I have some attic floor space that needs insulation and have been looking into an alternative (less expensive) to the soy or cellulose spray foam we'd planned on. Does anyone know of a supplier of hemp, wool, or hemp/wool insulation bats in or able to ship to (at reasonable prices) New England?
There is a supplier here in central Alberta, given the exchange rate he might be competitive.
good shepherd wool insulation 403 845 6705 Rocky Mountain House.
I have not spoken to him in a couple years, I assume he is still in business. He may know someone out your way too.
Sawdust
As far as I know, hemp can not be imported from Canada.....
I can check with a natural builder from Ontario for more local details if you wish....
Jim Rogers
Quote from: Jim_Rogers on October 12, 2006, 02:37:50 PM
As far as I know, hemp can not be imported from Canada.....
I haven't really kept up on the Canadian raw hemp embargo... Mainly because I don't want to get that p'd off.
I know that processed hemp (products) can be imported, but haven't found anyone online closer than England.
Quote
I can check with a natural builder from Ontario for more local details if you wish....
That'd be great, Ontario is a good deal closer than Alberta or the UK. I'm getting a quote on Isonat (hemp) and Thermafleece bats from Herefordshire. :D
Ok, well I just spent 32 minutes on the phone with my friend in Ontario talking about hemp infill.
Raphael, if you want hemp bats then the only place she knows of that you can get them is Germany, and the guys in UK are probably importing them to the UK from Germany.
She used a hemp infill system in her home. It was a loose chip that is sold in bales, and can be brought into the USA as I understand it.
But it has to be mixed with Lime and/or clay to make a wet slurry for infill in the walls.
She said that the site to look at for this product was HempLine.com
And also, if you want to find a source for bats do an Internet search using "Hemp fiber bats" for search words......
That's all I got, for you....
Jim Rogers
Chemist friend in Minnesota was working on a hemp hurd/lime? mix with all the properties that make good insulation. I will aim him to this thread and see if he would like to contribute some thoughts.
sawdust
Looks like the HempLine server is OffLine...
I checked on wool from Alberta... Jason was way off coarse in his quest for the golden fleece, $3808 US for enough cover 576sqr.ft. to 8". :o
Wool from the UK is half that and they were apologetic about their prices being high. I think we'll wind up with 9" of cotton above a vapor barrier instead of 8" of wool/hemp below a radiant/vapor barrier. Or worse, I may be throwing in R30 kraft backed fiberglass.
You may try talking to Tom Cook of Chadron NE.He is in the book.He was working with hemp on his reservation a few years ago and had great contacts.Good luck
Been doing some research into building with straw bales, and some of those guys are insulating attic spaces with straw treated to resist vermin and fire. Seems like it was either borate, borax, or boric acid soultion used to treat it, same as is used in the cellulose (ground newspaper) insulation that home depot/lowes sells. Some others soak burlap sacks in the solution, dry them, then stuff the sack with straw to get a thick, tight mass. Seems like a good natural solution, and if you're interested, I can dig back through my books for specifics.
Greg
Quote from: Greg Cook on October 17, 2006, 11:29:15 PM
Some others soak burlap sacks in the solution, dry them, then stuff the sack with straw to get a thick, tight mass. Seems like a good natural solution, and if you're interested, I can dig back through my books for specifics.
I'd love to see my building inspector's reaction to that. :D Actually I wouldn't, he doesn't have much of a sense of humour about these things and ResCheck is near impossible to implement now...
I've been joking about just storing Deb's rovings in the attic floor and that she'll just have to spin it fast enough to keep 400 cu.ft. of stock rotating out before the vermin find it and make themselves at home. There may be some merit to this treated bag concept, :P , I do know where to get a few hundred pounds of washed and carded Llama wool really cheap and NY sheep and wool is this weekend. ;)
Shipping insulation from the UK requires a container so it's a $3600 minimum charge. Not going that route without some investors to help stuff the container full.
This link to cotton insulation came up on another forum.
http://www.bondedlogic.com/
Quote from: Don P on October 19, 2006, 07:20:14 AM
This link to cotton insulation came up on another forum.
http://www.bondedlogic.com/
We've been looking into that as well, it's got the density to hold it's R value when the temperature drops but lacks the nice moisture control of wool and hemp... I'd need to bring in my vapor barrier and possibly seal the tops of the plates with clear solution if I lap a 3.5" layer over them.
The closest supplier is Devries Building Supply in Sheffield, MA., $982.84 plus tax: what is sales tax in Mass. these days? There is also the half day lost picking it up... I can get it for $880 from Texas... I haven't checked on shipping, it might make sense if they can get is here for $250.
Take a look at celulous . with the borax treatment it will not support combustion , wil l not need a a vapor barrier . The cels have a very slow air infiltration that translates into heat retention close to that of the expensive foams.