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If you have planned to insulate your home you must first consider your room. Radiant barrier insulation is very common among the people living in warm places. But there is also number of people looking for insulation materials for sound control as well.

There are also rooms that need to control the moisture like in the laundry and bathroom so different materials will be used for this type of room.  But like any other installation found in your home there are still pros and cons once it is being installed. Below are the list of all the pros and cons once you have insulated your room.

Advantages of Room Insulation

• Energy Efficiency: Since insulators are poor heat transmitters it deliberately lowers down the rate of heat entering your room. Once your room is insulated you will not use so much of energy just to uphold the relaxed room temperature. Insulators penetrate the excessive heat from its surface. In contrary, it will also hold back the heat for a longer time that is very useful during cold times like winter. For simplified explanation, insulator will help the temperature balance.

• Friendly to the Environment: Insulators are mainly made from steam retarders, air barriers and thermal bridges that could prevent the heat from escaping the wall. In connection with energy efficiency this is also friendly to environment, since there is lesser consumption of energy by using few heaters and air conditioners. The connection of the two is the more energy consumption the greater carbon dioxide produced that could damage the environment and produce pollution. According to the study it could diminish the energy consumption up to 40 percent.

• Noise Reduction: As mentioned earlier insulators reduces noise. Once insulators are placed in your wall it will serve as the barriers and absorbs the sound.

Disadvantages of Room Insulation

• Rain Penetration: Based on the study conducted by the Building Research Establishment, insulation in your room does not totally stop the rainwater from piercing the “outer leaf of masonry”. As a result it will create moisture and dampness.

• Health Risks: There are materials like Nitrogen-based Urea-Formaldehyde (UF) Foam that is very unhealthy. There are materials that could cause lung cancer and gastrointestinal tract cancers. Fiberglass could be the reason for skin allergies because of the chemicals mixed with it. And styrene insulator could harm your liver and reproductive system and could be the reason for the irritation of your eyes and respiration.

There are different modern materials for insulation. Below is the list of modern materials and alternative materials used in insulation.

• Glass Fiber (Fiberglass): In a place like cathedral ceiling wherein there are very low cavity space, fiber glass must be used for insulation. There are companies that make combination of glasses and fuse it together for the purpose of safer and less irritating products. All loose fiberglasses have the same functions in terms in thermal insulation.
• Mineral Wool: There are three types of mineral insulation: glass wool, rock wool and slag wool. The very good thing about mineral wool is that it is fire resistant.
• Plastic Fiber: This type of insulation does not eagerly burn and it is non- irritating. Like a typical plastic it will just melt once bared to flame. The downside of it is that, when it is being exposed to flame, it melts.
• Nitrogen-based Urea-Formaldehyde (UF) Foam: This foam, which is also usually coined as Urea-Formaldehyde (UF) foam has already existed and has been in use since 1970 but because of all the related health issues it was stopped. It uses dense air for expanding.
• Phenolic Foam: This material is widely used for foam board insulation. It is effective but has disadvantage effect.
• Polyurethane Foams: The polyurethane foam uses non- CFC also known as chlorofluorocarbon gas. It is sprayed to all the cavities with open walls and automatically fills and seals the cavity. It is water and steam permeable, flexible, and is resistant to moisture and fire. It also provides high-quality air sealing.
• Cementitious Foam: This foam insulation is used in closed cavities. Avoid contact to water so that it will not be damaged.
• Concrete Block Insulations: There are varieties of shape and composition of concrete blocks. It is widely used in the United States. It is very common upon the filling of all the webs.
• Specialized Devices: Devices are used for insulating the attic ductwork by filling the loose materials.
• “Natural” Fibers: There are several natural fibers like wool, cotton, straw and hemp that are used for insulation.
  • Cotton insulation is the same with fiberglass and cellulose insulation.
  • Wool and hemp insulation have the same fibrous insulation types. They are used in places that are industrialized.
  • Straw bale is widely used sometime ago but since there are still flaws of using it, people discontinue using this kind of materials for insulation.

Those mentioned above are some materials used for radiant barrier insulation that could diminish the heat entering into your home especially during summer time. Most of the materials does not absorb the heat but instead reflect it.

Insulation installation can be done in various ways, not just one, and all the ways to do it are basically easy enough, you only have to figure out what will work best with you, and what would be most convenient for the kind of area that you are going to install insulation in.

