HELP PLEASE - What Loft Insulation
 

Hi,

Can any of the subscribers recommend me a good loft insulation for a
semi-detached two story family house please.

At the moment I have some old rather scraggy fibreglass material I
need to replace.

Been looking at this, any advice would be much appreciated ???

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/29949/...OCFFQ?ts=64242

Thanks.

Gary.

HELP PLEASE - What Loft Insulation
 

On Mon, 26 Jan 2009 02:26:32 -0800, Rick wrote:

Hi,

Can any of the subscribers recommend me a good loft insulation for a
semi-detached two story family house please.

At the moment I have some old rather scraggy fibreglass material I
need to replace.

Been looking at this, any advice would be much appreciated ???

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/29949/...OCFFQ?ts=64242

Thanks.

Gary.

==========================================
I have no personal experience with the item you've referenced but it
appears that some people are not entirely happy with it. I've just topped
up with this:

http://www.wickes.co.uk/ROLL-INSULAT...et/invt/161206

It's quick, easy and clean. If cutting is needed use a pair of sharp
scissors and seal the ends with duck tape. You can lay it over existing
insulation or use multiple layers. Check all the warnings about wiring.

Both Wickes and B&Q are currently offering 2 rolls for the price of 1 so
it's a good price.

Cic.

--
==========================================
Using Ubuntu Linux
Windows shown the door
==========================================

HELP PLEASE - What Loft Insulation
 

Rick coughed up some electrons that declared:

Hi,

Can any of the subscribers recommend me a good loft insulation for a
semi-detached two story family house please.

Either PIR board (eg celotex - if you have enough ventilation that it
doesn't cause condensation problems. Expensive but twice as efficient as
rockwool typically, thickness for thickness.

Or sheepswool - the green and un-foul alternative to rockwool. Similar
u-values, and last time I checked, similar prices. Not sold in the sheds
but easy to find local distributors via google.

At the moment I have some old rather scraggy fibreglass material I
need to replace.

Been looking at this, any advice would be much appreciated ???


http://www.screwfix.com/prods/29949/...OCFFQ?ts=64242


That looks like "fad" to me. It may reflect radiant heat but what about
conduction? Doubt it will do any harm, but I'd combine it with a layer of
wool too.

Cheers

Tim

HELP PLEASE - What Loft Insulation
 

On Jan 26, 10:26*am, Rick wrote:
Hi,

Can any of the subscribers recommend me a good loft insulation *for a
semi-detached two story family house please.

At the moment I have some old rather scraggy fibreglass material I
need to replace.

Been looking at this, any advice would be much appreciated ???

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/29949/...sulation/Loft-...

Thanks.

Gary.

Rockwool or fibreglass; comes in big rolls. Current standard for lofts
is 300mm thick, I believe. You can often pick this up cheaply on eBay
- as I did, using 150mm doubled up.

Regards
Richard

HELP PLEASE - What Loft Insulation
 

On 26 Jan, 12:21, geraldthehamster wrote:
On Jan 26, 10:26*am, Rick wrote:

Hi,

Can any of the subscribers recommend me a good loft insulation *for a
semi-detached two story family house please.

At the moment I have some old rather scraggy fibreglass material I
need to replace.

Been looking at this, any advice would be much appreciated ???

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/29949/...sulation/Loft-...

Thanks.

Gary.

Rockwool or fibreglass; comes in big rolls. Current standard for lofts
is 300mm thick, I believe. You can often pick this up cheaply on eBay
- as I did, using 150mm doubled up.

Regards
Richard

Thanks for all the help, will look into these suggestions, much
appreciated.

Gary

HELP PLEASE - What Loft Insulation
 

In message , Tim S
writes
Rick coughed up some electrons that declared:

Hi,

Can any of the subscribers recommend me a good loft insulation for a
semi-detached two story family house please.

Either PIR board (eg celotex - if you have enough ventilation that it
doesn't cause condensation problems. Expensive but twice as efficient as
rockwool typically, thickness for thickness.

But unless you are in a location where the thickness matters, no real
benefit.

Or sheepswool - the green and un-foul alternative to rockwool. Similar
u-values, and last time I checked, similar prices. Not sold in the sheds
but easy to find local distributors via google.


When I looked last year it seemed to work out about twice the price,
given the 2 for one offers you can usually get at the mo in Wickes etc.

Though it is much nicer to install, and use a loft with wool insulation.

In the end I just applied for a grant via my gas supplier and let the
installers install stuff - plain old fibre glass with a bit of blown
Warmcel (the recycled paper stuff) in a hard to access bit.

