polystyrene loft insulation

When I cleaned the filthy loose-lay insulation from my loft last year I bought a huge roll of 500 gauge polythene tubing which i could cut to length, tie up one end with string and hang down from the loft hatch. I could then keep scooping up the debris with a dustpan and pour it in without making a mess of the rest of the house. When full, I just tied up the other end and folded the sausage into my car to take to the tip and cut a new length to start again. Muchly recommended by the wife for keeping the house clean :)

Franko.

It was polystyrene?

Hard to imagine that being used. Are you sure it wasn't vermiculite, a safely inert, natural mica type of earth?

Two possible solutions;

Shred the polystyrene to reduce the volume. This means the stuff has to go through the vac turbine - a garden vac does just that - its a 'dirty fan' vacuum.

Litter Vacs operate on this principle.

Plan 'B'. Use a vacuum cleaner with an interceptor tank. This is simply a large container fitted between the vacuum cleaner and the cleaning nozzle.

Yup, had to clean the wiring where it was eating through, bits stuck all the way along. Mind you it had taken 30 years to chew thro the outer cable sheath. Rewiring was necessary of course. So far 2 houses, same street same builder same insulation.

Peter

Great idea, polystyrene sausages here I come. (mind you, would still love a vacuum on a stick with an outlet into the sausage) Thanks

Peter

The polystyrene should be bonded using pva glue and not be loose. Then the plasticisers in the pvc cause the polystyrene to shrink which remove the contact and stops the plasticiser being absorbed by the polystyrene. Polystyrene doesn't eat away pvc but it can make it brittle as it removes the plasticisers.

In message , Franko writes

This is an unpleasant job I need to get done too, the sausage idea is excellent, where did you get the polythene tube?

Aaaargh! I hate e-commerce sites that don't have prices. It always reminds me of the find-out-what-the-customer-can-afford to pay philosophy of double-glazing salesmen and the like.

Andrew

I bought it from

In message , Franko writes

Thanks Franko and Frank too, sadly I have no excuse to avoid the job now :-(

That's exactly what an interceptor tank uses for a lid.

It was very popular for many applications particularly roofs.

I bought several very large bags from the factory and gave one to my neighbour. She put it in her lounge. Her 10 year old daughter came home from school, hooted with delight and took a run and jumped onto the bag.

It took about 2 years before they eventually cleared the stuff from the house. :))

yup, except I was suggesting filling a bag with the stuff and not a dustbin. Since the bag is non rigid it can not be on the suction side of the blower. So its not being used as an interceptor in this case, more a dirty fan vacuum on steroids.

(And I've found a source of biodegrable bags for the kitchen compost bin, now that Sainsers have stopped selling them!)

Tesco carriers are biodegradable now, and are free (or an oppportunity cost of 1 clubcard point)

Owain

And an extra 50p's worth of diesel to get there...