Any idea what this darker coloured loft insulation is?

[Mmcgar]

I was trying to pull back insulation in my loft earlier to get some better airflow and this darker coloured insulation down at the eaves seemed to come away in my hand. I'm a bit concerned it's something that shouldn't have been interfered with, any ideas what sort of insulation it is?

House is 1970s and has asbestos water tank, ingot an asbestos survey done on purchase and only thing that came up was the tank

Thanks

 

[JohnD]

do you mean the dark brown stuff, like on the pipes?

looks like felt to me. Made of woollen waste, still used as carpet underlay but not much good as an insulator, and i imagine it can harbour moths.

pull it out and throw it away.

reinsulate the pipes with a modern foam lagging (the thicker, "bylaws" grade if it will fit). A modern properly insulated loft gets very cold and in a hard winter pipes may freeze and burst.

if it's not the felt you mean, pull out a handful and photograph it so we can see what you mean.

you can take a bit in the garden and I think you will find it burns. Asbestos insulation was not used in domestic houses unless the occupant worked in a shipyard or something and could steal it (will be long dead if so)

by 1970, fibreglass insulation was in common use, but some older people still used felt, old carpets, shredded newspaper, etc.

the yellow fibreglass sheds irritant dust and fibres, so at the least wear a mask. It affects me badly do I would take it all out and hoover the loft before rolling down modern mineral wool treated with ecose, which does not shed. Many people would not bother.

 

[Mmcgar]

do you mean the dark brown stuff, like on the pipes?

looks like felt to me. Made of woollen waste, still used as carpet underlay but not much good as an insulator, and i imagine it can harbour moths.

pull it out and throw it away.

reinsulate the pipes with a modern foam lagging (the thicker, "bylaws" grade if it will fit). A modern properly insulated loft gets very cold and in a hard winter pipes may freeze and burst.

if it's not the felt you mean, pull out a handful and photograph it so we can see what you mean.

you can take a bit in the garden and I think you will find it burns. Asbestos insulation was not used in domestic houses unless the occupant worked in a shipyard or something and could steal it (will be long dead if so)

by 1970, fibreglass insulation was in common use, but some older people still used felt, old carpets, screwed up newspaper, etc.

the yellow fibreglass sheds irritant dust and fibres, so at the least wear a mask. It affects me badly do I would take it all out and hoover the loft before rolling down modern mineral wool treated with ecose, which does not shed. Many people would not bother.

Hi thanks for the reply. I was talking about the stuff of the "floor" of the loft. Basically there's modernish yellow/standard insulation on the top layer but after I pulled that back there's much darker stuff, not sure how clear it is on the photo but you should be able to see there's maybe 3 different colours of insulation.

The loft itself suffers quite badly from condensation so it's possible that the dark stuff is just discoloration of normal insulation from water over the years. I was concerned with the texture as it came apart in my hands. (Basically as a former shipyard worker myself I am terrified of asbestos! So I immediately hit the panic button on this)

Thanks again

 

[JohnD]

pull out a handful and take a pic

take it in the garden and see if it will burn, and if it absorbs water

might be shredded newsprint

insulation is usually dirtiest near the eaves where dust blows in.

pulling the insulation out from the eaves, so you can see daylight and there is a throughflow of air, will improve ventilation and reduce condensation.

See also our "lofts" section

 

[Mmcgar]

pull out a handful and take a pic

take it in the garden and see if it will burn, and if it absorbs water

insulation is usually dirtiest near the eaves where dust blows in.

pulling the insulation out from the eaves, so you can see daylight and there is a throughflow of air, will improve ventilation and reduce condensation.

See also our "lofts" section

Hi, thanks. I think I will avoid disturbing it any further for now just in case although I did re-read your initial comment about asbestos insulation not being used domestically which is reassuring.

Funnily enough I was actually attempting to just that tip regarding pulling back the insulation from the eaves, also bought some felt lapp vents to fit. General condensation is pretty bad above bathroom (no extraction) but think I'll put any further work on hold for now


Thanks again

 

[JohnD]

you can send a sample to a lab for asbestos testing

I forget the price but it is not expensive

they will send you a container

 

[TeaAndBiscuits]

do you mean the dark brown stuff, like on the pipes?

looks like felt to me. Made of woollen waste, still used as carpet underlay but not much good as an insulator, and i imagine it can harbour moths.

pull it out and throw it away.

reinsulate the pipes with a modern foam lagging (the thicker, "bylaws" grade if it will fit). A modern properly insulated loft gets very cold and in a hard winter pipes may freeze and burst.

if it's not the felt you mean, pull out a handful and photograph it so we can see what you mean.

you can take a bit in the garden and I think you will find it burns. Asbestos insulation was not used in domestic houses unless the occupant worked in a shipyard or something and could steal it (will be long dead if so)

by 1970, fibreglass insulation was in common use, but some older people still used felt, old carpets, shredded newspaper, etc.

the yellow fibreglass sheds irritant dust and fibres, so at the least wear a mask. It affects me badly do I would take it all out and hoover the loft before rolling down modern mineral wool treated with ecose, which does not shed. Many people would not bother.

Haha just been doing some work in the loft of my mid 60s built house over the past week.

Having pulled up the boarding I've found all of the things you've listed instead of actual insulation in many places. Additionally - folded up old curtains and hessian sacks. Never realised that proper insulation materials were such a relatively recent development.

 

[foxhole]

Just old insulation .