At the moment I have some old rather scraggy fibreglass material I
need to replace.

Been looking at this, any advice would be much appreciated ???


http://www.screwfix.com/prods/29949/...ation/Loft-Ins
ulation-600mm-x-7-5m;jsessionid=UHLMCMZUUUA1ICSTHZOCFFQ?ts=64242


That looks like "fad" to me. It may reflect radiant heat but what about
conduction? Doubt it will do any harm, but I'd combine it with a layer of
wool too.

Hmm, is my response as well.

I'd suggest investigating how much it would cost to get it installed
using one of the grant schemes from your fuel suppliers or local
Authority. Given the cost of the insulation, (plus tank jackets, pipe
insulation etc.) anyway, plus how horrible a job it can be the overall
cost was very competitive
--
Chris French

HELP PLEASE - What Loft Insulation
 

On Jan 26, 10:26*am, Rick wrote:
Hi,

Can any of the subscribers recommend me a good loft insulation *for a
semi-detached two story family house please.

At the moment I have some old rather scraggy fibreglass material I
need to replace.

Been looking at this, any advice would be much appreciated ???

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/29949/...sulation/Loft-...

Thanks.

Gary.

I spent ages last year stapling this stuff to the rafters under the
tiles in the hope it would save some more energy. I already have a
reasonable thickness of fibreglass on the ceiling.
In the frosty weather I checked to see if it made any difference to
the time the frost took to clear off the roof and was very
disappointed that it was no different from the neighbours.
So I would give it nil point.

HELP PLEASE - What Loft Insulation
 

On 26 Jan, 10:47, Cicero wrote:
On Mon, 26 Jan 2009 02:26:32 -0800, Rick wrote:
Hi,

Can any of the subscribers recommend me a good loft insulation *for a
semi-detached two story family house please.

At the moment I have some old rather scraggy fibreglass material I
need to replace.

Been looking at this, any advice would be much appreciated ???

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/29949/...sulation/Loft-...

Thanks.

Gary.

==========================================
I have no personal experience with the item you've referenced but it
appears that some people are not entirely happy with it. I've just topped
up with this:

http://www.wickes.co.uk/ROLL-INSULAT...et/invt/161206

It's quick, easy and clean. If cutting is needed use a pair of sharp
scissors and seal the ends with duck tape. You can lay it over existing
insulation or use multiple layers. Check all the warnings about wiring.

Both Wickes and B&Q are currently offering 2 rolls for the price of 1 so
it's a good price.

Cic.

--
==========================================
Using Ubuntu Linux
Windows shown the door
==========================================

This spaceblanket stuff always looks attractive to me, particularly as
it leads to a lot less itchy stuff floating about the loft! What
niggles slightly in the back of my mind is all the advice I've seen
(mostly on this group) about ventilation in loft spaces - Doesn't the
plastic wrap essentially make a barrier to vapour dispersal compared
with bog-standard fibreglass? Or doesn't it matter really? I guess
the same would apply to the silver bubble-wrap that the OP
suggested....

HELP PLEASE - What Loft Insulation
 

On Mon, 26 Jan 2009 08:41:18 -0800, GMM wrote:

On 26 Jan, 10:47, Cicero wrote:
On Mon, 26 Jan 2009 02:26:32 -0800, Rick wrote:
Hi,

Can any of the subscribers recommend me a good loft insulation *for a
semi-detached two story family house please.

At the moment I have some old rather scraggy fibreglass material I
need to replace.

Been looking at this, any advice would be much appreciated ???

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/29949/...sulation/Loft-...

Thanks.

Gary.

==========================================
I have no personal experience with the item you've referenced but it
appears that some people are not entirely happy with it. I've just topped
up with this:

http://www.wickes.co.uk/ROLL-INSULAT...et/invt/161206

It's quick, easy and clean. If cutting is needed use a pair of sharp
scissors and seal the ends with duck tape. You can lay it over existing
insulation or use multiple layers. Check all the warnings about wiring.

Both Wickes and B&Q are currently offering 2 rolls for the price of 1 so
it's a good price.

Cic.

--
==========================================
Using Ubuntu Linux
Windows shown the door
==========================================

This spaceblanket stuff always looks attractive to me, particularly as
it leads to a lot less itchy stuff floating about the loft! What
niggles slightly in the back of my mind is all the advice I've seen
(mostly on this group) about ventilation in loft spaces - Doesn't the
plastic wrap essentially make a barrier to vapour dispersal compared
with bog-standard fibreglass? Or doesn't it matter really? I guess
the same would apply to the silver bubble-wrap that the OP
suggested....

