Applegate Cellulose Insulation

[Jim Morvay]

Has anyone out there used this company for insulating a log home? Take a look at the following web site, especially the section about cathedral ceilings.
Applegate Insulation (http://www.applegateinsulation.com/)

[Stan Potter]

It's always a great idea to used recyclable materials whenever possible provided you take into consideration any health risks that may arise as a result. Using recycled newspaper sounds like a great use for the billions of pages printed daily. But what about the ink chemicals plastered all over every page?

There are many companies in other parts of the world using recycled carpet to manufacture wool insulation too. But they never tell you about the plastics and other chemicals used to make carpets that are never taken out. At Good Shepherd Wool Insulation we use 100% virgin wool in our insulation. I have seen people with beautiful and expensive new homes suffer from what is called "sick house syndrome" and it isn't a pretty site. They'll sometimes go as far as covering every wall with wallpaper in a desperate attempt to eliminate every source of chemical residue polluting the air in their home. I suppose no one really knows if the newsprint actually pollutes the air or not. But eliminating that doubt is what you are paying for when you buy a quality insulation product made from natural materials like sheep wool!

Stan Potter
GOOD SHEPHERD WOOL INSULATION
www.GoodShepherdWool.com

[Paula-in-CO]

They have been using cellulose insulation for years. I've never heard of it causing anyone to get sick, but I'm not in the business, so whatever.

We plan to use densepack cellulose in our cathedral ceiling. From the research I've done, it is far superior to fiberglass. The real question is, to vent or not to vent. That is a difficult question to answer. In our climate, our insulation contractor has not been venting for 16 years without a problem. Our VERY conservative structural engineer agrees that In OUR climate it isn't necessary with a dense pack system. Applegate advocates no venting as well.

Stan, out of curiosity, how does the wool resist insects and other critters. Using real wool sounds wonderful, but I'm guessing it is much more expensive than cellulose, which is already more than fiberglass.

[Stan Potter]

Wool Insulation is more expensive than fiberglass and may be more than cellulose-I'm not sure about that. But in log homes some builders have actually found wool insulation cheaper because they don't have to hire an extra man to cut strips all day to fit in the laterals. Wool insulation comes in a rope for use between the logs and only needs to be cut when you get to the end of the log. When all costs are considered wool can actually be cheaper for many log home builders.

As for how wool repels insects, there is a naturally occurring element found in the ground called boron that does it for us. This element is found in the human body as we all have it inside us. It is also required as a plant nutrient. Boron deficient soils must add boron in order to grow crops. So we use something that is all around us, in us and in our food to repel the critters we don't want, and we do it at very low but effective levels.

Thanks,
Stan Potter
GOOD SHEPHERD WOOL INSULATION
www.GoodShepherdWool.com