Selfsufficientish.com

Is there any way of making your own insulation that any one has heard of? I understand that it has to be rendered which is possibly the big stumbling block. - I thought of perhaps using rendered shreaded paper?

corrugated cardboard is a great insulator but i dont know if you could use it because of fire regulations

Are you talking roof insulation Andy?

A few years ago there was a mob here selling reflective insulation that was to be laid across the roof battens. The panels (for want of a better term) would reflect the suns heat out and the rooms heat in (if you get my drift). If you made up some frames and then stuck the shiny plastic wrapping "paper" (Mylar it it?) shiny side down it would reflect the heat back into the room. It would be cheap and low tech and should work OK.

Nev

The use of reflective/al. foil type is fairly commonplace, I used a product basically a fibre glass insulation roll enclosed in a plastic bag with reflective al. foil look to one side. The idea of increasing the thermal efficiency of the fibreglass whilst making it easier to handle keeping the nuisance fibre glass inside the bag. The same idea of reflecting heat inwards or away is used in the common practice of the foil products behind radiators. General advice for insulating lofts is to fit around 10" to the loft floor. Trouble is you can't see the ceiling joists if you need to walk up there. I would think a diy paper product could lead to problems, I have noticed in old lofts signs of animal/insect? attack on papers, chewed up bits, mice?. I do recall there are paper based insulation products, maybe the alternative energy site in wales has a lead.

John

I'm a bit sceptical about these reflective foils and things. They may add a little to the overall insulation, but only a tiny amount of heat is lost by radiation; by far the greatest amount of heat is lost by convection, and the foil can only deal with the radiant bit. To a large degree this is true even of a radiator, despite its name.

You can certainly get recycled paper insulation, both for cavity wall injection, and roof space insulation. Usually it's 'blown' or sprayed into place, and has been treated with a fire retardent. I think fire would be the biggest hazard of making your own insulation out of paper.

If you are talking about insulating for musos - as in keeping the sound in, folks in the city over here line their wall cavities with egg cartons, as it is supposed to do the trick. There is a jam house come recording studio on the Gold Coast that was done like this and as far as I could tell it was effective. They were pretty proud of it.

Anything to absorb the sound and kind of catch it... I guess old clothes and blankets would be just as good, laid across the ceiling too.

I know nothing about holding heat. Too busy trying to keep it out.

For heat, a friend of mine has permission to use eelgrass as her insulation. This is a weed that grows near her, and I guess she will just use it a fill? I can ask her for mor einfo, if you like.

Sorry should have specified that yes loft insulation. I was trying to think of ways that you could make your and not have to pay too much for it. In rented accomodation you are never sure if you will spend more than one winter in your house and as such the paying out for the loft to be insulated is a big expense that you might not recover.

Andy Hamilton wrote:Sorry should have specified that yes loft insulation. I was trying to think of ways that you could make your and not have to pay too much for it. In rented accomodation you are never sure if you will spend more than one winter in your house and as such the paying out for the loft to be insulated is a big expense that you might not recover.

Just be wary of creating a fire hazard! I've read of people using shredded newspaper to stuff between the bearers in their loft, but imagine a fire getting in there! All commercial insulations have to pass stringent fire safety tests among other things.

I think a phone call to my landlady will have to be the best way around this, I am sure we can strike some kind of deal with her paying for at least some of it.

Contact your council about grants, too, though I'm not sure how these apply to rented properties.

Muddypause wrote:Contact your council about grants, too, though I'm not sure how these apply to rented properties.

Ah never thought of that it appears that they give grants to certain parts of Bristol. Interesting, sent them a mail. Cheers for that.

Al. foil type reflectors behind your radiators are to mind one of the most cost effective ways to improve your heating. So cheap. I found a product used under overlaid flooring. Thin polystyrene with al. foil on one side.

It is easy to prove the efficiency of the stuff. Line half the rad and feel the warmth in the wall behind the unlined part, you are heating or trying to heat a large mass, heat lost. Behind the lined part it is relatively cool, the heat has gone into the room. It could be improved upon. If the top of the rad had the al lining a little higher and curved over, to deflect the warm air more into the room. Like those raidator shelves, for example. It does work well.

John

As i was having severe problems sleeping last night yet again i ended up down stairs having a hot drink and thinking about this thread.

It was spinning round in my head what does every houshold have thats an insulator,fireproof and normally gets chucked in the bin when its finished with?

Then as i took the spare duvet out of the cupboard to keep my warm it made so much sense.

duvets are very good insulators they have to be fire retardent by law and normally people throw them out after a year of use or so.


maybe it isnt the solution maybe it is? I would love to hear what other people think of this idea.

This could be useful.
I recently had problems getting rid of a tatty old duvet. (After the dog had taken his turn with it). The council textile collection specifies `NO duvets please!`