Geysers - Now available from Coler Natural Insulation

Heating water is typically the second largest cost of energy in your home (after heating / air conditioning), and you may be surprised to know that an average family can spend $600 or more to heat their hot water every year!

Renewable Energy, Environmentally Friendly
The Geyser from North Road Technologies is a Heat Pump Water Heater that, when added to your existing water tank, makes use of a renewable energy source – the air in your basement, garage or utility room – to heat your water. By using this renewable energy source, you significantly reduce the use of electricity, oil, gas, or propane, which means lower costs, fewer emissions, smaller carbon footprint, and a safer and healthier environment for you and your family. This is a simple step that anyone can take to help the environment and reduce our demands on fossil fuels. In fact, the U.S. Government now offers a tax credit of 30% to support the use of Renewable Energy appliances.

Best Efficiency, Lowest Operating Cost
The Geyser from North Road Technologies is recently introduced and is simply the most energy efficient way to heat your water on the market today! It can be connected to nearly any electric, gas, oil, or propane water heater in your home or business. Being the most efficient translates into having the lowest operating costs – you will notice the savings immediately after installation!

Easy To Install
The Geyser from North Road Technologies is relatively easy to install together with most existing electric tank water heaters. If you are comfortable with general plumbing and DIY tasks you should review the technical data page for more information here. If, however, you are installing the Geyser together with a gas, oil, or propane water tank, it is recommended that you contact a professional installer.

Dehumidification
The Geyser from North Road Technologies has an added benefit of dehumidifying and cooling the air surrounding the unit. This reduces mold and mildew in the basement or utility room, and offers a more comfortable living environment for you and your family.

Savings
The cost savings can be very significant. The table below gives a good indication.

Estimated 10-Year Average Total Ownership Costs

*) This table is based on December 2008 national average energy prices in the U.S. (as per the Department of Energy) and average water usage.  For much more specific information on savings and a calculator that allows you to calculate the savings for your specific situation, please take a look here.  Please note that many areas (including New England, New York, California, and many other states) have significantly higher electricity rates than the national average, making the switch to the Geyser that much more important.  Additionally, all indications are that fuel prices will continue to rise, again making the decision to switch to the Geyser easy!

It’s breathable, less expensive, and greener

Published by Green Building Advisor.com

By Jim Coler

When shopping for spray foam insulation, many builders and homeowners are uncertain whether to choose an open-cell product or a closed-cell product. In my opinion, the choice is clear: for above-grade residential applications, the best choice is usually open-cell foam. In most cases, open-cell foam will be more economical, more flexible, and more forgiving with moisture than closed-cell foam.

Open-cell spray foam is often called “half-pound foam,” a reference to its usual density of 0.5 lb. per cubic foot. (The range of densities for open-cell foam actually extends from 0.5 up to 1.7 lb. per cubic foot.)

Open-cell foam was first introduced to the market in 1986 by Icynene. At that time, all of the available spray foam products on the market were closed-cell foams. Since about 2003, however, many manufacturers have been marketing both open-cell and closed-cell foams.

More volume from the same weight
Although closed-cell foams claim to add structural rigidity to a building, the structural contribution is not necessary. In fact, most structural calculations are based only on the strength of the wood or structural members, excluding any contribution from spray foam.

The weight of the raw materials required for open-cell foam is less than for closed-cell foam of the same R-value. As long as you have the cavity thickness to add more insulation depth, open-cell foam will cost less per job and per R-value measurement.

Closed-cell foam is between 3.4 and 4 times more dense than open-cell foam, so a barrel of open-cell foam fills 3 to 4 times the volume as a barrel of closed-cell foam. The R-value of open-cell foam is between R-3.5 and R-4 per inch, while most closed-cell foams are R-6 to R-7.1 per inch. Since open-cell foam uses one-third the material to produce a product which is more than half the R-value, open-cell foam is more economical than the same R-value of closed-cell foam.

It’s Vapor-Permeable
Open-cell and closed-cell foams are air barriers. But open-cell foam will absorb and release moisture vapor more freely than closed-cell foam — which is a good thing. This means it will perform much like wood. Open-cell foam is compatible with wood construction; both materials are air barriers that can absorb and release moisture.

