New Zealand is OBSESSED!! with Pink Insulation

[@keeganbloem8559]

Need more videos like this! I am a training advisor for BCITO and I refer my apprentices to these videos all the time! Great work Josh and team!

[@waterbourne9282]

Good overview. I went through the exercise of adding insulation to my large 1977 home a couple of years ago. It already had pink batts in the ceiling and walls but nothing underfloor. I have another property which has the polystyrene underfloor and went away from using it because of the installation mess you mention, and despite the Expol concertina system they still have to have clips to hold them in place and I'd had the odd one I'd had to refix. I'd also seen the sag issue with batts so in the end went with the Mammoth recycled polyester. I did have to figure out how many bales of each of the widths I'd need based on the floor joist spacings, and had to cut many of them to length which was easy with a sharp bread knife but they press into and stay in place well as long as cut to the right size and it is a pretty clean job. The underfloor ones have held themselves in place securely since without the need for any clips etc. In the ceiling I used 200mm R3.2 Ceiling Blanket which came in a roll and was relatively easy to lay out over the top of the batts and between the trusses. It was also easy enough to cut with a bread knife. The house has a noticeably different heat characteristic and is much more comfortable both summer and winter now. The basement became a fridge because the heat wasn't radiating through the floor, and upstairs three days after installing it the floor warmed up underfoot. Most interesting and worthwhile.

[@andrewraines2347]

I’ve done a number of home renovations…every time I’ve removed the drywall the batts have been black with mold. Horrible horrible product! But in NZ we will always go for the cheapest nastiest product. Fletchers has the NZ market brainwashed! Im advocate of PIR foam and while it offgasses in the beginning it stops and becomes inert in a matter of days and will remain hydrophobic and is also a much better insulator which = a much healthier home

[@Robert-cu9bm]

Then go mineral wool instead.

[@3dkiwi920]

I mean this dude is barely literate, I use this channel as a "what not to do" more than anything.

[@Zach-uz4ip]

The Native New Zealand Pink Batt.

[@Brik-in-the-sticks]

I recommend knopped blown in wool for you ceilings. Its a combination of sheep and lama, cost effective and clean. We notice the difference between glasswool and natural wool. Sheep wool doesn't create dust coming down (we have a 1910 build with original art deco ceilings) and so far it's rat free, something I can't say from glasswool (pink batts turned yellow from 10 year rat pee). We fumigated and sprayed all timbers with borer bash top to bottom before re-insulating. Our ceiling is 107m², 57m² has R3.6 polyester insulation + 150mm R3.0 wool knopp insulation, the remainder 50m² only has 150mm R3.0 wool knopp insulation. R6.6 over the livingroom kitchen and hallway, R3.0 over the bedrooms. We are in the process of installing R3.0 underfloor retrofit with rigid glasswool sheets and R2+ in the walls, incl internal walls, when we renovate room by room. When we bought the house it was on its original totare stumps, now the house is a minimum of 600mm of the ground. This not only save against damp but also woodworm and rot. Make informative choices, hopefully you only have to do this once (per house😅)

[@Nick_of_Time]

I'm going to build a house in Amberley, north of Christchurch. In addition to Pink Batts, my architect has recommended Kooltherm K5 phenolic insulation boards between the timber framing and the outer cladding. The phenolic foam adds about R2.2, and also avoids thermal bridging through the framing timber.

[@edw9623]

And the added cost for an average 3 bedroom house to do that would be somewhere between 10-15k....housing is already expensive enough in NZ, but if you have the budget for it in CC it may be worth it.

[@janmueller815]

​@@edw9623Kool therm is outrageously expensive There are comparable products without branz appraisals available in nz for 1/3 of the price.

[@thekiwinomad]

Great video josh. Yes availability is a factor. Personally my perfence is the terra Lena wool blend insulation as it's moisture resistant, fire resistant and breathable. It's nice and easy to work with along with being made from wool offcuts and holds its shape. Pink batts are ok but from my experience they don't breathe as well as wool blend

[@nitishnadarajan4828]

These videos are super helpful!

[@colescanlen1597]

Polystyrene’a other disadvantage is that it reacts with the plastics in electric cables (tps) so a more expensive cable style (purple sheathing) or mechanical protection (conduit) is required

[@dennis2376]

Rock wool wins. 🇨🇦 Recycling the product at 5:36 would be a nightmare when a house needs to torn down. Thank you.

[@cameronw99]

Having moved to NZ from the UK, I’m still surprised that PIR/foam board insulation isn’t more common. The R values are super high for the thickness of the material, but sadly, I think the small market and cost means it’s still a niche product.

[@Robert-cu9bm]

It's bulky so transport costs would be high. Especially as it would have to be imported. No one is going to set up a manufacturing plant for such a low market.

[@dzhiurgis]

I've recently did ceiling insulation (rodney area). My father was around and he's an inspector up in northeastern europe. Here's his observations: 1. fiberglass isn't used anymore. 2. rockwool everywhere (my installer didn't have that as an option). 3. plastic film is needed so that humidity from home isn't absorbed into insulation. Bonus - we went to see friends house being built. Same as you said - up in europe they use rigid insulation for walls. Can't remember why exactly why. Maybe because it was easier to handle.

[@cynide89]

Pro tip, insulation saws like Bahco for instance, will work for about an hour on Polyester (Mammoth) and then they are useless! I went through 4 of them doing 3 rooms. Bread knife is probably the best option.

