Full Answer
What is Balsam wool insulation?
"Balsam Wool" is a wood fiber product or "cellulose" insulation that was widely used in homes and in a variety of other applications in the U.S. from at least the 1930's. Synonyms for balsam wool insulation include wood fiber insulation, wood insulation, wood-wool insulation, and blackweld or blackwell insulation.
Is Balsam wool insect resistant?
Balsam wool, depending on the wood species used to produce it, may be naturally insect resistant (Balsam) as are cedar, cypress, and some other wood products. It might have been treated with a fire retardant, I don't yet know (am researching the question).
How can you tell the difference between asbestos and balsam wool?
Matt most forensic labs can identify different types of insulation; but there is little or no physical resemblance between balsam wool and asbestos, nor was asbestos used as a brown fiber enclosed in batts, nor does asbestos resemble long woody fibers. Take a look at the insulation; Balsm wool is usually pretty easy to identify by eye.
Is silvawool insulation still in production?
" Silvawool insulation is no longer in production. The material is likely to have been treated with a fire retardant, perhaps the same borate salt as was later used in cellulose (chopped newsprint) insulation.
Does Balsam wool insulation contain asbestos?
Does Balsam Wool Insulation Contain Asbestos? Balsam wool insulating blanket used wood fibers from tree bark, wood pulp, or other lumber byproducts. As such it is a wood or cellulose product and not an asbestos-containing material.
When was balsam wool insulation used?
"Balsam Wool" is a wood product or "cellulose" insulation that was widely used in homes in the U.S. in the 1940's and earlier. It is probably treated with borax as a fire retardant.
Does old rock wool insulation contain asbestos?
Rock Wool Manufacturing Company Facts In 1988, the company added wrapped pipe insulation to its product line. Rock Wool still makes products for residential, industrial and commercial buildings as well as marine applications, none of which contains asbestos.
Does Gold Bond rock wool contain asbestos?
Gold Bond Rock Wool building Insulation is not likely to contain asbestos but other products from that company did, including some including the Rockwool name such as Gold Bond Rockwool No. 340 insulating cement.
What is Balsam wool?
“Balsam- Wool is a guaranteed Weyerhaeuser product, a blanket of fluffy wood fibre that looks and acts like sheep's wool. It is a TRUE insulation-keeping the house warm in winter and cool in summer- because it is- FLEXIBLE-THICK, EFFICIENT, WINDPROOF, WATERPROOF, FIRE RESISTANT, VERMIN PROOF, LIGHT WEIGHT, PERMANENT”
What type of insulation was used in 1955?
Many homes built in the early 1950s often featured little in the way of wall insulation. However, when insulation was used, it usually consisted of a product called rock wool or stone (or slag) wool. Still in use today, it's made by melting down rock and sand and then spinning it together to make an insulating fiber.
Is rock wool insulation hazardous?
According to the website for the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, skin exposure to rockwool can cause acute irritation of the skin, eyes and the upper respiratory tract which causes difficulty breathing and can lead to infection. Sharp fibers also can pierce the skin increasing the risk of infection.
Is Rockwool cancerous?
The EPA has classified refractory ceramic fibers as probable human carcinogens. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has determined glass filaments, glass wool, rock wool, and slag wool to not be classifiable as to their carcinogenicity to humans (Group 3).
Is rock wool toxic?
Considering the experts conclusions, including the World Health Organization1 (WHO), we can be sure that stone wool is safe and poses no risk to human health. That's why it is in IARC's Group 3: 'Agents not classifiable as to their carcinogenicity to humans', alongside 'drinking coffee'.
Is Rockwool insulation safe to breathe?
Rockwool fibers are single monofilament strands and do not separate into thin fibrils such as asbestos and will not penetrate the cell walls within the body. This is why rockwool is not as harmful to breathe in as asbestos. Because rockwool fibers are short and thick, the body can easily expel them.
Is mineral wool safe to breathe?
The downside to mineral wool One is that mineral fibers can break off and become airborne; when we breathe those fibers in they can cause health problems. In the past there was some concern that mineral wool and fiberglass fibers might be carcinogenic, like asbestos.