Installing installation is not that difficult, and you don’t have to shy away from it because of the mindset that the process involved in accomplishing is too complicated for you. Also, insulation  installation cost vary; there are some types that might be more expensive than the others, but you can choose one that will fit your budget. For those who want to try radiant barrier insulation installation, they can do so on their own, and they can be assured of positive results as long as you know how to do it the right way.

Basic Tips in Insulation Installation

1.) Equip yourself with the right tools that are need to accomplish the task.

• You don’t necessarily have to buy the most expensive tools that you can set your eyes on when you search for what you are going to need in your local hardware or do it yourself store.
• The tools that you are going to need for home or basement insulation installation are pretty basic, and most of them can already be found in some tool boxes in most houses. This boxes usually also contains a manual that has insulation installation instructions in it to guide you throut.

What you will usually need for the normal insulation installation jobs are:

• utility knife
• insulation knife
• tape measure
• stapler

2.) Protect yourself sufficiently with some materials that you need to procure in addition to the basic materials that you need to do the insulation installation.

• Some people make do without these protective materials because even if these are absent the job can still be done. However, many people who have tried doing it on their own have found it highly advantageous that they feel secure that they won’t harm themselves while accomplishing the task.
• Also, it is definitely a lot better to be completely safe.
• The things you will need are also very simple and easy to find. This materials would include:
  • a pair of durable but lightweight gloves to have you protected and your hands and at the same time allow you to move very comfortably
  • a long sleeved shirt
  • goggle or glasses that’s protective
  • gas mask

3.) When you are doing fiberglass insulation installation, do not open it until you are really going to start and are already ready to get the job done.

• This is because the material used for this is compressed in the factory, so when the pack is opened, it expands a great deal, which is something that you don’t want to happen a long time before you are actually going to start the process of insulation installation.
• When you are going to install in those cavities that has wires, always remember to split partially the wire in the portion wherein it crosses paths with a wire to have the wire insulation capsulated so that there would be no space that is behind the insulation.

A great way to reduce your heating costs this winter is by using a radiant barrier insulation, which is a brilliant new concept. Instead of trying to absorb heat or create heat – both of which are costly and aren’t as effective as they could be, this method reflects heat from the environment to where it is needed.

Since there is ambient heat all around us, from sunlight, from the ground, from nearly everywhere, what it does is to reflect that heat inward, giving us warmth without needing to use as much energy to create heat, which in turn can be very costly.

How to Utilize It

• Focus It Upward: One of the best ways to utilize this technology, which has been put to use by the space program for years, is to focus your attention upward – where there is more direct sunlight and more surface area to capture and harness that sunlight.
• Place it in the Attic: Attic insulation radiant barrier is a great application of this simple philosophy. The radiant barrier insulation is placed in the home’s attic to reflect the heat from the sun into the home, increasing the heat in your home and dramatically reducing your energy bills.

With the ever rising energy costs, this is a great way to save you and your family money and you are harnessing the power of nature – what could be more environmentally friendly than that?

Though the applications for radiant barrier insulation reach far beyond your home, this new application has really captured the attention of the construction world, and more and more homes are being built using this technology. Many of you may still be skeptical about the benefits of using this technology, but radiant barrier insulation reviews by consumers show that this new theory is heating up the insulation world, and giving the traditional fiber glass insulation a run for its money.

Other Benefits of Using Radiant Barrier Insulation

• Aesthetic Appeal: The look of the radiant barrier foil insulation is a very good aesthetic for most homes.
• Reduces Electricity Bills:  Utilizing this method of heating and cooling will not also help reduce your overall energy costs permanently, which in turn is a great way to give added value to your home.
• Sustainability: More and more Americans are looking for more sustainable ways to maintain their homes and nearly all of us are looking to save on the ever rising costs to maintain a comfortable lifestyle without spending all our time in doing so.
• Eco-friendly: Being able to find an economical way to heat your home using eco-friendly technology so powerful, that it’s been used by the space program to heat and cool the space shuttles, is the new age of insulation.
• Efficiency: Being able to take what heat is already available and simply reflect that in, to heat your home is a stroke of brilliance and an idea whose time has come.

Take advantage of this new energy saving insulation method and you will save thousands of dollars in heating and cooling costs for your home over the next several years. Once you’ve switched to radiant barrier insulation, it would be hard to imagine going back to the traditional methods of insulation.

A wireless world is still a distant dream to be achieved, though cloud computing is gaining vast popularity. We still need some type of wired device in the house like a router to access the latest technologies. We depend upon wired connections for telephone, internet and several other data transmissions. Such connections are provided through two types of cables: copper and optical fiber.