Closed-cell foam, on the other hand, blocks most of the moisture and tends to drive it to the wood studs or rafters. This can cause the wood to expand and contract more than it does with open-cell foam. Open-cell foam provides more moisture-permeable surface area for excess moisture to absorb into and dry out of; that means the areas are less likely to become moisture-saturated if the moisture within the building is within control. Open-cell foam acts as a moisture buffer; it helps maintain a more consistent moisture level within the building, which is healthy.

But moisture in insulation is bad, right? Well — yes and no. Too much moisture in any material can cause issues. Too much moisture in wood may create an environment for mold and mildew. But foam has no food source for mold and blocks additional oxygen which is needed for mold to grow. This creates a more stable and healthier indoor air quality and environment.

Environmental strengths
There is an industry trend towards using soy oil or other bio-based oils in open-cell foam formulas. Open-cell foam uses a water-based blowing agent; in other words, water is used to cause the foam to expand. A water-blown foam is more stable and more environmentally friendly because it is a natural product. In contrast, most closed-cell foams use a hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) blowing agent. Although HFC blowing agents increase the R-value of foam, they offgas over time, causing the R-value to decrease. This slight added benefit does not outweigh the environmental effects that may be caused by the HFC. The more natural our raw materials, the safer the products.

We are all obligated to do what’s right — what’s right for our health, for our finances, and for the environment. Open-cell foam helps us accomplish all of these with a great return on investment.

To read another perspective on the issue, see “Closed-Cell Foam Beats Open-Cell Foam.”

Posted on Oct 28 by Martin Holladay

By: Stephanie Marie Chizik , SprayFoam Magazine

Location, location, location. For this spray polyurethane (SPF) crew, the importance of location couldn’t have been a more important part of the job. The location for this personal residence, although a dream come true for the homeowners, caused quite a ripple in the Coler Natural Insulation crew’s plans. 

Situated on the eastern edge of Canandaigua Lake — one of the Finger Lakes in upstate New York — the home would have been a challenge for anyone to reach. For the Colers and their SPF equipment, though, the location proved to be a transportation nightmare. Situated at the bottom of a 185-foot cliff — with the lake at its front and a 30-degree driveway 200 feet away at the top of the cliff — the house might just as well have been on an island of its own.
“I noticed our first potential hurdle of the project when we needed a four-by-four truck to even get down the half-mile-long driveway, which was 30 degrees plus,” said insulator and co-owner (with wife Kathy) Jim Coler. “Then it was a good hike just to get to the edge of the cliff.” It would have been impossible to stretch a hose to the house from the driveway, let alone inside the house, so Coler considered other alternatives.

One if by Land, Two if by Sea

With the 200-plus steps snaking up the cliff side being a “daunting” obstacle, Coler decided not to try to bring the equipment by land. He decided the only way to get the rig close enough to the house was to leave the equipment on a barge while the SPF crew sprayed. Now, how to get to the shoreline? 

Coler called several barge companies that serviced Canandaigua Lake. After high estimates, the homeowner negotiated a contract with a company that had a barge large enough to handle the size and weight of the SPF rig. Having the ability to add the rig to the barge’s insurance didn’t hurt either. Just in case there was an accident and the barge (with rig) sank, the Colers would be covered!

While the two-man crew headed to the job site by truck, Coler met the barge at a docking site near Bristol Springs, N.Y., at 7 a.m. that first morning. Unfortunately for Coler, who was ready to drive aboard and start the cruise, a minor hitch delayed him.

At the shoreline, a load of stone had been delivered and left on the path to the dock. Instead of driving right onto the barge, Coler had to wait two hours until all of the stone had been moved out of his way. Finally able to come aboard, he loaded the rig onto the barge without a problem.

By 9:30 a.m., the barge captain casted off, and they were on their way to the other side of the lake where the house waited. Luckily, the water that day was calm, and the barge was able to make it to the house near Rushville, N.Y.  If the water had been at all choppy, they would have been forced to turn about and head back.

