Insulation: Mammoth or Bradford Gold

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Krishant007

1403 posts

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#208491 14-Feb-2017 12:08

I have received a couple of quotes for getting some ceiling insulation done but I wanted to see if anyone has any experience with the following two brands:

Bradford Gold R2.9

Mammoth R2.9

Apparently the Mammoth is a local NZ brand and is made from recycled plastic. I am leaning towards it, but wanted to get others opinions and if possible, experience?

Looking at getting about 110 sqm of ceiling and about 50 sqm of floor insulation.

Thanks

neb

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#1719991 14-Feb-2017 13:21

Is there any reason why you're going with 2.9? That's the most minimal insulation you can get away with, it's barely worth the cost of getting it installed.

(Alternative reply: Once you've put the 2.9 in, what are you planning to add as insulation?).

Krishant007

1403 posts

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#1719995 14-Feb-2017 13:24

Its for an investment property. i was thinking of going with 3.2 to be honest if its a little bit more money.

neb

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#1720001 14-Feb-2017 13:29

Fair enough, that's the only reason you'd want to put in 2.9. In which case, presumably, the answer would be "whatever's cheapest".

mattwnz

20173 posts

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#1720009 14-Feb-2017 13:37

Krishant007:

Its for an investment property. i was thinking of going with 3.2 to be honest if its a little bit more money.

IMO it is a no brainer going for extra insulation, and it is looking after your tenants. An investment property is still going to be some elses home while they live in it. You can also use it as a point of difference, by saying it is insulated well above the minimum codes, so they won't shouldn't need to spend as much heating. Not only that but standards will go up in the future, the current ones are too low as it is IMO.

Krishant007

1403 posts

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#1720012 14-Feb-2017 13:40

mattwnz:

Krishant007:

Its for an investment property. i was thinking of going with 3.2 to be honest if its a little bit more money.

IMO it is a no brainer going for extra insulation, and it is looking after your tenants. An investment property is still going to be some elses home while they live in it. You can also use it as a point of difference, by saying it is insulated well above the minimum codes, so they won't shouldn't need to spend as much heating. Not only that but standards will go up in the future, the current ones are too low as it is IMO.

Thats exactly what I am on board with. Its someones home, and they are paying me fair rent so its my responsibility as a landlord to ensure they have a good, safe and health environment to stay in.

Having said that, I wanted to get back on the topic if anyone has experienced or used the 2 different types of insulation? I am leaning with the Mammoth as it is made with recycled materials and it is NZ made.

Amosnz

567 posts

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#1720030 14-Feb-2017 14:11

Sorry I have no experience with either of them, but when I re-did our roof a few years ago I used Autex Greenstuf which is polyester. http://www.autexindustries.com/greenstuf/

Speedtest

mattwnz

20173 posts

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#1720041 14-Feb-2017 14:32

Krishant007:

mattwnz:

Krishant007:

Its for an investment property. i was thinking of going with 3.2 to be honest if its a little bit more money.

IMO it is a no brainer going for extra insulation, and it is looking after your tenants. An investment property is still going to be some elses home while they live in it. You can also use it as a point of difference, by saying it is insulated well above the minimum codes, so they won't shouldn't need to spend as much heating. Not only that but standards will go up in the future, the current ones are too low as it is IMO.

Thats exactly what I am on board with. Its someones home, and they are paying me fair rent so its my responsibility as a landlord to ensure they have a good, safe and health environment to stay in.

Having said that, I wanted to get back on the topic if anyone has experienced or used the 2 different types of insulation? I am leaning with the Mammoth as it is made with recycled materials and it is NZ made.

I would suggest going to the Design Navigator website and asking on their forums, as they have building professionals on it, and they also have all the R values of all the products in NZ listed, along with thicknesses etc. IMO some spun glass blanket products can have the advantage of being less prone to slumping and compressing over time, and for some you can insulate over IC downlighters. Although you would need to check with each manufacturer on this, and what their product can and can;t do. But some of they eco products can't insulate over downlighters, so are potentially less future proof. Not insualting over downlighters can create a major heat loss point. Have you looked at Earthwool, as I think that can be a cheaper alternative?

