Is Old Grey Attic Insulation Dangerious

How to identify building insulation photos provide an isulating material identification guide.

Is old grey attic insulation dangerious.

Vermiculite attic insulation is the main source of concern with asbestos dangers although asbestos is not in every brand. Services crawl space attic insulation. The major attic insulation dangers from this type of material would come from combustion. Although most people are aware of the dangers of asbestos there are a few more types of hazardous insulation that are commonly found in older homes.

Fiberglass insulation is not generally considered to be dangerous but it can irritate the skin and respiratory system. Most people are aware of the dangers of asbestos which may cause cancer and other health problems. A few more examples of old insulation are sawdust balsa wood shredded newspaper and loose fill cellulose. Old insulation will cause higher energy bills invite rodents into your home and make the air in your home unhealthy to breathe.

In older homes specifically asbestos may be found in many different materials from pipe insulation to flooring adhesive to roof shingles. Fiberglass insulation a man made mineral fiber con structed from a variety of materials such as sand and recycled glass is the most popular form of insulation in the united states more than 90 percent of homes in america are lined with the pink stuff source. Two types of old insulation that are dangerous to your health are urea formaldehyde foam which is usually gray or yellow and brittle and asbestos. Types of dangerous old insulation.

One of the most common materials containing asbestos fibers is attic and wall insulation. Vermiculite insulation alone is not dangerous being a pellet style mineral which expands with higher temperatures. How to replace it. Although some homeowners have used it in this way it was never approved for use in the attic.

But just because your insulation is old doesn t mean it is dangerous. Photo guide to identification of different building insulation materials properties of different building insulation products description of non asbestos materials sometimes mistaken for asbestos in buildings types photographs of building insulation that does not normally contain asbestos. If the loose fill insulation is grey puffy and fibrous then that is rock wool insulation. Homeowners can also come across fiberglass insulation during repairing or clearing out the attic.

If the insulation is not properly sealed off it can get into air vents and circulate through the building. In case of a fire it gives off an extremely toxic smoke that is more dangerous than regular smoke. In addition to building insulation vermiculite is commonly used with.