Let us take a look at the differences between them.

Differences of Optical Fiber from Copper Cables

Cost

• Fiber optic cables are very costly than the copper cables. Hence, their performance is also very high. They are capable of providing very high speed.
• Facilities like video conference, instant messaging and chat would be a distant dream if we were stuck up with slow copper cable connection.

Resistance

• One prominent difference is the way signals are transmitted.
• Copper cables transmit data in form of electrical signals. Hence, they are prone to interference.
• Copper Cables have very poor resistance against both RFI (radio frequency interference) and EMI (Electromagnetic Interference).

Transmission

• Fiber optic cables, like Toslink cable, can transmit data digitally. Hence, they have are completely free from signal interferences.
• You can have any number of wireless devices near them. They will still work well.
• On the other hand, signals from the copper cable will be affected by minor interferences from wireless or microwave objects.

Safety

• Interference in copper cables can lead to tapping the data transmitted easily. Hence, fiber optic cables are considered as safer means of transmitting data.
• Copper cables can cause short-circuits sometimes. But fiber optic cables are non-flammable as they are made of glass. They are quite safer to use compared to their other counterparts.

Size

• The size of copper cables varies a lot, but they are generally heavier than the optical cables. They need to be covered with braiding sometimes.
• Optical fiber cables are relatively small and can be installed anywhere. They require very little power to operate too.

Speed

• The high bandwidth level is also an important reason for using fiber optic cables.
• They were first used as an alternative for undersea wiring.
• Now, nearly every house and business organization using internet connection relies on optical cables for transmitting data at lightning speed.
• The future will see several improvements in the industry leading to more speed.

Differences of optical fiber from copper cables are listed in several technical journals and books. Several engineering students are well aware of the numerous advantages and a few disadvantages in using the optical fiber cable. Many prestigious institutions indulge themselves in overcoming the shortcomings in the system to enable safer and faster means of data transmission.

Advantages of fiber optic cable are many. Likewise there are a few minor disadvantages too. Fiber optic cables are somewhat new compared to the old copper cable connections used for ages. Made up of glass or plastic capable of transmitting light signals, these cables are capable of passing data at a very high speed.

Advantages of Fiber Optic Cable

High Bandwidth

• High bandwidth is the main advantage of using fiber optic cables.
• The data transmission rate is much greater than the one in copper cables or the coaxial cables. Hence, most of the broadband service providing companies and several cable operators has switched to fiber optic cables, like the Toslink cable.
• Initially these cables transmitted 280 megabits per second. Now they transmit millions of megabits per second.
• Since, they are made up of glass they don’t get corroded easily like copper. Hence, their life time is much longer than the other cables.
• Glass cables are much lighter than the traditional copper cables. Hence, they are easy to install and remove.
• They are readily available in various lengths in nearly any hardware stores.

Longevity

Disadvantages of Fiber Optic Cables

Dispersion

There is lot of dispersion in the fiber optic cables compared to other traditional means of transmitting data.

• Copper cables transmit data in the form of volts while fiber optic cables transmit in the form of light. Hence, the optical signals can propagate in any direction.
• Two or more fiber cables are necessary if we need a bidirectional signal.

Prone to Bending

• These cables can be easily bent unlike the traditional copper cables. So, installing them in areas susceptible to high pressure is not advisable.
• The cost of installing these cables is quite high. They can cost twice the amount of installing copper cables or even more in some cases.
• Though they are very common these days, they were quite costly when they were introduced. Furthermore, they took lot of time to splice together and make them work efficiently.
• No such problem exists these days as most of the technicians know how to install and repair the minor faults in these cables.

Costs

The advantages of fiber optic cable outweigh its costs and minor disadvantages by all means. Hence, these cables have nearly replaced other means of data transmission from most of the countries. Researches on improving the capacity of the fiber optic cables are carried on all over the world.

Modern day cables are much faster than the first generation cables. They can be used for various purposes like dual power lines, as aerial telephone poles and in installation of internet for houses. Their easy availability and good performance paves way more research resulting in improvisation of data transmission speed day by day.

You might not be aware how fiber optic cables work and facilitate in your daily undertakings and you may never even know how complex its jobs could be even if it could just be too small to be doing some great jobs. You may have heard about its term but you may never really know what it is for and how they have been doing to help us daily.

This type of cable can be usually found in the cables in your internet, television, and in your mobile phones. They are too tiny just like the strand of your hair yet they can perform such excellent jobs for you, isn’t it amazing?

