When adding an internal wetting system, you will need to minimize the build up of damp fibers in the hose. We accomplish this in two ways:

• You will need a double-blower machine. The extra air reduces progressive build-up of fiber and gives you an extended range with damp fibers. You should be able to get at least 80% production rate at 150 ft. of hose with this IWS system and double blower feature.
• Another aspect of reducing the plugging in an internal wetting system (IWS), would be going from a 3" hose up to a 4" IWS tube and hose for several feet then reducing back down to 3" for the remainder of your hose length.

Setup Option 1: Connecting to an on-site water source using a standard garden hose

• A: Water supply from either a hose bib or water tank
• B: Power supply: This plugs into the circuit panel on the machine labeled IWS. The power automatically turns on and off with the blower.
• C: Double jet: Two jets introduce a mist of water to the cellulose in a cast aluminum coupler.
• D: A section of 3” hose from the machine, increasing to a 4” hose, then back down to a 3” hose.

Setup Option 2: Carrying water in a storage tank in a truck

• A: Internal Wetting System
• B: Water Pump
• C: 100 gallon Water tank
• Inset: Double blower (identified by two blower controls), and specially wired outlet for the IWS which is synchronized with the blower to start and stop water spray

How to set a Cool Machine’s PSI

Every Cool Machine has an airlock with a pressure gauge. A green indicator marks the acceptable dense pack ranges (3.5 to 4.0 PSI).

All you need to do is attach the amount of hose you need¹ for your particular job. Place the end of your hand over the end of the hose to cuff the air. Turn the blower on and using the variable control blower dial turn it up or down to gain the right pressure.

That is all! No special tools, measuring devices are needed. You get the exact pressure every time!

Choosing the Right Material for Dense Pack

Whether you use cellulose, fiberglass or rockwool, there are no special materials for dense packing. Companies tout particular material for various applications, however, standard insulating materials are sufficient. With dense packing, your concern is packing the material in at the correct PSI. When doing so, it does not matter whether you use a stabilized product or not. Do not concern yourself with paying for expensive products that include starch. Those materials create more dust and do not perform unless they are activated by water. Additionally, they are more expensive.

Some companies require certification training so you can use their product for dense packing. I do not make it a practice to speak negatively about any particular brand of insulation or machine. Therefore, I will not name them here. Just be aware that dense packing does not require any special certification. Maybe to use someone’s particular product, you need to pay for their training, however there are plenty of products available to all contractors whether you have training or not.

We have seen particular contractors require a brand-name system. Unless you can convince the contractor otherwise, you will have to meet their demands to win their project. Also, you may need certifications to perform certain government-sponsored jobs. However, generally-speaking, you do not need specialized certification.

Dense Packing in New Construction

Whether you use cellulose or fiberglass, the method is the same. You need to create a temporary “wall” to hold the insulating material in place and to resist bulging.

When using cellulose, you will definitely want to use a fabric material (i.e., Insulweb or IC Pro Pack). These fabrics are very sturdy and will prevent bulging when the appropriate PSI is used when dense packing. You will need to affix the fabric to the wall, using a pneumatic stapler, stapling the material every inch on the wall studs. After stapling, cut a slit in the fabric and attach a section of PVC pipe to the end of your hose (about 4’ is a good length). Stick the pipe into the wall and fill the upper part then the lower.

When using fiberglass, since the material does not produce the same amount of visual dust ², you can use the more inexpensive netting (i.e., 1/6 inch mesh). Again, the process is the same as cellulose above.

Rockwool is used to create a dense, sound deadening barrier. This is very commonly used to isolate home theater and sound studio walls. Often it is easier to find and install panels of rockwool, yet you can dense pack this as well with excellent results.

Dense Packing in Existing Construction

You will want to use a smaller diameter hose. I recommend a 1-1/2 inch hose that is 8 feet long. The larger diameter will minimize hose plugging and allow more material to flow making the job faster. Make sure that when you are reducing from 3 inches to 1-1/2 inches that you allow about 4 feet of reducing steps. Going from 3 inches to 1-1/2 inches in one step will make your job more prone to plugging the hose.

Drill a 2 1/2” or 3” hole into every insulatable³. cavity. Drill the hole close to the bottom sill plate. With existing walls, the process is a bit more difficult. You are blind to the material as it flows into the cavity. You are able to feel and see the insulation pack in the clear vinyl hose as it fills the cavity. Insert the vinyl hose, into the cavity and “snake” it up the wall. Cutting a 45 degree angle on the hose will allow it to go more smoothly into the wall system.

