Tips for Roofing Trainees When Installing Insulation
As an apprentice in a roofing contracting firm, it is critical to stay on top of your game when a trainer takes you about the trade. However, it does not mean that you should expect your trainer to instruct you on everything. Notably, roofing firms appreciate proactive apprentices because it helps to shorten the training period. Additionally, trainees that take the time to learn more about roofing in their free time stand a much better chance of accompanying contractors to the field for more hands-on experience. This article highlights a few aspects that an apprentice roofer should know about installing of insulation on roofs.
Always Carry a Non-Conductive Rod -- One way that roofing contractors get their apprentices up to speed is by asking them to pack roofing insulation tools. Most trainees will pack essential equipment such as a ladder, knife, gloves and full body suit among others. While it is okay to pack the above devices, it is easy for apprentices to forget to include a non-conductive rod among the equipment.
If you forget to carry a non-conductive rod, then you will learn the hard way when you encounter tight spaces in a roof ceiling. Most importantly, a wooden rod is fundamental since it helps roofers to access hard-to-reach-areas safely when installing roof insulation. A conductive rod poses the risk of electrocution because of static electricity that is present when installing roofing insulation.
Cut Insulation Bag in Ceiling -- After setting up a workstation, most trainees make the mistake of cutting the insulation bag before they get to the ceiling. While this might seem like the easiest and most straightforward way to unwrap insulation, most apprentices tend to forget that roofing insulation expands when released from the bag. When released from the ceiling, therefore, it can be quite tricky to get the insulation to the roof. Therefore, if it is your first time accompanying a trainer to a work site, make sure that you carry the bag containing the insulating material to the ceiling before releasing it to allow for easy spreading and installation.
Pass Saw between Rafters for Tight Fits -- For roofing insulation to function optimally, the insulating material needs to fit tightly between the rafters. If you cut the insulation material to the wrong size, you will end up with inefficient roof insulation. Therefore, if you find out that a piece of insulating material is slightly big to the extent that it bulges out a bit, pass a saw between the insulating material and the adjacent rafter. By doing this, you will trim the ends of the insulation to the perfect size and achieve a tight fit.