Types of Fiber Optic Cables

The fiber optic cables have different types which you should know in order for you to be able to identify one from the others. Basically, there are two different types of fiber optic cables the singlemode fiber and the multimode fiber.

• Singlemode fiber: used to transmit information for long distance transmissions through a laser light since it can be used up to 100 kilometers or 62 miles

• Multimode fiber: can only be used up to 2 kilometers or 1.25 miles both are without repeaters.

Uses of Fiber Optic Cables

Fiber optic cables can also be used in so many other ways like it can be used in some audio cabling wherein the fiber optic audio cables are being used.

• This audio cable which are fiber optic can really be used and very helpful in your home since these are being used for television and the DVDs and CDs.
• Since this is also used in some internet cables, it really makes the connections very high.
• You may also be able to use audio cables for your car audio components.

Where to Buy:

On-site Stores and Retailers

The fiber optic cables can usually be bought from electrical stores in your community or from department stores and malls where the retailers or distributors of such have been able to display this so that most people will get to buy this type of cable easily.

Online Markets

You may also buy some custom fiber optic cables from online stores where you may be able to see its features and be able to view its usage. Most of the fiber optics that are being offered online are really being reviewed by many so you would be able to really know what type that you are going to buy.

Cost of Fiber Optic Cables

The cost of most fiber optic cables can vary from the type those they you are going to buy and for what its usage may be. The Toslink cable may also vary in pricing depending on the kind of brand that it has as well as on where you are going to connect it to.

• This type of cable is usually used for audio purposes as in for connecting your CDs, DVDs, video games and the likes.
• Like the other kind of cables, fiber optic ones could be quite a lot more expensive than the ordinary cables because of the kind of materials that it has been using which actually are some fiber glasses and never plastic ones.

There are several kinds of audio cables that you can find both in the market in your locality as well as in the online market and one very durable and high quality cable is the Toslink cable which can be very helpful because it is the kind of audio cable that caters to various audio formatting.

By buying it, you can readily use it to wherever you are going to connect it with since this may be very compatible to all types of cable. You may be able to buy this type to both in the store in your area or through online market also.

Tips in Shopping for Audio Cables

• Before you buy some audio cables, you must need to know what these cables are for and how they can help you in some things at home.
• If you plan on buying some digital audio cables then make sure that you know the exact price for it and where you will be able to buy it. This is to ensure that you will not have the hassle of going around looking for it and in the end have bought some other kinds of cable instead of what you have originally have sought after.
• You must also prepare the exact budget for it so that you will not be hassled too much.

You might as well as go online searching for audio cables that you can buy from online markets which of course could really have several companies that would be offering online. You may be able to see each type of cables as well as you can easily search for some high end audio cables that you can acquire from online market.

This type of audio cable can be quite expensive because of its quality and durability that it really has and you may be able to know also if such is really of good quality by reading the reviews of it from their websites which could really be very helpful.

Canvassing Process

Before you go to a store and buy the audio cables that you may want to buy, make sure that you already have known the prices from other stores where this cable is available.

• The best thing for you to do is to call each of the electrical and hardware stores in your locality in order to know if they really have this type of cable in their stores.
• You may also be able to ask each store how much such cable costs so that you will be able to compare prices and know where exactly you are going to buy one.
• Optical audio cables may also be available in the same stores so you will not have a hard time in finding the same.

How Much Are Audio Cables?

• Prices for audio cables usually differ from the kind of brand that manufactures it.
• Prices may also differ depending on the type of cable like if it is a singlemodal or multimodal one.
• Some of the audio cable whose prices are really very cheap which usually have a price range of $2.50 to $6.95 and there are also that are really very expensive like it has the range of $18 to $50.
• The price could also differ from state to state as well as country to country; however, you may also be able to find some discounted ones from retailers in an online market.

There are various sizes, kinds and configurations in audio cables but the most popular of them is the Toslink cable, which is usually called an optical cable. It is an optical fiber cable that is standardized and used for connecting electronic equipment like DAT recorders and CD players. The best toslink cable for you depends on the bandwidth and application. For digital video and audio, the standard is PCM or Pulse Code Modulation. EIAJ optical is the standard name.

What’s Toslink Cable Made Of?

Most optical toslink cable is made with plastic optical multistrand quality fibers or 1mm optical plastic fiber, which is substantially cheaper. The length of the Toslink cable is typically five meters although there are cables that are ten meters long. If you will use a Toslink fiber optic cable that is longer than ten meters, you need something that will boost your signal. More modern applications allow the cable to be as long as a hundred meters.

