AirKrete is perhaps its fire safety rating. Back at the Dr. Energy Saver headquarters, Larry demonstrates just how fire resistant it is compared to fiberglass insulation. He uses a propane torch to burn a piece of fiberglass batt and AirKrete. While the torch burns a hole right through the fiberglass, Larry is able to melt a copper penny on top of AirKrete while the material remains intact and smoke-free.
Larry then demonstrates the material’s great R-Value by melting another penny over a piece of AirKrete, which he was able to hold in his hand without burning his fingers.
Dr. Energy Saver is always researching and incorporating new materials, processes, and technologies, in order to honor our commitment to provide the most efficient energy-saving solutions, lower your energy bills and make your home more comfortable. To learn more about our products and services visit our website or YouTube channel to watch other episodes of the ‘On The Job’ series! Contact us to find an insulation contractor in your area and to schedule a home energy evaluation and estimate!