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Disrespective

1926 posts

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#1720047 14-Feb-2017 14:46

Mammoth is good stuff. It's polyester which is easy on the skin/eyes when installing and will never slump (well, there's no suh thing as 'never'). You also need to use a special saw to cut it as the fit needs to be perfect. There is no room to push or pull a bit more length out of it. I believe Bradford Gold is still a glass based insulation so will have a level of irritation, and will eventually slump to reduce R-value efficacy. This is probably over a 10-20 year period though so for a rental may not have any consequence for you.

If I was installing it myself in my own home i'd be going for Mammoth, hands down, assuming minimal cost difference. Assuming the same cost, if I was installing it in a rental property myself i'd still go Mammoth because of the low irritation level (i'm a sensitive snowflake). However if I was paying for someone else to install it, and BG was cheaper, that's the way I'd go.

mattwnz

20173 posts

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#1720073 14-Feb-2017 15:34

Disrespective:

Mammoth is good stuff. It's polyester which is easy on the skin/eyes when installing and will never slump (well, there's no suh thing as 'never'). You also need to use a special saw to cut it as the fit needs to be perfect. There is no room to push or pull a bit more length out of it. I believe Bradford Gold is still a glass based insulation so will have a level of irritation, and will eventually slump to reduce R-value efficacy. This is probably over a 10-20 year period though so for a rental may not have any consequence for you.

If I was installing it myself in my own home i'd be going for Mammoth, hands down, assuming minimal cost difference. Assuming the same cost, if I was installing it in a rental property myself i'd still go Mammoth because of the low irritation level (i'm a sensitive snowflake). However if I was paying for someone else to install it, and BG was cheaper, that's the way I'd go.

That is a good point about, if they are installing it themselves, because you do want to go with the healthiest option in that case, so you don't get any irritation. Although supposedly the new fibre glass formulations are supposed to be better than the old fibre glass. But there are also other options for polyester such as Greenstuff. There are also blends like Ecowool. But some can't be used over IC downlighters. (at least last time I checked) and the price may vary significantly

Ropata

318 posts

Ultimate Geek
Inactive user

#1720291 14-Feb-2017 22:34

Mammoth is far superior in every way. Check their website for the differences. The only thing is that It can be nearly double the cost and It's a PIA to cut for installation.

Aredwood

3885 posts

Uber Geek

#1720355 15-Feb-2017 01:02

Bradford gold has a higher R value Vs thickness than Mammoth. In most cases this is not a problem. But it is a big problem for Skillion roofs. As the available space is limited by the rafters.

Krishant007

1403 posts

Uber Geek

#1720423 15-Feb-2017 09:44

Hm. Thanks for the input. I am weary of the space up there. Another point of note, - the Mammoth quote is cheaper and I wont be the one installing it - I am quite a big guy and not that handy with such things (I can probably assemble a bookshelf with instructions though).

I am leaning towards the Mammoth

Insulman

1 post

Wannabe Geek

#1720581 15-Feb-2017 12:45

Hey, both are good products but you may want to get another quote on Earthwool glasswool. You'll find it's extremely competitive, in particular to Mammoth (polyester), so you'll be able to afford a much higher R-value for the same money (or save some cash to look at replacing your downlights with LED's or something else to improve efficiency). I've installed all types of insulation, and find Earthwool a pleasure to work with. Comes with similar guarantees (i.e. 50 years). I know Bunnings stock it, but there are a few installers around that will also put it in for you if you don't want to climb up in the ceiling yourself (and be careful of the heat this time of year).

mcraenz

1140 posts

Uber Geek

#1720893 15-Feb-2017 22:07

I just bought:
50m2 of earthwool blanket R3.6 $475+gst
37m2 R2.6 wall segments $360+gst

Is that good? In didn't shop around much because I was in a hurry. But the Germans have a reputation for making good stuff and the itch and dust is pretty minimal.

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