Lydon Than, Certified Passive House Consultant, will be the first builder in Ontario to have cellulose dense packed into such a deep wall assembly – 18″ deep. Mr. Than’s crunched the numbers and it will take over 14,000 pounds of cellulose to properly dense pack the walls to the density of 3.5LBS/cubic foot. BlueGreen Group showed up on the construction site last week to do 3rd party verification of equipment, techniques and density to ensure a century of high performance on this historic and unique build.
The GreenSaver trucks pull in to start the dense packing operation on this new Toronto Passive House.
Rant…
Installers of insulation have never been given the respect the “[sub]trade” deserves. Let’s face it, on the job site, the guy insulating is usually pretty low on the totem pole and yet the job is so critical to the performance and durability of the home. Nobody expecting comfort goes outside on a crisp winter day with a ripped spring jacket. Wanting comfort, we spend on good insulation and detailing like Canada Goose, Patagonia or Northface. In our homes. the fact that we don’t see it but feel the comfort daily should only highlight its importance. Not only does the choice of your insulation matter, but so too the person installing it. December 21st should be “International Hug your Insulator Day”
Veteran insulation and thermal envelop expert Shaiq Khan of GreenSaver taking care of business at the wall tops of this future Passive House.
As previously blogged about, there are a few techniques and measurements to ensure cellulose won’t settle;
- It has to be blown with a measured pressure of at least 3PSI from the hose.
- It has to be “tubed” vigorously and tip within 12″ of each stud cavity face.
- Density has to be verified either gravimetrically, or by simple accounting/geometry or – situation permitting – with infrared.
The winsome Lyndon Than and BlueGreen Group doing a cellulose core sample with 18″ tube to confirm appropriate density. For the record. the wall assembly from outside to inside: Siding, drainage plane, air barrier, wood plank sheathing, 2″x6″ outside wall, 9″ airspace, 5/8″ plywood (as seen above) and 2″x6″ inside wall eventually finished with drywall.
When installed properly, cellulose is an ideal insulation that’s made almost entirely of a waste product. It is very durable and has one of the lowest GWP of any insulation commercially available. The proper techniques to get the density needed are simple but require training and a caring applicator. BlueGreen Group works with builders, insulators and home owners to ensure the density, tools and technique meet the specification for a durably installed high performance result.