Can anyone identify this?

breaking_free

Poked my head in the loft today. What sort of insulation is this please?

cymruchris

Glass fibre/Glass wool.... 

NSG666

Wear a mask if you are going to do anything that will disturb it - horrible if you breathe the fibres in.

Ebe_Scrooge

Yup, bog-standard "fibreglass".  As above, wear a mask if you're planning on moving it.  Also make sure any bare skin is covered (don't go shifting it about in shorts and t-shirt).  It'll not do you any serious harm, but it itches like bu&&ery if it rubs against your skin.

breaking_free

Thanks all.

ex-pat_scot

Given the new / enhanced cost of living crisis (tm), what's the best way of insulating cold roof attics?

I've got a fair bit of this fibre glass insulation, in variable degrees of thickness /age.
SHould I be replacing, or updating, or just adding extra thickness?

I have a large old draughty house, with heating oil, so it really is in my best interests to sort it out before the Autumn.

Bendy_House

Hi Pat Scot.

I think the first thing I'd do is to look at what's already down. Lift some up and see what condition it's in. I would imagine that the first layer of insulation laid on the plasterboard ceiling is the most important, so if the stuff there looks clumped, compressed, thick, in bits, then I think I'd lift all that and place the best quality stuff down first.

Fill up to the joist tops, and then lay an additional layer at right angles to this. Take it as far to the eaves as possible, but absolutely do NOT block the tapering gap between the ceiling and the rafters - you MUST leave a ventilation gap down to the soffits. So, a single layer of insulation at this point, and squished down to leave that gap down to the void.