More About The Toslink Cable

Toslink was originally invented by Toshiba for use in their CD players in 1983. However, it was developed for use by other manufacturers of CD players because it provides smooth data transmission – something that cannot be done with electric data transmission owing to noise distortion. Because of its excellent performance, the Toslink cable was favored over other models and adopted by other electronics manufacturers. In fact, Toslink became the standard for audio cable because of the ease it can connect the main source host to various components.

At present, the Toslink optical cable is made by so many different manufacturers that although it is still referred to as Toslink, it no longer has anything to do with its original maker, Toshiba. Thus, if you need a Toslink cable, you will not find it difficult to find one because optical cables are all over online and traditional stores.

Toslink can support various media formats and physical standards. Its main components are the Receiving and Transmission Module, cable and Optical Connector. Electrical signals are converted into optical through the Receiving and Transmission Module.

Originally the audio signal in the Toslink cable is limited to 48 kilohertz at 20 bits. However, this limit has since been changed to accommodate modern technology. An exception is TrueHD, DTS HD and Dolby Digital Plus. There is another kind of jack in the market that is called mini Toslink jack, which is commonly used in mini portable disc players and Apple computers. However, you can connect a mini Toslink Jack to a regular optical cable by means of an adapter.

Tips in Buying Toslink Cables

• Do not spend a lot on audio cables since the difference in terms of quality is small between a 200 and 20 dollar brand. Choose one that fits your budget.
• Toslink cables are called different names so do not get confused when you see the various options available at the store. SPDIF cable, optical audio cable or optical audio digital cable all means the same thing.

The next time you feel overwhelmed and stressed out, picture a lemon being sliced in quarters. Feel your mouth start to water, a telltale sign that your stress is dissipating. Essential massage oils that are citrus-scented are among the most popular for their stress zapping attribute. Use lime or grapefruit scented oil the next time you give your significant other a relaxing massage.

Massage Health Benefits

Aside from feeling soothing and lifting all your troubles away, there are actual health benefits that you reap from getting a massage. Massage can increase circulation, which helps to remove toxins from your body. Your tense muscles will be eased and your parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for rest and digestion, will run smoothly. Adding essential massage oils to the mix will multiply your satisfaction. Trade couples massages with your special someone for a relaxing, luxurious way to get closer to one another.

Types of Massage Oils

There are two major classifications of massage oils.

1. Oils for Stress Relief. Essential massage oils are highly effective on the olfactory system, or a person’s sense of smell. A person’s sense of smell runs right into the part of the brain that experiences stress. This means that certain scents can actually help lower your stress level. The top essential oils for stress relief are lavender, lemon, and eucalyptus. Lime and lemongrass smell like lemon and will relieve stress as well, as will bergamot and rose.
2. Aromatherapy Oils. There are several different options for essential massage oils, and you should know the benefits of each type of scent before buying one. The scents that make up a basic aromatherapy oils list include marjoram, cedar wood, patchouli, chamomile, peppermint, jasmine, and sandalwood.

• Marjoram is a good choice to combat fatigue
• Marjoram and patchouli fight depression
• Cedar wood is the best choice for sensitive skin
• Chamomile will lift mood
• Peppermint is refreshing
• Keeping your mind alert
• Jasmine will increase libido
• Sandalwood works as an anti-inflammatory

Choosing The Oil

If you’re wondering how to choose massage oils, there are a few factors to take into consideration. Here are some of them:

• What’s the temperature like?

If it’s cool, you’ll want a thick massage oil, like sesame oil. If it’s hot and humid, you’ll want a light oil, like almond, grape seed, or jojoba oil.

• How long will you be keeping the massage oil?

Sunflower oil, for example, is light and odorless, but it has a short shelf life. Apricot kernel oil has a long shelf life.

• What is your partner’s skin type?

Avocado oil is moisturizing and is best for people with dry skin. Look for essential massage oils that have these oils as a base. You can also make your own massage oil by adding a few drops of aromatherapy oils into the massage oil.

Dripping cool oil onto your partner’s skin may look sexy, but in reality, it’s just plain uncomfortable. Instead, pour the oil into your palms and warm it up by rubbing your hands together. Whatever you do, don’t heat up massage oil in the microwave. It may be hotter than you expect and you could burn your partner’s skin. Run hot water over the bottle of oil to warm it up.