[@Rsiwach11]

Thanks for information. May i know why there are different pink batta for roof ,walls and Floors ?

[@tqminnz1405]

They are made in different sizes to suit the different building dimensions of each area. Also wall batts are more dense than ceiling batts to avoid slumping.

[@davenz000]

Because of the buildings material cartel that won't let superior solutions into the market?

[@Robert-cu9bm]

I can't see how they can stop it.

[@RogueSecret]

Rockwool is the best regarding: Fire, Sound and water, but it cost more.

[@Robert-cu9bm]

Used all the time in the UK. They have special wall cladding stuff that has a outer crust to stop water.

[@neilbailey6983]

hi what would you recommend to insulate under wooden stairs. The underside of the wooden stairs is concrete walls and floor open to the crawl space. I want to DIY it but I'm not sure of the best option

[@citation51power]

I didn't think pink batts was the go to in NZ anymore, most construction sites I see now use knauf earth wool insulation, another glass fibre product, I found it to be less itchy then pink batts and Bradford gold. But it's unfortunate that rockwool and similar steel slag products are absent from the NZ market.

[@FitzyProjects]

grate stuff!

[@brianclarke1695]

Those R values you quoted are imperial numbers for the USA market, pink batts is upto around R2.8 for 90mm thickness, there is also Polyisocyanurate (or PIR) boards, the highest performer per mm of thickness, good for raked/cathedral ceilings where rafter depth is usually insufficient to fit the required batts, also, as the rafters are not straight or square you will have to deal with any gaps. XPS polystyrene is extruded, only slight better thermal performance than EPS, plus you dont have al those beads blowing around as you mentioned. EPS is about the same thermal performance as batts per mm of thickness. SIP panels only have mediocre thermal performance if using EPS (most commonly used matreial), very good video otherwise - Building energy assessor

[@Tryinghardtobecreative]

@brianclarke1695 curious as to why would you say SIP only has mediocre thermal properties? Designed to have SIP splines where possible, they are pretty sweet. Decent air tightness out the gate. Kiwis would never pay for Gapotape or similar around PIR boards placed between members, so installation will always be a problem, but super useful as a warm roof, or outsulation. Pink batts are the dog shit gold medal winner when it comes to thermal envelope insulation. Sooner kiwis get pulled into the 21st century the better. 😊

[@thetechnician832]

As some have commented already Reason why Pink Batts has market share is the monopoly by Fletchers and no other choice. Same as GIB. I hate the product. Noticed in ceiling space some areas in needs replacing as overtime it has shrunk and tradies trampling over it.

[@bastiat691]

Have you seen the wood fiber insulation being introduced by companies like Steico? NZ loves wood construction, why not wood insulation? :)

[@FitzyProjects]

what about the lovely insul fluff ? its by far the worst insulation to work with!!

[@MrRENZsalas]

Next would be the GIB, why is it called GIB and why are they dominating the market, same with Pink Batts.

[@nathanbedford3443]

I mean, what would you use besides plasterboard? Fibro?

[@Tryinghardtobecreative]

@@nathanbedford3443not all plasterboard is GIB I think was the point. Ie Fletchers have the dominance in NZ of that product too. Fletchers is one of the main reasons that the NZ building regs are a joke when compared internationally.

[@MrRENZsalas]

I’ve been a draftsman for NZ residential houses since 2014 and all of the projects I did use GIB. There was a time where GIB is scarce, the house is ready for lining, and the council is asking for a “minor variation” for GIB replacement. In fact, on June 2022 NZ MBIE published the Product Substitution for Plasterboard.

[@MrRENZsalas]

@@nathanbedford3443 I used BB Plasterboard once. The rest is GIB

[@Tryinghardtobecreative]

@@MrRENZsalas group home builder? Use another bracing method. No problem with plasterboard substitutions then as it’s not structural.

[@StephanParry]

'The products that we are installing now are better at standing the test of time' - coming from the suppliers? Unlikely in truth, having worked for many corps - sales is more marketing than actual education and solution sales now (40 years of experience here and Aussie) and in every industry Ive been in durability/density etc is the first to be gotten rid of.. for more profit. Corporations first priority is always shareholders profit - not the customer, or the product being sold.. Hence why nearly everything is 'disposable' now... and with Fletchers owning Tasman insulation... it will be more of the same, just like they got caught out in 2006 with insulation testing. Fletchers runs a near monopoly in NZ and we all suffer for it.

[@unSTEVOED]

Fibreglass dominates the market because House bashes don’t offer anything else outside the box

[@lukewilson5941]

I HATE PINK BATTS WITH A PASSION! along with any other glass wool product. My wife and I are both tradies and hate working around it. We are renovating our house, and we are installing Greenstuff in our walls, ceiling and underneath. Our cat loves Greenstuff too. We can't keep the little bugger off it. He obviously finds it soft and warm, which it is. As for working with and installing, I have no problems. On the job having to repair a water leak, I pull the Greenstuff out and squeeze the water out of it, and I tell the customer to put it back after it's dry. As for Pink batts, well it's stuffed! Fill of black mold and it brakes up in your hand when soaking wet and can smell nasty. Not to mention you get itchy when touching Pink batts. I don't care how cheap that evil shit is I'll NEVER buy it!

[@thelostgeneration2000]

NZs rigged housing market, industry, building code etc. Common sense is optional