Notes

The CM300 is our most advanced, turn-key system. In one unit, you have the ability to spray and recycle material with great efficiency. Even as Cool Machines is one of the most competitive manufactures on the market, the CM300 still comes with a $30K plus price-tag.

One of our customers wanted a spray and recycle machine. However, they wanted a vacuum system that could be used separately from the machine to give them flexibility to remove insulation from existing attics. This configuration came in well below $30K! What did we do?

Using the base machine in the CM300 setup, we implemented the following solution:

• CM3500 with a 5 horse power, positive displacement blower
• Modified the CM3500 with a recycling hood
• Insulation Vacuum

Here is how the wall spray and recycling works!

1. Dry cellulose is loaded into the main hopper. NOTE WELL: You cannot use any kind of cellulose. You need to make sure your cellulose is stabilized with starch and includes 100% borate. Cellulose is made with either Ammonium Sulfate or Borate. Ammonium Sulfate, when wet, will off-gas obnoxious fumes. Most cellulose manufacturers have various products.
2. A water pump feeds water to the nozzle. The water is added to the cellulose as it exits the spraying hose.
3. The wet cellulose is sprayed into each cavity. A productive installer will be able to fill a 2×4-8’ stud wall cavity in 30 seconds.
4. Cellulose that falls to the floor during spraying and after shaving off the wall is recycled using a standard insulation vacuum
5. The vacuum recycles the damp material. Since the material is being sent back into the machine, it is critical that floors are free of debris.
6. The recycled material is dropped into the sub-hopper with a hood. The hood is equipped with a window so the recycling operator can have a visual indicator as to how full the sub-hopper is. The sub-hopper is able to be controlled so that damp material is precisely mixed with the dry material to make for a consistent application.

Insulation Facts

Codes change because energy costs change. As the costs increase, so do the codes. With the fast rising rate of fuel costs, new codes are always implemented throughout the United States. The most recent insulation code change was in 2003. That means you can have a rather new home, yet be under insulated in the attic. In our zone in Michigan, building codes in 2003 changed from R-19 to R-30 for attics. It took another 3 years for Michigan to catch up to national standards of R-49.

Environmentally Friendly Insulating Products & Methods

• Cellulose: Made of recycled newspapers and wood pulp, fire-retardant and mold retardant chemicals are added to make this product a safe insulating product.  See our list of cellulose distributors.
• Fiberglass: made from sand, in some products minimal amounts of urea formaldehyde is used. See our list of fiberglass distributors

Foam

• Open Cell: 3.9 rs per inch. This type of foam includes soy and cementitious www.icynene.com | www.airkrete.com
• Closed Cell: 7 rs per inch. This polyurethane foam now includes a soy based product www.biobased.net

• Rockwool: Made from recycled furnace slag, this material is very dense and has excellent acoustical properties.
• Cotton: Made of 75% recycled blue jeans, a fire-retardant chemical is added. www.insultechnology.com |www.bondedlogic.com
• Wool: sheep’s wool, oils from the wool are stripped to make it fire-retardant
• Reflective radiant barrier: foil used particularly in the South.
• Mushrooms!!: In 2007 mushrooms were introduced as an eco-friendly insulating material. http://www.physorg.com

Older insulating materials, no longer used, but commonly found in houses

Even though what were considered environmentally friendly materials in the past, the following materials carried with them certain hazards.

• Vermiculite: This material is mined from various locations. A North American mine, Libby, Montana had a contaminated mixture of asbestos with their vermiculite (aka Zonolite).
• Urethane Foam: Popular in the ’70s, this was discontinued because of the toxic fumes emitted during house fires.

Health Issues

There is such a thing called Sick Building Syndrome and Building Related Illness:http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/sbs.html

The part insulation played in negatively affecting health.

