A house is expected to be strong enough to protect you from forces of nature such as typhoons and earthquakes. Those only occur at certain points of a year, but it does not mean that your home is resting on its laurels for the other days of the calendar. It still has to deal with elements shifting temperatures and other environmental elements daily. It is best for you to coordinate with the metal roofing provider that worked on your home to ensure that you get optimal insulation. That aspect slows down heat transfer to the interiors which should aid in giving your family members some comfort during the hottest days of summer.
The interesting thing about insulation is that you can choose the materials to be used in your house. You might be familiar with some of them because they have other implementations in life.
Mineral Wool
As its name suggests, mineral wool is manufactured by processing rock materials into something fibrous. This can then be woven and laid as multiple layers until it becomes thick enough to resemble a foam. The great thing about mineral wool is there is a type that is able to handle temperatures as high as 1,000 degrees Celsius. This is more suited for factories whose environments deal with extreme heat. Examples of these would be facilities that were built to burn or melt different kinds of metals.
Using glass wool should be more than adequate for residential buildings. Although it may look like a textile product, you still have to be careful around it because its dust could be harmful when inhaled. The synthetic material could get caught up in your upper respiratory cavity and could cause some serious damage if it reaches the lungs.
Fiberglass
You may be familiar with fiberglass as it is used to create or mend hard objects like a boat hull or display statues. It is basically a plastic material that starts out as a thin sheet. Building something out of it involves putting in layer after layer on top of each other, with an adhesive substance applied in between. As it dries out, the fiberglass sheets bond together to form a new material that is very durable. Since it is plastic, it is not brittle. This means that it can withstand several blows from a mallet before it cracks.
Plastic is also well-known for its great insulating ability. Fiberglass can be applied even in the tightest corners in your house due to its flexibility when it is still in sheet form. You can apply each layer as if you are creating a papier-mache masterpiece.
Polystyrene
Polystyrene is a type of hydrocarbon polymer that is usually used as an inner packaging material. It is good to use as a shock guard for large appliances like washing machines and refrigerators. When you unbox those items, you will see this material on places where the edges are protected. It is quite brittle though, you can easily break it in half if you force to bend it. You also will see it become disintegrated into little soft beads.
You may also know polystyrene for the squeaky sound it makes when it rubs against the same material. If you have some stashed away for some reason, you can recycle those and use them around the house as an insulating material. Try blocking some of your windows with it to give you some shade and for it to repel the heat from the sun. It can also come in foam form that you can use to fill tight gaps in the inner parts of your walls or ceilings.
Polyurethane Foam
Your house’s floors or walls may have the polymer called polyurethane in them. In its liquid form, it can be used as a type of paint or varnish. When dried it becomes an effective sealant, providing waterproofing for the surface you apply it to. But you can also apply it as an insulator. There are foams based on these materials that you can just easily spray onto your wall frames. It will expand and turn into a sponge-like material that can fill in all the gaps before you nail in your drywall or plywood to complete the construction of your walls.
Insulation is a part of your house construction that you should not neglect. Managing heat not only improves the comfort level of the inner areas of your home, but it also helps in increasing the efficiency of your energy usage. Remember that your electronic items work harder when they are in hot environments. The good thing is you have great materials as options to manage heat conductivity. It may look simple when applied, but that can be a godsend for your whole household.
