Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Insulation suspected in house fire

So, another home goes up in smoke.

But the "reporters" say that it's the Government's "failed foil insulation scheme". Hullo? The foil electrocutes people, the incorrectly installed batts cause fires as they're laid over hot light fittings.

Can someone please report the facts?

Are they only checking foil insulation? A lot of what I've seen on TV as "foil" insulation looks a lot like alfoil, or just sarking (which is installed directly under the roofing or behind wooden sall boards), and does not have any other insulation material like batts attached to it so is not "insulation".

5 comments:

SezaGeoff said...

Kae,
Some of the foil insulation that they have been installing is two layers of foil separated into box sections by vertical foil walls (like a well made doona). This insulates from hat nd cold quite well, but from elecricity - not so much.

SezaGeoff said...

That is heat and cold - had problem with perview!!

(wv- saggenpr - what bad foil insulation does.)

kae said...

Yeah, but the foil wouldn't cause a fire, just an electrocution.

The fires have been caused by the doona-like filling of the other insulation.

I've got the stuff under the metal roof which was screwed on with the roof, it was a few inches thick with batt stuff underneath the foil when they rolled it out. An aircon installer friend told me that it was enough insulation if I wanted to aircon the house I wouldn't need more.

Aircon. *sigh* if only. And at the rate that electricity charges are going if I could afford the aircon in the first place, I couldn't afford to run it!

Hey, I've had TWO nights of good sleep, I think I'm getting better. Just as well, it's O week.... again!

Anonymous said...

Happy you are feeling better kae and I hope it goes well in the future.

As to the aircon, I could not do without, even here in Melbourne.

To be able to sleep is one of the joys of life.

LouMac

kae said...

Hi Lou Mac
Yes, I am a great believer in the restorative powers of sleep, good sleep.
The worst part of this summer has been the longish heat waves and humid, warm nights. Usually we'll have the heat in the day and in the evenings there's a storm or at least a cool change. The longest heatwave is a couple of days. The weather is returning to "normal" for here, after many years of drought. There's been drought here for as long as I've been here, 16 years - there was a break in 1996, when the Birthday Celebrations at Amberley were rained out in May - it NEVER rains during the May long weekend! Twenty-two inches in about three days or so. Amazing! Then it took about two months for the ground to dry out, and then back to drought.
Such is the sunburnt country, drought and flooding rains.