• Asbestos Asbestos is dangerous when it it becomes airborne. The fibers, when disturbed, can enter the lungs. Mesothelioma, has become such a hot topic that a new industry of lawyers has been created: mesothelioma attorneys.
  • How do you prevent illnesses such as mesothelioma?
    • Locate possible places where asbestos was commonly used. Pipe wrap, Asbestos siding on older homes and as insulation in attics (Zonolite).
  • How to identify and fix an asbestos problem:
    • Only owners of noncommercial, residential buildings can legally fix an asbestos problem without professional help.
    • Stabilize the asbestos by installing blown insulation on top.
    • Vermiculite insulation be left undisturbed in your attic. Due to the uncertainties with existing testing techniques, it is best to assume that the material may contain asbestos.
    • You should not store boxes or other items in your attic if retrieving the material will disturb the insulation.
    • Children should not be allowed to play in an attic with open areas of vermiculite insulation.
    • If you plan to remodel or conduct renovations that would disturb the vermiculite, hire professionals trained and certified to handle asbestos to safely remove the material.You should never attempt to remove the insulation yourself. Hire professionals trained and certified to safely remove the material. http://www.epa.gov/asbestos/pubs/insulation.html
• Mold/Lack of Ventilation
  • Symptoms that indicate there is a mold problem — reoccurring illness, asthma, fever, cough, chest tightness, irritation.
  • Use of polyethylene film contributes greatly to mold issues. Why? It attracts moisture and does not let vapor laden water escape the living area.
  • If you have beautiful, large icicles coming from large ice dams in your gutters, you most likely have a ventilation problem that will indicate you are a candidate for, if not already a mold grower.
  • Some manufacturers state that their products resist mold. However, mold can grow on any surface. It can grow on a dinner plate. Mold will grow on any surface/material if it is dark and damp. Lungs are dark and damp, getting mold spores in your lungs is a huge health issue.
  • Therefore, preventing mold means you need to have good ventilation and completely clean up flooded areas. If your wall systems get flooded, you need to claim this on your insurance and get professional wall-dryers involved ¹
• Urea Formaldehyde: Urea Formaldehyde is used in a wide variety of building products. It is especially found in particle board. In the 1970s, foam insulation systems contained high amounts of UF. Those particular foam systems have been discontinued for a number of reasons including Sick Building Syndrome, cancer (in industrial workers), toxic gases during a house fire would often kill the inhabitants before they were overcome with smoke. ²

Insulation issues that have improved health

Energy reduction has improved health and reduced mortality rates.

The five states with the greatest total energy savings are (in order) Michigan, Texas, Nevada, Virginia and Illinois. These states account for 32% of the net total primary energy saved throughout the country, with the top half of the states accounting for 82% of the total energy savings potential.

Michigan is leading in total energy savings, not simply because of new construction codes, but homeowners are revisiting their home energy savings:

….As in the regional analysis, this clearly demonstrates that the states with greatest per-unit energy savings are not necessarily the states with the highest rates of new construction. ³

Home breath-ability

In the 70′s energy companies encouraged the use of polyeurethane vapor retarders. This led to mold problems. Introduction and requirement to use house wraps has remarkably improved the industry. House wraps (i.e., Tyvek) prevent moisture penetration, but allow moisture-laden vapor to escape. Moisture does not get trapped in the walls.

Ventilation

A better understanding of ventilation in attic systems. In the 60′s the popular style of housing involved low roof pitches. The ventilation through the attic spaces was nil. Perhaps a gable vent, but for the most part, ventilation in the older style homes was not a consideration. Thus, homes suffered black mold issues and poor insulation performance.

Since the 80′s, both roofers and insulators developed a ventilation system to improve air flow in the attic.

Flammability

Some insulating materials are fire-retardant by nature because they are made of materials that do not burn: unfaced fiberglass, rockwool, ceramic

Other materials are naturally flammable, so manufacturers add fire-retardant chemicals: cellulose, foam.

In all, our opinion of the fire-retardant issue is moot. In most, framed houses, there is very little that is fire-retardant, so why focus on insulation? Insulation materials will not keep a house from burning down when the wall systems are made of drywall, lumber and often wood siding.

