We've been trying to make the house more "green" with every project we do. On the list is to re-insulate the attic. I was thinking that with all of the newspaper we constantly get, why not shred it, fireproof it and toss it up in the attic? Isnt' that all this blown cellulose really is?
Is this a viable idea? Too much work for too little return? Dangerous? Expensive?
BV.
The better and cheaper and easier, in the long run, way is to send off your old newspapers to the recycle yard and they sell it to the people who shred it (to the right size) fire and pest treat it properly, and package it.
Get a roof leak it will rot and decompose, it will setle to nothing over time. Fiberglass is best
Both fiberglass and commercial cellulose are very good. Both have advantages. I don't think there is a clear advantage of one over the other. The air sealing abilities of cellulose outweigh the chance of a roof leak disadvantage, in my opinion.
Yes, it was used before better insulation was invented. Interesting in a way, to read turn of the century (last one, early 1900's) paper shreds when working in a restoration.
Very little insulation value. The fireproofing material would likely fill the pores that make paper insulate.
Depends in fact on how well you fireproof. You'll certainly want to test your idea, before you install it.
I would think it would void your homeowners insurance, at a minimum, so if rebuilding is cheap, then go for it.
Can you sell your house, if it doesn't meet code?
Ever seen old newspapers caught on the yard fence or stored in some old basement? They become brittle and really excellent for kindling. Figure if that is suitable as long term insulation material. If they crumble to pieces they have little insulation value. If your area is humid old newspapers are excellent termite food. If you have hot spots you have a fire hazard. Try wetting the old papers too. In the old days they used sulphur dioxide to bleach the pulp. The SO2 out gasses and you have noxious fumes. They probably use something else today for bleach.
Stick with fiberglass batts.
In some climates cellulose may work but if you are in the south it is pure shit. You can't keep the moisture out of it and it rots to a grey mat. To start with, everything northerners know about moisture barriers is exactly backward anywhere that the A/C is on more than the heat. Unfortunately insulation installers have not figured that out.
Likely similar to blown cellulose (which is more fluff than shred). The challenge is the fire proofing. Not sure how you'd do that.
I'm a Northerner. Not that I have a house in the south,b ut I'd like to learn. What do folks use in the south?
Re-inventing the wheel. That is what is done in commercial stuff and back when, Mother Earth News had articles on how to do it as a DIY project. It is still available along with the machine to blow at any decent lumber yard. AT A PRICE! I was quoted in the range of $400 for a 26x26' ceiling.
Harry K
A solution of potassium nitrate (aka salt peter), soak the paper, and let it dry. Firepoof!
I keep thinking there must be some similar good use for them styrofoam peanuts.
But for the fuel value even where a proper catalyst isnt used........
IIRC, boric acid is commonly used in pyrotechnics to keep the paper tubes, etc. from easily catching fire.
HUH? That is how you make fuses for fireworks.
Nice long thread, and some great comments. I guess I knew the answer before I asked. I guess I'll head off to the Depot this winter, rent the machine and buy some insulation off the shelf.
Thanks all.
BV.
Lovely. For the uninitiated, this produces something approximating rocket fuel.
Generally, people use mixtures of borax and boric acid dissolved in water, but the ratios seem to vary all over the map, with no particular pattern that I can determine. Boric acid also has the advantage of being a relatively non-toxic-to-humans pesticide and mildew inhibitor.
--Goedjn
yeah, the stuff is so cheap, why not? I had an attic area open recently and cellulose from about 20 years ago was in pretty good shape. It settled maybe .5" out of 6". Fairly humid here for a while in midsummer (st louis) but not like in the south. Bill
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