Vermiculite Attic Insulation Uk

Vermiculite is also known as micafil we stock and sell the product in 100l 100 lire bags 3 5 cubic ft bags of lightweight chips and it is a fantastic alternative to many other insulation options.

Vermiculite attic insulation uk.

It could be purchased locally and could be installed by contractor or homeowner. Vermiculite is a 100 natural attic insulation material made from aluminium iron magnesium silicates and it consists of thin flat flakes. Vermiculite is a naturally occurring mineral primarily a combination of silicon magnesium and aluminium it is easy to handle sound absorbent resistant to decay fire resistant and fibre free the free running properties of vermiculite make it simple to install. One of the types of attic insulation that i find occasionally in my home inspections is a loose fill product called vermiculite.

Vermiculite was a common attic insulation product sold from the late 1920s to the early 1990s. That s good news because most zonolite a type of vermiculite insulation falls into that category. When heated to around 1000 degrees c it pops or puffs up which creates pockets of air. This expanded form and the fact that vermiculite does not burn made the material suitable for use as insulation.

These deposits contaminated the vermiculite and then became transferred into people s homes. Unfortunately almost all vermiculite insulation contains asbestos and is unsafe when disturbed. The concerns about the dangers with vermiculite insulation in the uk stem from the fact that until the 1990s most vermiculite originated from a mine in america which also contained asbestos deposits. Is all vermiculite a health concern.

The epa says that vermiculite insulation which is the pebbly stuff found in attics of many older homes is only risky if it contains more than one percent asbestos.