Areas to check in your home

• Ceiling: This should be the first place you check. Though your walls may lack insulation (dealt with in the next point), heat loss is vertical and your attic should be addressed first. You are looking for the proper depth. What is the proper depth? Use this tool to determine what current standards are for your area. If you walk through your attic, wear shoes with excellent tread. Tennis shoes become very slippery when you step on insulation.
• Roof: When your roof is covered with snow, look for melting spots. Indicates a lack of insulation, separated ductwork, a bathroom vent has separated or an attic furnace has lost its covering.
• Cabinets or stairwells: Are they cold? Insulation may have collapsed into the cavities.
• Frost or moisture in ceiling. Insulation may not exist or has been pulled away by people working in the attic or animals nesting. Always remove wet insulation and replace with new. When adding insulation, blown in insulating material is best. It will fill all the gaps.
• Walls: Do you have insulation or not? If your home was built in the ’60s or later, you most likely have at least R-11 in the walls. Adding more insulation to walls that have an R-11 will not produce enough savings. If you have an older home and question whether you have insulation, simply remove an electrical face plate and look in the gap next to the plug to see if insulation exists.
• Rim Joists (aka Bonds): Until the ’80s, rim joists were rarely insulated. Simply fill the void with unfaced insulation.
• Recessed Lighting in Ceiling: Older fixtures breathe into the attic space. Thus, they bleed cold air into the room. Replacing these with new fixtures ($20) will decrease leakage. Make sure they are IC rated.
• Electrical Outlets: Remove the face plate. If you feel a draft, purchase an electrical outlet gasket. Do not fill the gap around the outlet with foam as it could raise the risk of fire. The gasket will do a much better job than foaming around the outside of the plug.
• Attic Access: We often find that either the insulation has been moved away from the hole or never existed in the first place. Either place a batt of insulation over the hole or glue 4” of foam to the access panel. A staircase access can be covered by a box made of foam.
• Crawl Spaces: Common practice is to insulate the floor above the crawl with batts. Our recommendation is, if heat can be introduced into the crawl space, then insulate the walls, not the floor. Your floor will be considerably warmer.
• Finishing your basement: It is common practice to put polyurethane film against the basement wall. Do not do this. The plastic attracts moisture and will rot the bottom plate. This is a common mold causer. Stud or use furring strips. Use fiberglass batt or foam board to insulate the wall. If you do not intend to use a wall system, you can have a vinyl, fire-rated insulation nailed into the wall. Owens Corning developed a pre-made wall system which is excellent, yet comes with a hefty price.
• Living spaces above garages: Insulate the garage doors with foam inserts like these.

For more information related to insulation materials and the environment

• www.greenguard.com
• www.usgbc.org
• www.greensage.com

Notes

Whether your house is new or old, check the following areas.

• Attic: Make sure the depth of the insulation meets or exceeds the recommended R-values. Is the access door insulated? Are knee walls (cathedral ceilings) insulated? Has insulation blown back away from the top rim joist due to poor blocking?
• Duct work: Is the ductwork sealed or leaking air into the attic? Has a bathroom vent duct separated? Is your ductwork covered with insulation or wrapped?
• If you have an older home, are your exterior walls insulated?
• Is the floor above unheated spaces (e.g., garage) insulated?

To better assess the existing insulation of homes, it is best to get the services of a qualified home energy auditor. A home energy audit will help determine the insulation needs of a home and will also help determine which parts of the home need to be air-sealed. Insulation is quite useless if the house is not 100% air tight.  A qualified energy auditor will be able to tell which parts of the house are not and should be insulated, type of insulation used and its R-value. Energy auditors often offer great incentives and will know what current energy credits are available to save you hundreds of dollars.

Home Energy Auditors perform the following services.

• Blower door testing: They remove your front door and create a vacuum with a fan (blower door) to see if (and where) your house is bleeding air.
• Combustion safety testing
• Combustion efficiency testing
• Gas Leak Detection
• Thermal Imaging: Using an infrared camera, auditors can identify hot and cold spots in your exterior walls to see exactly where your insulation needs upgrading.

Here are a few tips on how one can help conserve energy.

• Apply weather-stripping on doors and windows. This will provide a barrier between the movable and fixed sections of openings.
• Apply caulk or sealant around door and window frames, window sills and joints. Air leaks are easily identified during windy days. Light an incense stick to help identify leaks in vents, electrical outlets, around windows and doors.
• Close blinds and drapes during the night.
• Tinted window film is effective, especially in the southern states.
• If the house has large windows facing south, on sunny day, close the drapes or blinds to keep the sun out when the air conditioning is on.
• Keep furnace filters clean.
• Check your ductwork in your attic. Use mastic to seal the joints of your ductwork
• Make sure your ductwork is covered with insulation or wrapped.
• Turn off the lights when not in use.
• Use cold water when washing clothes.
• Run the washing machine and dish washer at night to avoid heating up the house during the day and the opposite during the winter months.
• Ceiling fans effectively move air. In the winter, reverse your fan blades to move the warm air from the ceiling down.
• Unplug electrical devices (e.g., battery/cell phone chargers) that are not in use as they draw electricity even when not in use.

Energy Auditors in Your Area

If you would like your site to be included below, please contact Barry.