=========================================
I can't really answer your question about the possible short-comings of
'Space blanket' other than to say that it's made by one of the major
players in the field of insulation and they should know what they're
doing. We have to trust such people and hope for the best.

Reservations about the bubble-wrap seem to stem from the fact that their
performance claims are based on their own non-standard method of testing
instead of an available industry standard test. I think that we should be
a bit cautious in such circumstances.

If you're contemplating doing your loft I would certainly recommend Space
blanket for ease of use. I was dreading doing the job with standard stuff
and found space blanket dead easy. I might add some more just for the fun
of doing it.

Cic.

--
==========================================
Using Ubuntu Linux
Windows shown the door
==========================================

HELP PLEASE - What Loft Insulation
 

On Mon, 26 Jan 2009 12:50:13 +0000, chris French wrote:

In message , Tim S
writes
Rick coughed up some electrons that declared:

Hi,

Can any of the subscribers recommend me a good loft insulation for a
semi-detached two story family house please.

snipped


In the end I just applied for a grant via my gas supplier and let the
installers install stuff - plain old fibre glass with a bit of blown
Warmcel (the recycled paper stuff) in a hard to access bit.


snipped
=========================================
Did your professional installers make any provision for avoiding wiring if
there is any there? This seems to come up as a problem every time
insulation is discussed.

Cic.

--
==========================================
Using Ubuntu Linux
Windows shown the door
==========================================

HELP PLEASE - What Loft Insulation
 

In message , Cicero
writes
On Mon, 26 Jan 2009 08:41:18 -0800, GMM wrote:


This spaceblanket stuff always looks attractive to me, particularly as
it leads to a lot less itchy stuff floating about the loft! What
niggles slightly in the back of my mind is all the advice I've seen
(mostly on this group) about ventilation in loft spaces - Doesn't the
plastic wrap essentially make a barrier to vapour dispersal compared
with bog-standard fibreglass? Or doesn't it matter really? I guess
the same would apply to the silver bubble-wrap that the OP
suggested....

=========================================
I can't really answer your question about the possible short-comings of
'Space blanket' other than to say that it's made by one of the major
players in the field of insulation and they should know what they're
doing. We have to trust such people and hope for the best.


Aren't there small perforations in the plastic wrapper (how else would
it squash down so much?).

It certainly is much nicer to handle, and nicer to use a loft with it
in. but this wasn't really a concern for our last loft we had done as we
don't use it for storage or anything.
--
Chris French

HELP PLEASE - What Loft Insulation
 

coughed up some electrons that declared:

On 26 Jan,
GMM wrote:

This spaceblanket stuff always looks attractive to me, particularly as
it leads to a lot less itchy stuff floating about the loft! What
niggles slightly in the back of my mind is all the advice I've seen
(mostly on this group) about ventilation in loft spaces - Doesn't the
plastic wrap essentially make a barrier to vapour dispersal compared
with bog-standard fibreglass? Or doesn't it matter really? I guess
the same would apply to the silver bubble-wrap that the OP
suggested....

I got th impression when I installed some that there are microperforations
in the plastic wrap.

Much better IMO than the loose stuff. The slightest exposure gets it right
up my nose (and skin, etc....)

http://www.secondnatureuk.com/

HELP PLEASE - What Loft Insulation
 

On Mon, 26 Jan 2009 02:26:32 -0800 (PST), a certain chimpanzee, Rick
randomly hit the keyboard and produced:

Can any of the subscribers recommend me a good loft insulation for a
semi-detached two story family house please.

At the moment I have some old rather scraggy fibreglass material I
need to replace.

Been looking at this, any advice would be much appreciated ???

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/29949/...OCFFQ?ts=64242

It's about as useful as pixie dust. It's what it looks like; bubble
wrap painted silver. It says it's equivalent to 55mm polystyrene - the
jury's still out on that - but even if it is, polystyrene is about as
good an insulator as mineral fibre, so you'd be taking out your
existing glass fibre and replacing it with something that's no better.

Save your money and fit mineral fibre, the thicker the better.
Currently about 300mm is optimum based on the law of diminishing
returns, but unless you think energy prices are going to stay still or
fall, then this is likely to increase in the future.
--
Hugo Nebula
"If no-one on the internet wants a piece of this,
just how far from the pack have you strayed"?

