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Green Building Bible, Fourth Edition
Green Building Bible, fourth edition (both books)
These two books are the perfect starting place to help you get to grips with one of the most vitally important aspects of our society - our homes and living environment.

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      CommentAuthordjh
    • CommentTimeMay 22nd 2017
     
    I don't know, but a quick search showed up three interesting links; one of which does give a ratio for borax. The other two are not so encouraging!

    http://info.cat.org.uk/questions/energy-conservation/can-i-use-my-own-sheeps-wool-insulation/
    https://www.thegreenage.co.uk/is-sheepwool-insulation-resistant-to-moths/
    https://ntenvironmentalwork.net/2011/05/26/problems-with-one-batch-of-wool-insulation/

    If I were planning to use sheep's wool - especially treating it myself - I would check the current opinions of places like CAT.
    • CommentAuthorecosar
    • CommentTimeAug 31st 2024
     
    Great to read all of this.

    I have been using Boracol from Property Repairs Systems for woodworm, and they provide a 20 year guarentee. It solidifies as I understand it, whereas other wood wormers evaporate.

    I am saying this because someone thought that the thermafleece may have lost it's antimoth properties over what sounded like a shorter time than 20 years.

    I am looking to use sheep fleece (preferably unwashed) as a small amount of insulation and want to treat it first.

    I am planning to use the left over Boracol, as this seems pretty harmless.

    Unfortunately the company selling it aren't open over the weekend and I need it dry by monday! So if anyone has any more experience that isn't in this thread, or any answers, I would love them PDQ!!

    Some of you must have had your sheep fleece in for a long time now, so your experience would be very useful.

    thanks in advance, Sarah
    • CommentAuthorecosar
    • CommentTimeAug 31st 2024
     
    I want to add something else. Washing borax is a different chemical to Boron (obvious to some, sorry) and so when I said that Boracol doesn't evaporate (in my understanding from the 20 yr guarentee), I want to be clear that it isn't Borax or washing borax - which I don't know about, except it is great for killing ant and wasp nests you can't get to if mixed with jam (but may kill bees etc too if not careful)

    On one of the links above, where they advocate a chemical, it says: "In the past Borax was used, which unfortunately over time evaporated from the sheep wool fibres. This meant that the resistance to moths also evaporated!"
    • CommentAuthorecosar
    • CommentTimeAug 31st 2024
     
    The link above to CAT is (currently?) broken.

    I have a glimmer of a memory of lime being used with sheep fleece for moths, but it may be completely wrong - anyone know?

    I have just found this link https://www.heritage-house.org/stuff-about-old-buildings/insulation/sheepwool-insulation-and-moth-infestation.html

    that is worth reading - validating a company called Isolena supplied by https://www.sheepwoolinsulation.com/ with the author having seen tests done. It says that Thermafleece have had problems with evaporation having used Borax, and that https://www.isolena.at/ is the bees knees!! I feel converted but it doesn't help me for this weekend!
    •  
      CommentAuthordjh
    • CommentTimeAug 31st 2024
     
    Given the likes of the horror story mentioned in the link you provided, I personally still wouldn't trust sheeps wool. Especially for "a small amount of insulation". I'd choose something else. The Isolena product may perhaps be the answer, but they are coy about what exactly their Ionic Protect treatment consists of and the long-term test was only over a period of six months, which may be considered long-term in some contexts but not as regards insulation IMHO.

    I know of a place that used lime on straw bales, and untreated wool under the floor, but that's more in the nature of another horror story.

    Boracol is a mixture of boric acid (made from borax) and benzalkonium chloride I believe.

    So TL;DR I'd find an alternative type of insulation if I were you.
    • CommentAuthorMike1
    • CommentTimeAug 31st 2024 edited
     
    The last I heard, from 2010, was that the durability of treating wool with borax 'seems to be uncertain':
    https://www.exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0025/221578/EB63-Ecos-Trust-2010-Audit-of-Local-Sustainable-Construction-Materials-in-the-Greater-Exmoor-Area.pdf. I'm not aware of any subsequent research proving otherwise - though maybe it's out there. There have been too many bad experiences reported, so I'd avoid it.

    I've not looked into it, but someone did point out that there's a new plasma-ion treatment available for wool insulation: https://www.sheepwoolinsulation.com/about/ionic-protect/
  1.  
    Posted By: Mike1I've not looked into it, but someone did point out that there's a new plasma-ion treatment available for wool insulation:https://www.sheepwoolinsulation.com/about/ionic-protect/" rel="nofollow" >https://www.sheepwoolinsulation.com/about/ionic-protect/

    But not something that you can do at home.

    I've seen the results of failed DIY moth proofing of sheeps wool for insulation - very very nasty
    Posted By: Mike1So TL;DR I'd find an alternative type of insulation if I were you.
    • CommentAuthorMike1
    • CommentTimeSep 1st 2024 edited
     
    Posted By: Peter_in_HungaryBut not something that you can do at home.
    Well it's patented, so the details of the process will be publicly available. But I suspect you may need to have more than just a Van de Graaff generator in your garage :)
    • CommentAuthorecosar
    • CommentTimeSep 1st 2024
     
    Thank you for your updates! And advice.

    When I looked up the chemical composition for Borax and the chemical composition for woodworming (not Boracol) it was a different. However, I have forgotten it all now!
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