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Attic Insulation
updated: Oct 16, 2012, 5:23 PM

By Edhat Subscriber

Does anyone have any idea what the blown in insulation in my attic might be made of? My house was built in 1949. When I moved in several years ago, I think I was told that insulation was blown in the attic in the 70's or 80's as part of an SCE energy efficiency program. The insulation looks and feels like cotton fibers and I assumed that it was mixed with boric acid as a fire retardant. However, I can't find any references to cotton insulation on the web, only cellulose (which is generally gray) and something called Rock Wool that is a man-made product.

Comments in order of when they were received | (reverse order)

COMMENT 332126	2012-10-16 05:30 PM
Shredded paper.
COMMENT 332134	2012-10-16 05:41 PM
cellulose take a sample to an insulation contractor or maybe you local building inspector.
COMMENT 332146	2012-10-16 06:18 PM
Asbestos?
COMMENT 332150	2012-10-16 06:28 PM
Probably shredded cellulose.
COMMENT 332157P	2012-10-16 06:40 PM
Call Santa Barbara Roofing and ask them. Nice guys.
COMMENT 332200P	2012-10-16 08:39 PM
Popcorn?
COMMENT 332220P	2012-10-16 10:06 PM
Binders full of women?
COMMENT 332225P	2012-10-16 10:43 PM
It could be mineral wool or fiberglass - both used in the 70's. By the 80's it was mostly fiberglass. You should be careful when you handle it - a paper mask, gloves and long sleeves. All insulation breaks down over time in the attic and can irritate your skin and lungs when you touch it.
TOTCH	2012-10-17 07:11 AM
No asbestos was used if that was when your ceiling was insulated. But an insulation contractor could look at a sample and tell you what the material is.. Most houses in the 40s were not insulated since energy was cheap and the climate was not severe enough to add a few hundred dollars more to the cost of the building.
COMMENT 332249	2012-10-17 07:20 AM
If the stuff was blown in in the 80's or even the late 70's, asbestos (rock wool, mineral wool) would not have been allowed for that purpose - in that era it would have been fiberglass. In the 40's or 50's shredded cellulose would have been the thing. In the 60's cellulose fell out of favor because of fire concerns (fire treatments do not last forever). Asbestos was the non-flammable (and rather expensive) option. Fiberglass was more common. As 225P says, gloves, sleeves, and mask - any of the blown-in insulations tend to accumulate dusts that are laden with skin irritants and allergens, and sometimes even harmful bacteria and fungal spores if the attic ever hosted rodents. This is true no matter what type of blow-in was used.
COMMENT 332580	2012-10-17 04:29 PM
Shredded Chumash.

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