Autex Greenstuff Insulation

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Stu1

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#190824 13-Jan-2016 20:34

Hi, has anyone had any experience with Autex Green stuff insulation, how does it compare to normal fiber bats?

richms

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#1470342 13-Jan-2016 20:44

I had some installed and it works. Not sure what else to add.

Richard rich.ms

Oncop53

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#1470346 13-Jan-2016 20:54

Much nicer to handle during install. Still use a dusk mask though.

Stu1

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#1470390 13-Jan-2016 21:32

Thanks guys, will get a quote for bats as well was mainly interested in if there was much difference in performance or if it was much the same between products. I know with our bats they are pretty flat now so would be interested in if they kept their shape better than bats.

bfginger

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#1472361 16-Jan-2016 07:13

Underfloor or ceiling?

For underfloor I would go for polyester over fibreglass. Greenstuff is polyester, Pink Batts is fibreglass. Polyester can be stapled in place but fibreglass needs straps. A cheap vapour barrier should help keep your house drier if the underfloor cavity is enclosed and has a dirt floor

The main problem with fibreglass in the ceiling is it produces abrasive dust and is an irritant to touch. Polyester is a preferable option if it's a space you're going to come in contact with. Fire risk areas are better to have fibreglass as it produces less smoke and it'll be much less likely for downlights to be rated to have polyester installed over them. If you have old torn up and heavily slumped Pink Batts they should be removed. Polyester is easier to cut to size.

Polyester insulation can be extremely overpriced in retail as the retailers prefer to sell fibreglass. The price difference should be much smaller from wholesale.

Don't go with low R values. Insulation levels are low in New Zealand compared with international norms. More like R6 is good for ceilings. Two layers might be cheaper and more effective than a single thick layer as the second layer can go over the joists and extra thick batts are a problem around edges where they're not supposed to touch the roof lining. R2.6 is the best I know of for polyester or wool-polyester underfloors.

timmmay

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#1472362 16-Jan-2016 07:37

bfginger: Underfloor or ceiling?

For underfloor I would go for polyester over fibreglass. Greenstuff is polyester, Pink Batts is fibreglass. Polyester can be stapled in place but fibreglass needs straps. A cheap vapour barrier should help keep your house drier if the underfloor cavity is enclosed and has a dirt floor

The main problem with fibreglass in the ceiling is it produces abrasive dust and is an irritant to touch. Polyester is a preferable option if it's a space you're going to come in contact with. Fire risk areas are better to have fibreglass as it produces less smoke and it'll be much less likely for downlights to be rated to have polyester installed over them. If you have old torn up and heavily slumped Pink Batts they should be removed. Polyester is easier to cut to size.

Polyester insulation can be extremely overpriced in retail as the retailers prefer to sell fibreglass. The price difference should be much smaller from wholesale.

Don't go with low R values. Insulation levels are low in New Zealand compared with international norms. More like R6 is good for ceilings. Two layers might be cheaper and more effective than a single thick layer as the second layer can go over the joists and extra thick batts are a problem around edges where they're not supposed to touch the roof lining. R2.6 is the best I know of for polyester or wool-polyester underfloors.

I second all of this. I have plastic vapor barrier over soil and polyester underfloor insulation, the house smelled MUCH better afterwards. Also in my ceiling I have loose fill wool (which compacted over time and became less effective), then a layer of reasonably think pink batts, then in many places another layer of pink batts or similar. Each extra layer made a noticeable difference to my old house, but it's still not near as good at keeping heat as a new house.

Stu1

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#1474062 18-Jan-2016 18:43

This is really good info thank you, the thickness was only 2.9 for the ceiling which was greenstuff, i havent really heard of it we had some one from the regional council door knocking to promote it. The installation costs are quire high 2,100 installed or about 1400 on trademe to do it yourself. We are getting three quotes from suppliers in wellington that are approved council providers, will look at pink bats as well. Thanks for the info guys

bfginger

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#1474754 19-Jan-2016 16:26

R values aren't a measurement of thickness but a measurement of heat retention.

An R value is the U value inverted. So R2.9 means U0.344 which means a 100m2 area loses 34.4watts for each degree difference on each side of the material. R2.9 of polyester may be a different mm thickness compared with R2.9 of fibreglass.

R2.9 is a minimal level of insulation for a ceiling. Greenstuf has has higher R value single layers of insulation as do their competitors.

To quote an earlier post

There are also websites you can order from like

http://eliteinsulation.co.nz/

and http://insulationwarehouse.co.nz/ .

It might be possible to order from a factory

http://www.insulpro.co.nz/ who is behind Mammoth.

http://www.greenstuf.co.nz/ Greenstuf is from Autex.

http://textile.co.nz/product-range/insulation/

http://www.technobond.co.nz/ Ellis Fibre is in Dunedin so not much good for you. They sell on Trademe.

Terra Lana has started offering R2.6 wool-polyester underfloor

http://www.terralana.co.nz/under-floor-insulation.html Their website says products can be purchased directly from them. But they're in Christchurch.

If you DIY you need to be careful of wiring as it should be over insulation instead of under as it can burst into a fire if it isn't rated to have insulation over it. And these's the issue of falling through the ceiling ;)

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mattwnz

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#1474757 19-Jan-2016 16:31

I am not sure of the specs, but generally you can't use this type of insualtion to insulate over IC downlighters. But you should check the specs to make sure. So if you are planning on using it in your ceiling, you probably don't want downlighters. Otherwise you will need to use something like bradford gold which is glass fibre.

richms

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#1474759 19-Jan-2016 16:33

The problem with all that IC etc rating is it was done before LED was really a thing, Its more the drivers that are a concern than the fitting itself since those being hot just lowers the life of the LEDs, but the driver is the one that will cook up and possibly catch fire when overheated.

Richard rich.ms

evilengineer

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#1474766 19-Jan-2016 16:50

We went for Knauf Earthwool/glasswool when we did the roof space last year.

Decent price, easy to handle, no itch problems and slightly higher R values for given thickness than most of the competitors I looked at the time.

(NB: 200mm thick is about the practical maximum for a lot of NZ roofs due to relatively low pitches before the insulation starts touching the underside of the roof sheeting, which you don't want because of potential moisture issues).