When did Gold Bond stop using asbestos?
Workers exposed to asbestos A wide range of asbestos-containing products was manufactured and sold under the Gold Bond name from 1950 until 1970.
What is balsam wool?
"Balsam Wool" is a wood fiber product or "cellulose" insulation that was widely used in homes and in a variety of other applications in the U.S. from at least the 1930's. Synonyms for balsam wool insulation include wood fiber insulation, wood insulation, wood-wool insulation, and blackweld or blackwell insulation.
Why is balsam wool removed?
Thought you'd appreciate these instructions for Balsam Wool. We've been removing it because we have limited space for fiberglass, and the packaging is displacing too much space. The balsam inside has disintegrated and packed, thus not too useful. - D.G. 3/10/2014
What is Kimsul insulation?
Kimsul was produced in reflective-faced batts which, if spread apart, showed what look like soft, brown, accordion-pleated crepe paper. The company described Kimsul insulation with its reflective "vaporseal" as resisting radiant heat loss as well as providing insulation value in ceilings and walls.
What insulation is used in the video?
The insulation in the video shown by the link you provided (and excerpted here in stills) is most likely fiberglass batts or perhaps a mix of fiberglass batts and chopped (or damaged) fiberglass, or possibly fiberglass batts along with some older mineral wool or rock wool.
When was balsam wool invented?
Photo: reflective-liner (foil faced) Balsam Wool from reader Glenn, found in a home built in 1960. [4] Patents describing the Production & Use of Balsam Wool, and assigned to the Wood Conversion Company of Cloquet, Minnesota.
Where is Kimsul manufactured?
Kimsul™, produced by Kimberly Clark, in Neenah Wisconsin in the U.S., is an older insulating material used from about 1930 into at least the 1950's and that has been described by some building history sources as a creped paper insulating material that was impregnated by asphalt.
When was Silvawool insulation popular?
Even sugar cane was used. Silvawool® was indeed a shredded wood fiber insulation product, one of many popular in North America beginning in the 1950's. There is no doubt that wood fiber insulation was used not just in buildings but within refrigerators, freezers and in other special applications.
What is rockwool made of?
Hunker may earn compensation through affiliate links in this story. Rockwool is made from natural basalt rock and chalk. Rockwool is used in home insulation and is growing in use for hydroponic gardening, which is a method of growing plants using mineral nutrient solutions, in water, without soil. This mineral is a sterile, porous, non-degradable ...
How many cubic feet of wool is produced from a cubic foot of rocks?
The material is then blown into a large spinning chamber that forms it into thin strands. This method produces 37 cubic feet of wool from 1 cubic foot of rocks. The process itself is eco-friendly and creates a material that does not possess plant pathogens.
What is the melting point of rockwool?
Rockwool has a melting point around 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. If there is an older form of rockwool in a home, the primary danger is that it will burn well. If your home was built prior to 1960 and contains rockwool insulation, it is important to keep its flammability in mind. The newer forms of rockwool do not possess this flammability problem.
Is rockwool flammable?
Older applications of rockwool were installed loosely and formed large spaces in wall cavities, which made it extremely flammable. Due to advancements in the manufacturing process of rockwool, it is now one of the most fire-retardant insulation materials available, according to "Gardening Indoors with Rockwool.".
Can rockwool irritate your eyes?
The dust from rockwool can irritate the skin and eyes if a person comes into direct contact with it. Gloves and goggles should be worn when working with rockwool. When handling rockwool, it should be kept away from children and animals.
Is rockwool sterile?
This mineral is a sterile, porous, non-degradable material manufactured in various forms. Rockwool has been in use since the 1970s but has recently come under scrutiny for potential dangers from its fibers. Advertisement.
Does rockwool contain asbestos?
Older forms of rockwool insulation are composed of fiberglass, mineral wool and could contain asbestos. Homes built after 1960 that contain rockwool insulation most likely do not have asbestos. Breathing in asbestos could possibly cause lung-restrictive illness and death. The newer forms of rockwool pose little risk of breathing it in.
