Vermiculite Attic Insulation Uk

Vermiculite is a silver gold to gray brown mineral that is flat and shiny in its natural state.

Vermiculite attic insulation uk.

This expanded form and the fact that vermiculite does not burn made the material suitable for use as insulation. It can be gold light brown or gray in color and bears a resemblance to small piece of popcorn. Vermiculite is a 100 natural attic insulation material made from aluminium iron magnesium silicates and it consists of thin flat flakes. 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.

When heated to around 1000 degrees c it pops or puffs up which creates pockets of air. Up until the early 1990 s much of this insulation was sold in bags under the brand name of zonolite. These deposits contaminated the vermiculite and then became transferred into people s homes. 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.

That s good news because most zonolite a type of vermiculite insulation falls into that category. 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. One of the types of attic insulation that i find occasionally in my home inspections is a loose fill product called vermiculite. 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.

It could be purchased locally and could be installed by contractor or homeowner.