Glass Mineral insulation

[Delgado]

Hi,

We've just moved into a 1920's era house. The loft is part boarded and we aim to get it converted once we've recovered financially (survey have us the all clear and there is plenty of headroom). In the meantime we intend to use it for storage

Over the last few days I've been moving stuff in and out of the loft (inc ditching a whole load of junk that had been left up there) There was also an old original door that was lain over the insulation that I've taken into the house to reuse - hoovered and washed down.

Today I found a bill of works in the attic that stated that the insulation is glass mineral wool (Iso Wool) and had been installed in 2004. It's not an especially tidy job - in most cases it covers the joists - except for the boarded area.

Internet research tells me that it is potentially an irritant if handled (so far I've avoided too much contact).

Essentially I wanted to know what the precautions and risks are regarding this material - esp if we are periodically moving our stuff in and out of the loft? Is it ok to have our stiff up there and bring stuff down as we need it? My inclinations is to wrap everything carefully in bin liners - but perhaps that's overkill?

Sorry - this is a bit of an essay - esp for my first post - but any advice will be gratefully received!

 

[kbdiy]

That stuff was very common years ago and if rubbed on the skin would irritate like anything. No harm in it being left there and as long as it isn't disturbed then it shouldn't cause any issues. Just try to avoid direct contact with it and use rubber gloves if you have to handle it. The fibres will stick to most things, even plastic bags, probably through static.

Removing it will probably cause more irritation than if it's left in place, so just be aware.

 

[Delgado]

Hi - thanks for your reply. Your tip re static is handy - hadn't thought of that!

We'll deal with the loft in good time when we're in a position to convert it. For the time being I'll just stick to using the boarded area and leave the rest alone.

I was a bit suprised at what a messy job it is - it looks v thorough but I would have thought it would have been enough to fit the lengths of wool between the joists. As it is, it's laid so thick you can't even see the joists! Even if it's not removed when we convert it it'll need a fair amount of work to get bedded into place.

 

[kbdiy]

The thicker the better and you may well find that you have 2 layers criss-crossing the loft and hence covering the joists. Current standards for loft insulation are 270mm thick.

 

[Delgado]

Aha - ok that may be the reason. Thanks!