Insulating old homes can be toxic and shorten the life of your old home.
Be Green!
Save energy by insulating old homes!
New high energy products are being pushed on homeowners everywhere you look.
But what effect do these products have on our health?
How can something so toxic be considered Green?
Insulating old homes, building green and saving energy is a popular subject these days. FINALLY people are concerned about the planet and human survival. Of course, this all comes second to improving the economy so big businesses can make big money off us.
Many of us are blinded by saving $$ when insulating our homes. They never think about what we are breathing into our lungs – that newly engineered product behind our walls. But there is a lot more the homeowner should know.
Most people think they know all they need about the benefits of insulating old homes thanks to a lot of money invested in marketing various products.
But are these products safe for your family?
Are these products good for the life of your old home?
Well the answer is that you can damage BOTH your house AND your health!
Please be an educated consumer before spending any money and read further.
You won’t get any better info than what you learn in these videos.
Here are some articles on insulating old homes with information you will not hear from salespeople or mainstream news.
Is Spray Foam Insulation Safe?
Losing their health and homes to spray polyurethane foam.
Spray foam – a fire hazard?
Publishers sometimes frequently archive great articles. To bring this information to you I saved the information in a pdf format so it can remain available. Each page is saved in a pdf in case the links do not work. There are 5 parts to this article.
Myths about Insulating Old House Walls by Bob Yapp.
Exterior paint failure from insulation, other problems and what you can do.
Click here for information on Myths of Insulating Old House Walls.
Questions and Answers— About Insulation Materials for Old Houses by Ernest A. Conrad. There are many products on the market. Understand what’s good and bad about them and not what you hear in ads.
Click here for article about insulation materials for old houses.
The Green Building Advisor warns that Spray Foam Insulation needs Ventilation. Contractors are putting their customers at risk.
Click here for article on Spray Foam Insulation ventilation risks .
Is Using Closed-Cell Foam Worth the Trade-Offs? This insulation material is popular for its high R-value and good air-sealing and vapor-blocking properties, but cost, health, and environmental concerns cause some builders to have second thoughts.
Click here for Jan 2019 article on Spray Foam Insulation concerns by Fine Homebuilding.
The Pitfalls of Home Insulation How to insulate an old house and what to avoid.
Click here for article by Scott Sidler
The Ultimate Guide to Attic Insulation: Attic insulation is probably the most important part of the house to insulate. There are many options however to choose from.
Click here for article by Scott Sidler.
What Should You Do to Keep Your House Warm?
Don’t worry. Just because the trendy insulation manufacturers are trying to push on you for your old house is bad for both you and your house, there are more important things you can do to insulate your house.
Compressed Mineral Wool is a good option by Scott Sidler.
Read this article by Scott Silder of The Craftsman Blog on Insulation for a Cold Climate. Click here .
It’s like you’re in my head. Not only did your article on saving old windows completely change my mindset about old windows, but you saved me thousands of dollars! I have been recently trying to convince contractors here to install denim or wool insulation, but always get pushed back and pushed towards foam. My answer is always, “but what’s in it? is it safe? I won’t eat off plastic, but I’m supposed to put it in my walls and breathe it?
You validate me.
forgot to add myself to your mailing list!
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Very informative
The articles are not completely accurate. Using extra fossil fuel to heat contributes to a much more toxic world than spray foam.
The problem here is untrained installers and poor quality control. The temp of the spay foam components is critical as is the surface temp of the application. As well the surfaces should be clean and dry. I personally did our attic but I educated myself. Its not rocket science but awareness and patience is key. Contrary to what some say the void (either the wall or the attic) should be completely filled, cut flush and covered. This is more money and requires patience and time, something contractors and homeowners have little willingness to do or pay for. By fully filling the cavity there cannot be any flame spread, rodent paths or air flow within the wall; if there were a fire the foam can’t burn in the wall as there is no air. This can be accomplished in an attic by covering with plywood or better yet fire rated sheet rock and then plywood as a wearing surface if you want to use it to store things. Also fully filling the cavity has a great structural component. The structure is far stronger when cavities are fully filled. Foam should not be used however if there is not good access for application. Short cuts in performing the work cause problems. This is the installers fault not the products fault. Our house has 2 foot thick field stone walls so there is no chance of insulation there. The attic however afforded us R56 with closed cell spray foam. That cut our heating and cooling bill by 2/3’s immediately; 2/3’s less energy usage is huge. That has a positive green energy impact every single day.
The main problem with many things, not just spray foam, is that contractors and home owners lack pride in workmanship. Homeowners aren’t willing to pay for it and contractors are either unable or unwilling to perform at the level they should. Spray foam is not always the answer and should not be used everywhere but it is a great building material when installed properly.
We are very happy with our 100% virgin wool insulation! It so soft you and take a nap on it! You can walk on it and it springs back. Any water vapor is held until natural evaporation. Easily wraps around and fills in around rafter supports.