That's what my dad always said about our street. But it took him a long while to get used to the incredible nosiness of those same neighbors.

My wife doesn't mind the nosiness, as long as it generates a long-winded chat session.

She's stuck at home all day with two little people who are not very articulate conversationalists.

And when those two little people get older, they will fiercely resent it when they try to sneak out, and the damn neighbors with their binoculars rat them out.

Borates are great and I plan on lining the attic with it, but still the Formaldehyde concerns me... along with a few other considerations... here is a "green site" that discusses it:

http://www.greenbuilder.com/sourcebook/Insulation.html

"Cellulose insulation uses recycled newsprint that contains printers inks which can possibly outgas formaldehyde into a home. If there is any outgassing from inks, it should fall well below levels irritating most persons. However, an environmentally-sensitive person should be careful in selecting cellulose and install a vapor retarder between the insulation and the living space. (Note that the vapor retarder can exacerbate mildew problems if humidity levels in the house are high.)"

Old folks - Check!

Got two sets, one of which, despite being 80+, managed to get out of his chair, outside and peeking through the "hedge" to see what I was having delivered (Wonderboard). When he couldn't identify it, he stayed there, puzzling it out until he finally tried asking me. In Spanish. Which I do not speak well. So I just smiled and shrugged and told him I do not speak Spanish (one of the phrases I memorised early on) and went back inside.

Do you live here, Flint? I thought you lived over in Austin or someplace?

Brian

He's up in the metroplex.

How many Texans are in the Cellar? And with old people all around? And with attics in need of more or better insulation? How does one say "Yikes" in Texanese? But keep the info coming, I'm learning good info.

Ok... I'm still torn. I've seen to this magical website of which you speak... and it is a bit more technical than I can handle at the moment. Figured... as there seem to be at least several of us hot Texans here I'd continue my thoughts on the topic.

Ok... so save for the ink, the cellulose is starting to look good again, but even so.. the Fiberglass I've looked at is certified by the Greenguard Environmental Institute for even the more stringent For Children and schools standards... and is an Energy Star Partner. No Cellulose insulations seem to meet those standards.

The more I research the more I am unsure of what to do. I'm even flipflopping on the radiant barrier... I'm now thinking that the foil variety is the way I want to go. I'm just wondering if there is any truth to what I was told... that with retro fitting you lose some of the effectiveness as it is not possible to get all the way down to the roofline with existing insullation in place. Thoughts anyone?

I should mention that while I'm not opposed to a DYI situation ... I want it done correctly... that is not to imply that Flint isn't capable of perfection... lord if anyone knows of his ability to strive for perfection it is me (and he most always achieves his desired goals), but he is so busy with work and school that the chances that it would be "himself" doing the install is slim... more likely would be another family member... who is also very busy and slow to complete projects... so paying a bit more for a professional and speedy job seems worthwhile to me.

Forget what you read, go stick your snout into a pile of cellulose insulation, there is no formaldehyde. I know, my whole house is filled with cellulose, I've worked on dozens of jobsites where the stuff was a cloud in the air. I know the smell of formaldehyde from my photog days and from the eye watering stink of fresh plywood. Any formaldehyde which may have been present in the ink (I seriously doubt this too) has long since evaporated.

THis opinion and $1.50, will buy you a cup of coffee. (not at starbucks) then again, you can run but you can't hide: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formaldehyde

(PS don't tell Clodfobble I linked to wikipedia)

As for certification, if you are willing to pay enough money you can have dogturds certified as safe. You must do your own research. Fiberglass is a carcinogen. PCBS are perfectly safe, ask Hudson River Voice, the folksy sounding grass roots organization which is a front for General Electric, who didn't really feel like spending millions and millions of $ to clean up their mess.

How much time do you plan on spending in your attic crawlspace anyway?

I'm a big fan of blown in insulation whether it is foam or fiberglass or cellulose. They each have drawbacks and strengths, what they all have in common is that by blowing the insulation in it fills all the nooks and crannies which placed insulation missess.

Good luck.


Oh there is also Adobe, I hear that is the real deal for the hotter climates...

Or put a lawn sprinkler on the roof.;)

Who what now? I'm a big fan of wiki, I use it all the time... :confused:

So you say:rolleyes:
http://www.cellar.org/showpost.php?p...&postcount=711

Dang it! Kagen didn't get the joke, and clearly no one else did either.

See, it's like he made a wiki entry, and then I edited it to fix his grammar and spelling and add an encyclopedic definition of the term... ah, whaddayou guys know about humor anyway.


I should have put [citation needed] at the end to make it better...

I don't have anything useful to add about insulation, or attics, or old people . . .

er.

But I would just like to say, everytime I see this thread, I think it's about aliens or space particles or something.

Radiant barrier--is this some kind of interspace membrane?

insullation Delima--sounds like Dejah Thoris' cousin; some kind of pouty empress throwing a party!

(sorry, Pooka--)

As my sister id fond of telling me,"Leave humor to the professionals.";)