Teken Posted July 15, 2016 Posted July 15, 2016 Hello Frank, For any hollow walls try to find a reputable company that does cellulose blown in insulation. Essentially, they cut out holes at the top and the bottom of the wall cavity. They then insert the hose at the top and blow in the cellulose until it compacts and starts to fill the void. Once its properly filled and compacted they wait for the cellulose to spew out the bottom . . . At that point they rinse and repeat the entire procedure until all the walls are insulated. The reason for using cellulose is due to the higher density when compared to fiberglass. Next, because cellulose due to its density offers higher rejection of heat soaking / heat transfer. Almost all the latest cellulose products are green and don't use any harmful VOC's, and have added chemicals which make it almost fire proof and rodent / bug repellent. Lastly, because the material is dense it offers excellent noise abatement along with sound deadening. I would encourage you to also insulate as many interior walls to while this process is underway. Again, doing so will ensure each room, zone, floor offers its own insulated box / container. You will quickly notice heating / cooling for specific zones will require much less run time along with privacy. Should you ever be considering a large reno where some or all the ceiling, walls, will be replaced consider PCM technology. Phase Change Materials are the latest technology which allows a person to add mass / density to a home superstructure with out the added weight. The latest PCM drywall and wall boards offer 2-10 times the density of concrete, brick, and stone. The benefit of PCM technology is that it operates in the reverse fashion very much like an ice cube. When its cold the PCM material will change state and absorb the ambient heat and when it cools down it will release that same energy back into the room in a gradual manner. This technology and process ensures any room, floor, zone is not impacted by variations in quick rise in temps / dip in temps. Which ultimately offers greater comfort and reduced energy costs over the long run. BWT: So awesome to know you're a HAM operator - as I have just started on this journey myself and look forward to taking the test hopefully by years end. At the moment I have been reviewing various pieces of gear for travel and in home stations. Icom series transceivers like the 7851 unit . . .
fmk2 Posted July 15, 2016 Author Posted July 15, 2016 Wow, Teken, you are definitely up to speed on all the latest and greatest with home insulation. Thanks for the info! I've never heard of the PCM material before, but we did use QuietRock sound deadening drywall on interior walls (between the living area and the master bedroom, for example) when we did our remodel. I have QuietRock drywall in my music studio / ham shack as well... it reduces sound well enough that I can practice without driving the wife or the neighbors crazy. I am familiar with the blown-in cellulose for outside walls. Haven't heard of using it on inside walls, but that makes sense. There's one installer in the area that I know of that uses the cellulose insulation... I guess I'll start by giving them a call. I've been a ham for over 40 years. It's pretty much my second favorite hobby (playing music being the first, and then there's a long list after ham radio). The Icom radios are great -- I'm a big fan. In fact, I'm listening to a couple Australians chatting back and forth on my Icom IC-7600 right now (I'm in California and it's 12:30 AM). The new IC-7300 is a really slick radio, too -- it utilizes a Software Defined Receiver (SDR), which is basically the state of the art in receiver design, and it's not very expensive. I got to play with one on Field Day a few weeks ago (if you don't know what Field Day is, just Google ARRL Field Day... it'll pop right up). It was impressive. Good luck on getting your ticket. I'm sure you'll have a lot of fun with it. Let me know when you get it and maybe we can set up a "sked", as they say, to chat on the air. And thanks again for the details on the insulation options. Frank
Teken Posted July 15, 2016 Posted July 15, 2016 Too funny I was just watching a you tube video from the icom rep with two good old boys on their channel about the IC-7300! It would be fantastic to be able to talk to you and others across the 49th parallel via SSB! You could be my *Elmer* to figure out all the jargon and technical stuff. Ha . . .
G W Posted July 15, 2016 Posted July 15, 2016 (edited) One thing I regret was never getting my own ticket. I bet I've logged over 5000 hours by the time I was 23. And I messed up by not getting my father's handle. Now I feel bad. Darn. Best regards, Gary Funk Edited July 15, 2016 by GaryFunk
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