Calgary Home & Garden show
The show starts today! Be sure to stop in and see one of the sales team.
Visit us at booth #515 and say:
QUALITY, SERVICE, EXPERTISE
to receive your
FREE GIFT
while supplies last.
The Show is located at the BMO Centre, Stampede Park, Calgary, Alberta
February 23-26, 2012
For more info visit: CalgaryHG2012.plastifab.com
Plasti-Fab Blog Survey: 7 Simple Questions
Let us know how we’re doing!
Click the link below to take a short, 7 question survey about the Plasti-Fab blog.
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/HDN7XL9
Plasti-Fab @ the Calgary Home & Garden Show
Plasti-Fab will be at the Calgary Home & Garden Show starting next week! Stop in an see one of our sales team.
Visit us at booth #515 and say:
QUALITY, SERVICE, EXPERTISE
to receive your
FREE GIFT
while supplies last.
The Show is located at the BMO Centre, Stampede Park, Calgary, Alberta
February 23-26, 2012
For more info visit: CalgaryHG2012.plastifab.com
Further to the blog published recently on PlastiSpan HD insulation, here is a video of one of its applications.
Why PlastiSpan HD Insulation?
Written by Melissa Carruthers
Follow her on Twitter @MelissaC_PFB
As I stand in my favorite Building supply dealer (BSD) looking at the 2 colors of PlastiSpan insulation I wonder why people chose Plasti-Span (white) over PlastiSpan HD (green) or the other way around. Why would I choose PlastiSpan HD? So I decided it would be my next blog topic.
Plasti-Fab offers a large array of products for different applications, but for the most part PlastiSpan HD can be used. It is less expensive and still has a constant R-value. Similar to my “Why PlastiSpan” Blog I wrote last month, PlastiSpan HD insulation is a cost-effective way to increase your home’s energy efficiency and allow you to take control of your heating and cooling costs. (Check the price per R-value with all types of rigid insulation; even though PlastiSpan HD insulation isn’t as cost effective as PlastiSpan it still is quite economical compared to the blue and pink insulation you see in BSD’s)
PlastiSpan HD is also locally manufactured. (Locations from BC to Ontario) We have the EcoLogo mark on our product that provides you with the assurance that it meets environmental standards that have been verified by a third party auditor. PlastiSpan HD Insulation is versatile; so it can be used on retrofit and new construction and for insulating on the interior or exterior.
PlastiSpan Products can be used in all building applications; above or below grade. PlastiSpan HD insulation is easy to use and install. I know that this is pretty much a repeat of the last blog so far so let’s talk about the ‘why’s and the where’s” for PlastiSpan HD Insulation, and where you would be required to use PlastiSlan HD Insulation.
WHY?
A. It has a higher R-value/inch then PlastiSpan. PlastiSpan HD is 4.04/inch
B. If your application requires greater compressive resistance
C. PlastiSpan HD has a higher PSI. Its 16 PSI
D. It allows you to get a higher R-value in a an area that has limited space
E. It comes standard in 2X8 sheets (but you can get 4X8)
WHERE?
1. Hydronic Insulation (Hydronic heated floors in new construction)
2. Insulating your basement floor
3. Exterior basement walls (when you have back fill there is less damage to the insulation)
Check out plastifab.com for ways to use PlastiSpan HD Insulation! Online we have:
• Application specific “How To” videos available
• Application specific tear ways available in all major Building Supply dealer locations as well (even if it just says DuroFoam or PlastiSpan you can use PlastiSpan HD)
• Product Information Bulletins (We call them PIB’s) they show all applications and testing we have done
• Pictures of different jobs we have completed (Project profiles)
It is important to note that while both PlastiSpan and PlastiSpan HD Insulation can be used in most new and retrofit construction you need to check with your local building official to meet codes and make sure you also check your provincial and federal websites for available grants.
Well in keeping with my theme… “Why DuroFoam?” will be my next blog!
InsulBuck offers added speed and energy
PROJECT PROFILE: InsulBuck offers added speed and energy
Cal Kroeker has been building homes for more than 30 years. Together with his dad and brother, he formed Rosenort Quality Builders, a general contracting and custom home building company in Winnipeg, Manitoba. With winter temperatures in the area regularly dipping below – 20°C, building well insulated, energy-efficient homes with insulated concrete forms (ICFs) is a key part of Kroeker’s business model.
“We haven’t built with anything other than ICF basements since 2000,” said Kroeker. “It is clean, there is no oil, you don’t have to deal with the weight of forms, and it is much quicker.”
When he learned of the Plasti-Fab Insulbuck insulated bucking system, Kroeker was eager to test the product on a 3,050 sq. ft. home in Winnipeg. Insulbuck replaces lumber or plywood bucking around window and door openings with high-density foam insulation—eliminating thermal bridging through the wall.
“With Insulbuck, you have insulation right around the whole buck,” said Kroeker. “It is way more work with wood than the Insulbuck system.”
By using Insulbuck, Kroeker saved a significant amount of time that would have been spent cutting treated plywood to fit around the rough openings. The Insulbuck material is easily cut and the foam insulation can be spliced to maximize material usage.
“When you cut bucking from lumber, a lot of scrap material ends up in the dumptser,” said Advantage ICF Product Manager Greg Doren. “There is very little waste with Insulbuck, which is great from a cost-saving and sustainability standpoint.”
Vinyl nailing strips and Insulplate anchors allow for the easy attachment of windows, doors, drywall and trim.
