What To Know About Rock Wool Insulation

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By Bradd Alan


Naturally occurring minerals and rocks can be mined and processed to make long lasting insulation. This type of the insulation is referred to as rock wool insulation, which can also be referred to as slag wool, stone wool, or mineral wool insulation. The defining terms of the insulation depicts the raw materials from which it is made from.

To make the insulation, a manufacturer can exploit different minerals and rocks depending on the application of the final product. However, the most important factor that guides the manufacturer is the ability of the slag wool to hold water and block sound or noise. This is important because most of the insulations involving the glass wool are done in industries. Most of these industries are involved in crop production and building and construction factories where much noise is produced.

In order to get the best rock wool insulation, the raw materials including the minerals and actual rocks are heated in a furnace. A lot of heat is supplied enough to melt the materials, at temperatures of as high as 1600C after which air or stream current is blown into the molten mixture. Advanced modern technological developments are nowadays facilitating the rotating of the molten raw materials at high speeds through a spinning wheel. This procedure can be compared to the way cotton candy is processed in manufacturing factories.

The final product can be defined as a mass of finely intertwined fibers that have been bound together with starch. The processing will also feature addition of oil, which helps in decreasing the formation of dust in the rock wool product. Therefore, the process enables the individual fibers of rock wool insulation to be good conductors of heat on their own. The rolls and the sheets of this insulation are also highly efficient especially at blocking heat transfer. They are therefore used to curb fire spreading in buildings, as they do not melt easily.

The other features of the rook wool insulators is that they consume less energy and can enable the user to make huge savings on energy costs. They are also cheap to buy and make as they employ the locally available materials that are very durable. Furthermore, the rock wool insulation is free from cancer or respiratory causing pathogens. This has already been proved by a research by the World Health Organization.

Mineral wool is also a perfect insulator for absorbing excess water, which make it a desired water repellant. The insulation can absorb large quantities of both air and water simultaneously and can be very effective for use in horticultural and hydroponic companies. In horticulture, the rock wool will enhance root development of vegetables and fruits and facilitate absorption of nutrients in plants. Research is being conducted to establish whether the insulation could prove to be disastrous especially when extremely wet.

The slag wool insulation is normally of high pH value meaning that it can be unsuitable for crop growing due to being highly basic. The optimum pH value of crop production is around pH 7 where the surrounding is neutral. A treatment will therefore be important to lower the pH of the insulation that can be done through soaking. The insulation is soaked in pH-adjusted water for over 24 hours where it absorbs the water and low the base content in it. This method will produce a good foundation for plant growth in horticultural industries.

Rock wool insulation can provide a good acoustic comfort as it acts as a noise absorbent. Noise is known to affect people and interfere with communication at different levels. The insulation is a porous open structure that absorbs sound and reduces noise vibrations. It can be coupled with acoustic ceiling to provide better solutions for indoor acoustics. This works better in homes or workplaces to offer long life solution to noise reduction.




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