HELP PLEASE - What Loft Insulation
 

In message , Cicero
writes
On Mon, 26 Jan 2009 12:50:13 +0000, chris French wrote:

In message , Tim S
writes
Rick coughed up some electrons that declared:

Hi,

Can any of the subscribers recommend me a good loft insulation for a
semi-detached two story family house please.

snipped


In the end I just applied for a grant via my gas supplier and let the
installers install stuff - plain old fibre glass with a bit of blown
Warmcel (the recycled paper stuff) in a hard to access bit.


snipped
=========================================
Did your professional installers make any provision for avoiding wiring if
there is any there? This seems to come up as a problem every time
insulation is discussed.


They didn't , but then the only wiring is for the lighting circuit, and
the load on the cable is such that it won't matter if it covered up.

The chaps who did it were pretty good, did a neat job, no mess. I'm sure
if I'd asked them they would have laid the wiring over the top where
possible.

--
Chris French

HELP PLEASE - What Loft Insulation
 

On Mon, 26 Jan 2009 21:16:56 +0000, chris French wrote:

In message , Cicero
writes
On Mon, 26 Jan 2009 12:50:13 +0000, chris French wrote:

In message , Tim S
writes
Rick coughed up some electrons that declared:

Hi,

Can any of the subscribers recommend me a good loft insulation for a
semi-detached two story family house please.

snipped


In the end I just applied for a grant via my gas supplier and let the
installers install stuff - plain old fibre glass with a bit of blown
Warmcel (the recycled paper stuff) in a hard to access bit.


snipped
=========================================
Did your professional installers make any provision for avoiding wiring if
there is any there? This seems to come up as a problem every time
insulation is discussed.


They didn't , but then the only wiring is for the lighting circuit, and
the load on the cable is such that it won't matter if it covered up.

The chaps who did it were pretty good, did a neat job, no mess. I'm sure
if I'd asked them they would have laid the wiring over the top where
possible.

=========================================
Thanks for the reply. That confirms what I was hoping to hear. I used
TLC's calculator and the result suggests that lighting circuit wiring can
be ignored unless you're running a cannabis farm in the bedrooms below.

Cic.

--
==========================================
Using Ubuntu Linux
Windows shown the door
==========================================

HELP PLEASE - What Loft Insulation
 

On 26 Jan, 21:36, Cicero wrote:
On Mon, 26 Jan 2009 21:16:56 +0000, chris French wrote:
In message , Cicero
writes
On Mon, 26 Jan 2009 12:50:13 +0000, chris French wrote:

In message , Tim S
writes
Rick coughed up some electrons that declared:

Hi,

Can any of the subscribers recommend me a good loft insulation *for a
semi-detached two story family house please.

snipped

In the end I just applied for a grant via my gas supplier and let the
installers install stuff - plain old fibre glass with a bit of blown
Warmcel (the recycled paper stuff) in a hard to access bit.

snipped
=========================================
Did your professional installers make any provision for avoiding wiring if
there is any there? *This seems to come up as a problem every time
insulation is discussed.

They didn't , but then the only wiring is for the lighting circuit, and
the load on the cable is such that it won't matter if it covered up.

The chaps who did it were pretty good, did a neat job, no mess. I'm sure
if I'd asked them they would have laid the wiring over the top where
possible.

=========================================
Thanks for the reply. That confirms what I was hoping to hear. I used
TLC's calculator and the result suggests that lighting circuit wiring can
be ignored unless you're running a cannabis farm in the bedrooms below.

Cic.

--
==========================================
Using Ubuntu Linux
Windows shown the door
==========================================- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Thanks for all the advice, picked up some Space Blanket, half price
from B&Q as suggested

Cheers

Gary

HELP PLEASE - What Loft Insulation
 

On 26 Jan, 16:41, GMM wrote:

Doesn't the
plastic wrap essentially make a barrier to vapour dispersal compared
with bog-standard fibreglass?

No, it's perfed and porous. The rolls in our local place have a
different barrier on each side, so the lower side is moderately
impermeable, the upper has holes all over it.

HELP PLEASE - What Loft Insulation
 

Tim S wrote:
coughed up some electrons that declared:

On 26 Jan,
GMM wrote:

This spaceblanket stuff always looks attractive to me, particularly
as it leads to a lot less itchy stuff floating about the loft! What
niggles slightly in the back of my mind is all the advice I've seen
(mostly on this group) about ventilation in loft spaces - Doesn't
the plastic wrap essentially make a barrier to vapour dispersal
compared with bog-standard fibreglass? Or doesn't it matter really?
I guess the same would apply to the silver bubble-wrap that the OP
suggested....

I got th impression when I installed some that there are
microperforations in the plastic wrap.

Much better IMO than the loose stuff. The slightest exposure gets it
right up my nose (and skin, etc....)

http://www.secondnatureuk.com/

or http://www.eco-wool.co.uk/ ?