“The Insulbuck was delivered together with the Advantage ICF System, giving Rosenort Quality Builders a single source for everything they needed,” said Corey Bourne, a Plasti-Fab sales representative who assisted Kroeker on the project.
Check out Project Photos and Download the PDF file: Rosenort Quality Builders – InsulBuck
Should I use InsulBuck™ or wood?
InsulBuck or Wood?
Written by guest writer Greg Doren, Advantage ICF Brand Manager
Follow Greg on twitter @GregDoren
Rough opening bucks in ICF construction have typically been constructed using a lumber frame to form an opening in which a window or door will be placed. The bottom portion of the buck is designed to allow concrete to be poured through it into the blocks that sit below it. In the final construction the buck also creates an attachment point for windows and door frames. “Bucks” have typically been made from Pressure Treated Wood (PTW) dimensional lumber. Commonly used in construction for many years PTW has been the product of choice for ICF construction since it is readily available and easy to use.
It comes in a variety of dimensions and can be ripped down or furred out to accommodate different widths of ICF products. The attachment of the window or door to the buck is done with a common fastening screw. The drawbacks to PTW bucks are that they are heavy, have minimal R-Value (critical for LEED points), are subject to warping, rot and are a food source in termite infested areas.
InsulBuck™ is a vinyl/EPS alternative to PTW bucks for building window and door bucks in ICF construction. InsulBuck consists of two exterior extrusions of vinyl, which are also used for the fastening of the windows and doors, bridged by 2 inches of high density Type 3 expanded polystyrene (EPS) insulation planking. InsulBuck is cost effective, easy to use and the continuous EPS layer around the opening eliminates the thermal break typically created by PTW bucks.
The most impressive benefit with InsulBuck is that it is a ZERO waste product. With PTW the cut off pieces associated with accommodating window and door size are thrown into landfills, increasing costs as well as waste. InsulBuck extrusions and planking come in 8 foot lengths; when they are cut to length to accommodate window and door sizes the leftover pieces can be used in another buck by simply splicing them in. Short pieces of extrusion can be used with longer pieces of EPS insulation planking and vice versa. This cuts down on waste critical for the bottom line.
Other key components to assemble InsulBucks are “F” Clips and “InsulPlates”. The “F” clips hold the corners together where the EPS planks meet. The InsulPlates are metal inserts used on doors and larger windows. These inserts go through the EPS planks near the exterior or interior and are anchored into the concrete before it is placed. The doors are fastened to the plates to allow for the pressures and movement associated with opening and closing the door.
Ripped down plywood is used to help brace PTW bucks around the perimeter to keep them square and prevent concrete from leaking out. InsulBuck extrusions are designed so they are attached to the ICF Block so which this does not allow the buck to move. An extruded lip on the InsulBuck allows bonding between the concrete and buck, whereas PTW bucks need to be “porcupined” with nails around the outside middle of the buck.
Both PTW and InsulBuck require cross and angle bracing to keep them square and to keep them from bulging when concrete is placed, especially larger openings.
InsulBuck is an vinyl/EPS buck for an ICF project, it maintains the energy efficiency that an ICF wall is intended to provide, which is simply something that PTW cannot accomplish. InsulBuck is economical and an effective approach to creating block-outs in ICF walls and will enhance any ICF project.
Download the InsulBuck Brochure for more information and photos!
Stay tuned for our newest video: “How-to build a window or door opening using Plasti-Fab InsulBuck” …..coming Wednesday!
SIP Ventilation Part 1: HVAC
Written By: Dave Stevenson, with contributing writer Jim Whalen P. Eng.
Welcome again to the Plasti-Fab Insulspan SIPs’ blog. This time, I’d like to dive right into a subject that even the most knowledgeable building professionals seem to struggle with. Specifically; what is to be done regarding ventilation of SIP buildings? Does the indoor conditioned space of a SIP building require mechanical ventilation? And what about the exterior wall cladding and roof finish design? Should these be vented, as well?
These are all very good questions and ones that are brought up regularly by architects, HVAC system contractors, building envelope consultants, city building department officials, and most of all, by the builders themselves.
Let’s start with Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) requirements for buildings built with Insulspan SIPs. The short answer to the question whether these buildings require mechanical ventilation is ‘Yes’. Generally speaking, building envelopes built with SIPs have a higher thermal resistance and are much more air-tight than typical wood framed buildings. Because of the reduced air-leakage, an energy efficient SIP building requires some sort of mechanical ventilation to supplement natural ventilation. The controlled ventilation will exhaust contaminants from within the building and control indoor relative humidity.
It is therefore very important that HVAC contractors are aware of the higher R-values and increased air tightness, and take these into account when designing the HVAC systems. Proper design of the system will typically result in a smaller and more efficient furnace that can easily maintain required indoor air temperatures without short cycling, and in most energy efficient buildings will also include a heat recovery ventilator to provide the required ventilation. (Reference PIB 206 – HVAC System Requirements)
It should be noted that SIPs are not unlike any other air tight, energy efficient building system with regards to mechanical ventilation, and the decision to build with SIPs does not necessarily equate to additional cost due to ‘special’ HVAC requirements. It simply means that like any air tight, energy efficient building , the design of the HVAC system should suit the application for which it is intended.
Stay tuned for my next blog where we will move to the exterior of the building and discuss appropriate rain screen and venting applications for wall and roof claddings.
VIDEO: Insulate your basement floor with Plasti-Fab’s DuroFoam
Create a comfortable space now by insulating your basement floor with Plasti-Fab’s DuroFoam. Learn how in this video.
