Frequenty Asked Questions...

• HOW MUCH DIFFERENCE IS IT GOING TO MAKE?
• WHY SHOULD I SPEND MY MONEY ON INSULATION?
• SHOULD I VENTILATE MY ROOF SPACE?
• WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ROCKWOOL AND GLASSWOOL BATTS?
• DON'T YOU GET GAPS WITH BATTS?
• WHAT THICKNESS OF INSULATION SHOULD I USE?
• HOW IS THE JOB DONE?
• IS INSULATION FROM BRADFORD™ GUARANTEED?
• IS GLASSWOOL INSULATION SAFE?
• IS IT SAFE FROM BURNING?
• WHY SHOULD I CHOOSE BRADFORD™ INSULATION PRODUCTS?

Bradford Insulation can improve your comfort levels, power costs and the environment.

In winter -

• Keeps homes up to 10ºC warmer.
• Reduces heat loss from the home (through walls and ceilings) by up to 70%.
• Reduces heating costs.

In summer -

• Stops up to 70% of summer heat entering through ceilings.
• Keeps homes up to 7ºC cooler.
• Reduces the costs of operating air-conditioning.
  

All year round -

• Reduces noise levels entering a home.
• Makes your home even more attractive to buyers.

The environment -

• Less energy usage for heating and cooling means less burning of fossil fuels.
• Less fossil fuel burning means lower emissions of greenhouse gases, which contribute to global warming.

• Saves you money by reducing the energy that is required to satisfactorily heat your home in winter and cool it in summer. In fact, ceiling insulation alone can decrease annual energy costs for heating and cooling by up to one third.
  
• Provides you with a more comfortable home. Insulation can reduce summer temperatures by at least 7ºC and maintain winter temperatures at least 10ºC higher than otherwise.
• Makes your home quieter by reducing the amount of exterior noise entering through ceilings and/or walls.
• Improves the resale potential of your home. A properly insulated home is an important selling feature for many buyers.
• Helps the total environment. Insulation reduces household energy use, which in turn reduces the- burning of fossil fuels to produce energy. The result is lower greenhouse gas emissions.

In winter -

• Reduces condensation forming, where warm, moist air from exhaust fans rises and meets a cold surface.
• Reduces corrosion and timber damage from condensation.
  
  In summer -

• Reduces heat build up in ceiling spaces.
• Reduces heat load on your ceiling insulation.
• Saves on electricity by reducing the load on your air-conditioning.
  
  Bradford Insulation recommend that a roof ventilator always he installed when:

• Sarking is used under tiled roofs.
• Metal deck roofing is installed.
• There is any evidence of condensation in the roof space or in ceilings.

Rockwool is the premium insulation product sold by Bradford Insulation.

• It has a higher density than other insulation products on the market:
• Its R-Value, or thermal performance, in superior to other insulation products for a given thickness.
• It provides home owners with outstanding acoustic performance.

As for Gold Batts Insulation, Rockwool has noncombustible fire performance, is guaranteed to perform for the lifetime of a home and is not attractive to vermin. No long term adverse health effects have been established through the use of rockwool insulation in homes.

The only 'gap' is the ceiling joists themselves, which still provide some degree of insulation.

* Bradford™ Batts are manufactured in a range of sizes to fit common joist spacings, so that very little trimming should be necessary.
· Bradford™ Batts are manufactured slightly oversize to ensure a tight fit between joists.
·
Average sizes actual
Joist widths space between joists Batt widths

600 mm 570 mm 580 mm

450 mm 420 mm 430 m

* Bradford™ Batts mould around contours and protrusions;
* Bradford™ Batts can be easily cut with a sharp knife to fit any irregular shape.

For the same thickness two different insulation products may differ in insulation effectiveness. The difference is caused by the composition of each product.

• All insulation is specified and should be chosen on the basis of its R-Value.
• R-Value is the measure of the ability of insulation to resist the flow of heat.
• The higher the R-Value the greater the insulation effectiveness.
• Bradford™ Insulation, using expert independent consultants, has developed recommended R-Values for all areas of Australia.
  