Two hours later, after crossing the lake, the barge was tied off on shore. By then, the crew members who’d traveled by land had already finished prepping the house. They had taped off all areas — including windows and doors — that they didn’t want to be sprayed, and they had left the 1,200 square feet of wood to be sprayed uncovered. With the rig finally on site and the house ready for foam, the crew put on their 3M full-face respirators and got to work insulating the building envelope.

Finders Keepers?

Since there was no shoreline for the trailer to unload on, Coler left it on the barge while the crew sprayed the house. That meant that the crew had to carry all equipment off the barge or from the truck up the cliff. This included the hose that stretched from the barge to the house.

Using a Graco E20 system, the crew spent the next six hours spraying four inches of BioBased Insulation’s 501w SPF on the walls and six inches to underside of the roof.  At 5:45 p.m., after they’d finished putting the final touches of foam on the walls, the crew packed up the rig and got ready to head home. They trimmed any excess foam off the walls and roofline, cleaned up any remaining equipment around the house, and left some trimmings and tools on the steps to pick up the next morning.

The crew headed home after dark. They drove from the lake house back to headquarters with Coler, prepared to retrieve the rig the next morning after it was motored back to the other side of the lake.

“When the crew went to get the rig the next morning, the barge and our rig were not to be found,” Coler said. They called the barge operator all morning and waited anxiously for a return call. In the meantime, they headed back to the job site in Rushville to get the tools and trimmings they’d left on the steps. They were hoping that the barge was there, but, alas, it was not. To this SPF crew, the next logical step was to go search for the barge.

The crew spent the morning driving around the southern edge of the lake looking for their rig when, three-and-a-half hours after they were supposed to meet the barge, the contractor called to tell them where it had gone.

“He had taken it to a different boat ramp where he had another job,” Coler continued. “He neglected to inform us of this change until about 10:30 a.m.” Unfortunately, this caused the Coler crew more than just a little extra gas money and heartburn. It also delayed another job that was scheduled to start that morning.

The crew immediately headed to the barge to head to the next job. They took with them their SPF rig and a new appreciation for “fudge” time.

“What we learned from this experience is to plan additional time before and after a job when working with a contractor,” said Coler. “Other contractors will focus on other jobs and fit you in at their convenience.”

It’s a good thing the Coler Natural Insulation crew remained calm and focused. With these qualities, they were able to get not only the lake house job done on time, but were also able to make up for the lost time the missing barge had caused. One drop of patience went a long way.

Coler Natural Insulation is a family business that is here to help you understand your residential and commerical insulation needs. Thank you for taking the time to help us to understand your needs better. We will be glad to contact you to discuss your project and how Coler Natural Insulation can help

At Coler Natural Insulation, we are determined to make finding and using environmentally friendly products easy and affordable for all involved in the residential and commercial design, building and occupancy process. By serving as the premiere area resource for those interested in exploring green alternatives, we help builders, consumers and communities find the right mix of construction solutions that sustain and preserve our environment.

To research, locate and provide the best green and sustainable design products available for home and commercial construction, rehab and climate issues that also foster healthier alternatives for both external environments and indoor living spaces while educating the populace about such availability and the repercussions of such choices.

Our clients are innovators, visionaries and caretakers. We work with savvy architects, builders, developers, municipalities and individuals who recognize the value and importance of maintaining a healthy indoor environment for the residents and appreciate the opportunity to save environmental resources. We work with each client to ascertain their particular needs while listening to all our clients in our effort to locate and assess products that may benefit future projects and/or address a current need.

Coler Natural Insulation is here to serve your insulation needs. We are focused on finding and providing environmentally friendly insulation products for those involved in the residential, commercial design, building and occupancy process. We are a family-run business serving the upstate New York region that has been helping you the consumer to find and install a wide variety of insulation products that are both safe and effective.

Look at the advantages of foam based Natural Insulation:

* Save 30% to 50% on utility bills
* Made in the USA
* No allergies or itching
* A healthier home
* LEED certification credits
* Environmentally friendly
* Prevents ice dams at the source

Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!