Insulation legality making your own ?

[Gard1994]

Anyway i mainly do traditional building work, where would i stand in terms of legality in making my own insulation i.e pure sheeps wool with no plastic additives/chemicals as i know lots of farmers or small straw blocks to put between beams etc. Surely this is no different than if i was to use a product that has not even been tested even though sheeps wool and straw are known to be very fire retardant. Cheers guys

[joth]

IANAL but I understand you can do whatever you like so long as you can show it meets the requirements as set by underlying act of parliament.

The part L approved docs etc specify a standard way of doing it that if followed is "deemed" to meet the regs, no additional proof of underlying science needed, but the more offpiste you go the more it falls to you to show your workings. 

[ADLIan]

Compliance with the requirements of the British Standard for sheep’s wool insulation will be a starting point including the initial type testing (fire performance, thermals, density, moisture vapour resistance etc, etc) and ongoing quality assurance procedures. Perhaps also independent certification. See Approved Doc 7 of the Building Regs for ways of showing fitness for use. Then use all of this to convince specifiers, users, building control officers etc. Not easy!!

[Gard1994]

Hi guys thanks for the replies. It just seems crazy to me as class F euroclass products like polystyrene are still being sold as insulation and they either have failed the tests or NOT been tested. So technically if a product has not been tested what would stop me using something untested I've made myself ? Certainly feeling it this time if year brrrrrrrr

[Gard1994]

Yes according to the table there are no provisions of a certified product being used on buildings 11m or lower ? 

[ADLIan]

Only materials of Euroclass A1 & A2 are non combustible; B to F are all combustible with increasing combustibility/risk. If a product can only achieve class D or E the manufacturer may decide to use class F and avoid all the testing costs.

 

Table 10.3 only refers to the external surface of external walls. This information should not be read in isolation as other sections of the AD will also apply. Combustible insulation can be used in applications such as concrete floors and certain masonry walls as they are protected by non combustible materials and will not be involved in the development stage of a fire (and perhaps not even in a well developed fire).

[Gard1994]

Yeah but obviously combustible products are used internally i.e between stud walls, between roof rafters/joists adhesive applied and out onto solid brickwork etc, so thats fine ? Its noway near as good as using A1 & A2 products but its not illegal ? I have a client wanting to do a temporary refurb on a victorian terrace , so as cheap as possible until the other rooms done and we can then go for sheepswool, lath and plaster. Like i say if i could get my own sheepswool it would save a ton of money and make me some. I just dont want to put it in then find out its not acceptable. Like you said on your previous email i will have to do some research ! Thanks for the swift reply 

[SteamyTea]

How would you feel if an unqualified tradesperson came and fitted an untested product into your home?

[Roger440]

7 minutes ago, Gard1994 said:

Yeah but obviously combustible products are used internally i.e between stud walls, between roof rafters/joists adhesive applied and out onto solid brickwork etc, so thats fine ? Its noway near as good as using A1 & A2 products but its not illegal ? I have a client wanting to do a temporary refurb on a victorian terrace , so as cheap as possible until the other rooms done and we can then go for sheepswool, lath and plaster. Like i say if i could get my own sheepswool it would save a ton of money and make me some. I just dont want to put it in then find out its not acceptable. Like you said on your previous email i will have to do some research ! Thanks for the swift reply 

 

I looked at using sheepswool in my barn. Even if i got it free, which i could, or near enough, by the time you get it into a fit state to use, it makes no economic sense at all. 

 

Cheaper to buy rockwool or similar.

[Gard1994]

Steamy tea , its more concerning that these untested/combustible products are MASS produced for this purpose of being put into homes..

 

Roger440 yeah i guess you could be right there aside from the whether building regs would accept it i guess it needs to be treated for ticks etc among many other things. I just like organic materials , reusing things etc. Especially in this throwaway culture

[SteamyTea]

3 minutes ago, Gard1994 said:

more concerning that these untested/combustible products are MASS produced for this purpose of being put into homes

Yes it is.

But nothing to stop tested materials being fitted.

 

Having been involved in a material failure that caused 2 deaths, I can tell you that it is a harrowing experience dealing with the Coroner, police, insurance companies, suppliers, customers and having to face the victims families.

And it was an incident that happened before I joined the company, but as the senior member of staff, I took the abuse (one director left when the writ turned up, the other remaining one bankrupted the company not long after, but before the fine was paid).

 

Do the right thing.

[Gard1994]

Sorry to hear you had to experience that , its just concerning that it hasn't been made law yet that only A1 and A2 products being the only acceptable standard to be used. Still , sadly i guess money talks to those at the top..

[SteamyTea]

1 minute ago, Gard1994 said:

guess money talks to those at the top

It is a risk benefit analysis really.

Just the price of risk is often not high enough to discourage, and the benefit is usually overstated.