How Insulation Actually Keeps You Warm

INSULATIONS AND HOW TO STAY WARM

On the home page is an article with this title that is 11 pages long.

I am going to take parts of the article and publish them in the newsletters. I will be adding necessary comments.

If you place polyester fiberfill or down between two materials the air that is trapped within the fiberfill or down does not move because air sticks to any surface for a distance of 1/8th of an inch. If you break up the air within the1/8th inch to smaller increments, it is still harder to move it, so it stagnates. Stagnant air like stagnant water will retain the heat that it receives and insulates, not the actual material. The material is the catalyst and the difference between the polyester and the down is that the polyester does not absorb the moisture that it is exposed too while the down does.

Down is an excellent absorber of moisture and if you are in a down filled product, sleeping bag or jacket it will be absorbing the moisture your body generates which will then absorb the heat your body is generating.

When I wrote the article, I mentioned polyester fiberfill as a generic. However, we know that the continuous filament fiberfill ounce for ounce is far superior to chopped staple fiber. Less of the continuous filament will attach to more air when it is in the web structure.

During the winter if you are in an area that is snow covered look for a spot where the ground is not covered with snow. Each day that spot will get larger because the dark ground is absorbing the radiant heat and melting the snow. It is colder all around but that small area of exposed ground is warming.