The Washington times., 1925-10-12
PIPES SHOULD
b: PRQPE
COVERED
Adequate Insulation Guaran-
tees Comfort Insurance
and Lower Fuel Bills
Article II. 'WEiat Types d InsuIar
zion Can I Use In NY HOusess'

Article II. ''WIiat Types d InsuIa-
zion Can I Use IN NY House?s'
The insulators which are sold tor
use in small homes are made Of
animal, vegetable or mineral sub
stances.
OF animaI-substance insulators,
there is only one: cattle-hair com,
pressed into mat Or felt and
backed with paper.
The vegetable insuIators are cork,
flax-fiber, eelgrass e seaweeA),
wood, wood.firbe. sugar cane waste.
The cork Is compressed and baked
into board, or It Is simply granli-
lated and used as filIer. The
flax.fibre il compressed into q semi
rigid board. or 1t Is worked together
loosely into blanket backed with
paper. The eelgraas Is made into
j blanket faced with sheets Of pa
per. The wood is worked into q
fairly stiff board covered with q
cement and sheets Of paper. Wood
fibre is compressed into seni-rigtd
boards or is backed with paper and
made into nquilt" or IS shipped
loose to be used as q filler. Cane
waste Is compressed into g semi
board.
Mineral WOOL and gypsum are
the two minerals Used as insrla-
tors. The former Is spun lime.
stone to be used as q filler, or Il
. Is mixed with other materials and
moulded into boardform. Gypsum
fnsltlators are made In two difflr-
ent ways: either as rigid boards :
"fire-proof lumber or az filters
to be mixed with water, which
swells the gypsum intOga light pof-
Gus fire-stop and irlsulator between
the studs of q house.
This simple classic cati0n OF al
the insuIators on the market vii
help the prospective home builder
to choose among them. But there
Is another helpful classificatt or;
that is, from the standpoint o. the
form in which they are sold. In
general, there are four types:
1. Rigid boards. These are made
of cork, wood, wood fiber or gyp-
sum. Some Of these do nothing
except insulate; that Is, they are.
extra items that must be added TO
the cost OF the house.
Others can be used as wallboard,
to provide the interior Wall-finiSn.
Other insulating boards can be
used for fire protection as well as
stopping heat loss. Others can be
used as plaster bases. Others, as
sheathing lumber or backing Tor
stucco.
q. Non-rigid boards Some 4 Of
these also arc extra items in the
materials bill. Others, despite tEeir
lack OF structural strength, are
sometimes used for plaster bases
or for stucco backing or even for
sheathing.
3. quilts Since they lack striic-
tIlral strength, tho only purpose
these materials serve is insulation.
A. Filters These are materials
which must be poured between the
studs Of the wall, or over the latin
and plaster OF a ceiling or be-
tween the layers Of flooring. Some
filters are loose; others have struc-
tural strength. The former serve
no other purpose besides insulating,
OuL they A1NG 6O1IlG NeNAuE Cd III 2
stops. An insulating filler which
chemically sets when poured in
plane becomes rigid and has strtic-
tural strength. 1t also adds to
the fire-safeness of the construc-
ton.
Now, this classification prepares
the way for an answer to our
question.
what types of insulation can I
use in my house?" the prospective
builder asks.
Amy of the types described" we
may. answer. ''But-and this is the
big point-choose one which will do
more than just insulate: one which
viii stop fire, has structural
strengths and can take the place. of
lath or sheathing or stucco- backing.
Choose an insulator which VIII
combine the qualities OF three or
four materials in one. Then your
insulation will not only save you
money by cutting the fuel-cost; it
also viii reduce the initial expense
Of building"
CThe next article in this series
will answer the question, TNhere
does nv home need inSulation?")