My firm provides post-installation inspections and owners representative services - independent guidance during installation similar to independent construction manager.  In these (of many) roles we are continually confronted by less than specified or agreed installation quality.  Difficulties inherent with work in existing construction is a constant reality that installers face.  We want to help installers get closer to effective installation WITH best practices and help owners and EE programs get closer to what they paid for. 

For starters, here are questions related to ways to make insulation and air seal work a little easier, and hopefully, achieve higher quality work.

Is there a:

  1. Nice product with extending handle that one could use to reach those "hard to get to" areas in an attic?  To rake back insulation from near the eave
  2. A device that one could reach in and place/secure insulation dam for window wash and baffle to maintain eave venting
  3. A really superior product or material for use for blocking & eave baffle - better than the cardboard stuff I'm now playing with
  4. Remote actuator that would let one place foam seal from afar (some of these robot gurus need to address those "hard to get to" issues)
  5. Roll-around platform that would reduce crawling in flat roof cavities (In a previous incarnation I built and used one using fan belts as tracks and a reduction gear motor from Science & Surplus )
  6. Way to use an insulation blower (or other equipment) to vacuum blown insulation from an area of attic for seal work and then re-blow it in the attic rather than trashing it
  7. "Insulation in bag" concept that allows one to place "bridge" in soffits and then cover joints w/ foam - placing bag with actuator (see above)
  8. We'd like opinion from the lab and from installers on commercial fire seals that might be a best solution for particular residential by-pass seal.
  9. Is there systematic study / exploration of insulation installation practices that address the many human ergonomic (e.g., crawling!) situations in real buildings that challenge quality installation?  For instance, cutting roof deck above brick wall perimteter to access fur cavity for seal - likely best when re-roofing. 

It would be great to track down various elegant and imaginative practices that experienced installers have tinkered with and document them for the task of training "green collar" workforce.  Is there a blog that insulators use similar to HVAC's Heating Help dot com? (There I'm Therm_lag)

Seems like this post might belong in Weatherization, though a strictly nuts/bolts air seal/insulation technical problems group might be better.  I hope that another Pro will establish such a group, or direct me to an existing group that best fits.

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John, You're welcome to start a group on this topic. Sounds like a great idea!

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