Monday, November 22, 2010

Insulation that reduces sound - Soundproof Cow

The Lenore house is a tiny, tiny house. A complication of that is that sound could be a problem. I ordered some insulation to reduce sound transmission. I actually went crazy, didn't even measure square footage that I needed and ordered from 2 different companies.

The first one I special ordered from Home Depot is Roxul Comfort Batt. Roxul has a specific sound attenuation insulation but it is about $5 more per package so I just went with the regular insulation. This insulation is a mineral wool insulation meaning it is made from volcanic rock and coal slag (slag is leftovers from coal burning). It is basically noncombustible and will not absorb water. Their website shows a demonstration of Roxul insulation in a window of a cement block building compared to fiberglass. The building is full off old pallets and set on fire. When the temperature has peaked around 2000 degrees the Roxul window is cool enough to put your hand on it, but the fiberglass insulation is long gone.

If I have leftover Roxul insulation I will use it in the attic after cellulose has been blown in between the rafters. I think the insulation I got has an R value of 15 to fit between 2 x 4 studs.

Ok, so I order all this cool mineral wool insulation, but I have been trying to get some denim insulation for a long time. The main company that makes it is Bonded Logic and it's called One Touch only no one has it and you can't even order it as a special order from Home Depot. I figure the company must be difficult to work with because no one carries it around here.  So I found something online that is also made from denim scraps called Quiet batt. It's got an R-value of 13. I ordered it, printed up the receipt and never got an email confirmation from the company. I kept meaning to check on the order but didn't for various reasons - inertia, procrastination, iPhone died, etc. Today I was able to get my iPhone fixed (by getting a new iPhone under warranty). I was coming home from the Apple store and I get a message from "SOUNDPROOF COW" that my insulation has arrived. Soundproof cow? I think I would have remembered if I ordered from a company called Soundproof cow. Anyway, I get home and find 5 boxes of denim insulation. Yeah! How fun! Soundproof cow did not let me down.

I just looked up my order. The receipt is from American Micro Industries which has a subsidiary called "soundprooffoam". Where soundproof cow came from I will never know. But Kathy and I did have a good laugh about the company name.

We dropped off the boxes to the Lenore house. I will try to install it Wed morning, then Martin the drywall guy can start to drywall.

I hope to work on the floors soon but I have got a lot of shifts in the next few days and I have some other work-related paperwork stuff that is absolutely haunting me. Floors probably won't get done until some time in December.

Goal for habitation of the Lenore house is by Christmas.

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