• The R-Value recommended for any area represents the most cost-effective thermal rating for the user.

2. Installers gain access to roof spacing by removing several roof tiles or lifting roof sheeting or through a manhole. The method used depends on the characteristics of the home.

3. Packs of glasswool or Rockwool Batts are transferred to roof spacing and unpacked as required.

4. The batts are carefully laid between the ceiling joists so as not to cover any electrical wiring or products which could overheat downlights or ceiling fans, etc.).

5. Care is also taken to:

• cover the entire ceiling space;
• ensure that joists are still visible for future safety;
• insulate any bulkheads;
• observe good workmanship.

6. All roof sheeting/tiles or manhole openings are replaced.

7. You will be issued by your Bradford Approved Distributor with a guarantee certificate and invoice.

• A thermal resistance (or R-Value) for the insulation which will be maintained for the lifetime of the home.
• Insulation which will not rot, mould or otherwise deteriorate.
• The best possible fire rating under Australian Standard 1530.3:
• A zero rating on each of the four tests for early fire hazard properties.
• A commitment to building in quality with the backing of CSR Australia's largest building material company.
• Sixty years of experience manufacturing insulation products for Australians.

Your investment in insulation is an important one. It will pay you to seek a written guarantee on each of the above from any insulation supplier.

Bradford Insulation's Glasswool and Rockwool Batts easily satisfy Australia's health and safety standards, the most stringent in the world.

• Allegations that glasswool insulation is going to be another asbestos are totally misleading and wrong.
• The types of fibre that make asbestos so dangerous are absent in Glasswool Batts and Rockwool.
• Nearly 50 years of medical and scientific research worldwide has failed to show any causal link between lung cancer and fibreglass fibres.
• Animal inhalation studies have failed to demonstrate any similar health problems from glasswool and Rockwool to asbestos.

Only glasswool and Rockwool insulation products:

• have been thoroughly researched for both long and short term health effects;
• have a proven track record of over 60 years use worldwide.

Reference to the scientific evidence confirming the safety aspects of fibreglass and Rockwool insulation can be found in the FARIMA publication entitled, "A Focus on Insulation and Health" Your Bradford Approved Distributor will gladly supply you with a copy of this booklet.

Authorities worldwide do not believe any risk to health exists for people with glasswool or Rockwool Batts correctly installed in their roofs.?*

Both Bradford Glasswool Gold Batts and Rockwool Batts will not burn and can actually retard the spread of fire.

The results of tests for 'Early Fire Hazard Properties' on various insulation materials, in accordance with Australian Standard 1530.3, appear below.

*0 = Excellent; 20 = Poor
**0 Excellent; 10 = Poor

Glasswool and rockwool Batts achieve the best possible fire rating, four zeros, because:

• they are made from heat resistant materials - glass and volcanic rock respectively;
• unlike some other insulation products they do not rely on the addition of fire retardant chemicals.

All homeowners should insist on a written four zero fire rating guarantee for insulation (under A.S. 1530.3) prior to its installation.

t (1) J.A. Whitlock, "Spread of Flame in Ceiling Insulation Materials"
CSIRO Dept. of Building and Construction Engineering Report FNA 0001 1992.
(2) CSR Research and Development Centre 7bst Report No. 957.
(3) CSR Building Materials Laboratory NATA Certified Ibst No. 31 1718192.

2. For 60 years Bradford has been supplying Australia with quality solutions to insulation problems. Its factories are endorsed to Australian Standard 3902. Written guarantees are provided for all manufactured products.

3. Bradford Insulation is a part of CSR Ltd, Australia's largest supplier of building materials with a commitment to product quality and service.

4. Bradford Insulation has established an approved distributor network for the supply and installation.of it's quality products. Approved distributors must be able to adhere to Bradford's strict standards for:

• levels of service and customer satisfaction;
• professional, courteous and ethical dealings;
• guaranteed quality of workmanship.

5. Glasswool and Rockwool of the form manufactured by Bradford" are used in 80% of insulation projects worldwide. This is the ultimate endorsement.