Arizona

• Orangutan Home Services
• EMC: Energy Management Consultants

California

• Epic Design Build

Georgia

• Vis Viva Energy

Michigan

• Michigan Greenspace

New Jersey

• New Jersey Home Energy Solutions

The following illustration shows a proper technique to installing fiberglass bats. To eliminate gaps, 94" material in a standard 8 foot wall. That allows a small tuck at the sill plates (A). The material (including vapor barrier) is tucked behind pipes and drains (B). This allows the interior warmth to keep pipes from freezing. A polyurethane foam is very effective to fill small spaces between studs (C), windows and doors. Tuck fiberglass and vapor barrier is behind electrical outlets to prevent air leaks. Since the fiberglass is compressed in this area, r-values are compromised. Surround the outlets with polyurethane foam (D) to bring the r-values back up and seal the plugs and wires from air leaks. Use foam to address the sill plates, corners, and other minor cracks (E).

What multiple blowers will NOT do

• More than one blower on a machine does not mean you will have two outputs. Multiple blowers are joined inside the machine.
• Multiple blowers do not increase production. See the article on airlocks for an explanation on how production is increased.

What multiple blowers ARE designed to do

Wall Spray

Wall spray is stabilized by introducing glue or water to the material. When recycled, the material is heavier and requires more velocity to push through the hose.

Internal Wetting System

Cellulose is very dusty. An internal wetting system adds a small amount of water as the material enters the hose. Again, the damp material is heavier and requires greater velocity to push through the hose.

Add Additional Length to Hose

Production rates are based on 100 feet of hose raised to the elevation of 12 feet. 99% of insulation situations require only 150’ of hose, especially with the portable units. There are times, especially in commercial applications where you will want to use longer hose to reach. The longer the hose, the more velocity is required. To maintain the velocity, additional blowers are required. Here are some suggestions:

• If you have a CM1500 and want to use more than 200’ of hose, then a double blower is required. You will need two 20 amp circuits to operate a double blower system.
• The CM2400 is already outfitted with two blowers. You can outfit a CM2400 to have up to four blowers. In that case, where you want that kind of velocity, strongly consider our 5 horse power positive displacement blower. You will need 50 amp service to operate a CM2400 that has more than 2 blowers.

The diagram below illustrates a machine conditioning insulation material in the proprietary Cool Machine brand. Our scalping augers (A) force the material into the shredders (B) where the material is conditioned to provide a bridging-free hopper. The material drops into the airlock for further conditioning. The larger the airlock, the more material. That is how production is increased. When spraying attics, the airlock slide-gate (E) is opened to its largest setting allowing material to freely flow into the airlock.

The slide-gate allows the operator to control the amount of material being delivered. When dense-packing walls, you will close the gate leaving about 4” of access to the airlock. That way, the material will not clog the smaller diameter hose required for dense pack.

The Cool Machine airlock is a perfect cylinder. With high-grade belting material, the airlocks create high pressure minimizing air loss. Every Cool Machine is outfitted with an external gauge so you can view the PSI being delivered to achieve your desired pressure.

The CM1500, CM2400 and CM3000 can be outfitted with multiple blowers (C) or a large positive displacement blower. This DOES NOT increase production as the same amount of material falls into the airlock. However, if you are doing wall spray, need an internal wetting system or want to go further length on your hose, the multiple blowers are important to increase the velocity of air pushing the material.

In summary, the Cool Machine brand offers a proprietary system that increases production:

• Scalping augers which force-feed the airlock.
• Larger airlocks
• Perfectly sealed airlocks to sustain greater PSI

Comparison of Specifications

	CM1500	Krendl 475
Airlock Size	10” x 14”	10” x 12”
Airlock Pressure	4.0 PSI	3.5 PSI
Blower	140 CFM	140 CFM
Cellulose lbs/hr	2200 lbs	2100 lbs
Fiberglass	900 lbs	700 lbs
Hopper Size	13.5 cu/ft	12.5 cu/ft
Weight	330 lbs	322 lbs

Comparison of Features

	CM1500	Krendl 475
‘Quick-release’ hopper for maintenance
‘Quick-release’ agitator for airlock access
Re-greasable, heavy duty cast iron bearings
Double blower option for spray applications & extended range
Separate gearbox /C-face motor for lower cost replacement of each component
High quality industrial grade powder coating to resist corrosion
Check valve protection of blowers
Built-in pressure gauge for calibrating blower pressure & checking airlock seals
L.E.D. plugs and receptacles for quick electrical diagnostics
All thermal overloads, external manual resets
Remote panel bypass for direct power input to motors on jobsite
Hands free, self-locking loading tray
‘Scalping’ auger w shredder f/ increased coverage and small hose dense packing
Ergonomic design to prevent trip hazard from hose when loading hopper