Unknown Old Insulation

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Permalink Reply by tedkidd on October 11, 2012 at 7:44am

Cellulose?  Where is this house, humid area?

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Permalink Reply by Bob Kretvix on October 11, 2012 at 7:51am

Never saw this, but looks a little like air-cell pipe insulation. This is considered Presumed Asbestos Containing Material.  You should have it tested by an accredited Asbestos Inspector before doing anything to disturb it. 

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Permalink Reply by Glen Gallo on October 11, 2012 at 7:59am

looks like old rock wool batts

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Permalink Reply by Robert Meeker on October 11, 2012 at 8:45am

It looks like some insulation I encountered on some ducting installed in the 1960s. I had it tested for asbestos and the results came back as just being all cellulose.

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Permalink Reply by Robert Riversong on October 11, 2012 at 8:59am

It appears to be mineral wool, but it could also be an old Balsam Wool (wood-fiber) batt. Neither would contain asbestos.

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Permalink Reply by Bob Kretvix on October 11, 2012 at 9:18am

All I can say is that if it isn't known and has the appearance of something that could contain asbestos (i.e., not clearly fiberglass or mineral wool, etc), OSHA requires that it be PRESUMED to contain asbestos and treated as such until negated by testing.  So if unsure, testing is required if its going to be disturbed.

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Permalink Reply by tedkidd on October 11, 2012 at 9:22am

Expanding on the "humid area" question - do you think the material has gone through numerous wet/dry cycles?  Looks like it's turned to dried oatmeal in the pictures

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Permalink Reply by Paul Bowman on October 11, 2012 at 9:47am

Many thanks to all for suggestions here.

Over at InspectionNews someone else offered the name "Balsam Wool" — and with a little further digging online, that led me to what I now think is the actual answer, an old Kimberly-Clark product called "Kimsul".

Pennsylvania inspector Bill Kibbel, here, describes Kimsul as "layered creped paper," which fits my first impression of the stuff. The photo doesn't convey this very well. And as Ted Kidd says, it's pretty deteriorated at this point.

Kibbel seems certain that Kimsul was manufactured asbestos-free. NY inspector Debra Monte, on the other hand, here seems equally sure of the contrary. So at this point I'm expecting to have to get it tested. — I canned the BD test on my visit date, incidentally, because of this stuff.

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Permalink Reply by Andrew F. on October 11, 2012 at 4:54pm

looks like old rock wool batts

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Permalink Reply by Paul Bowman on November 28, 2012 at 12:05pm

We had a sample of the insulation lab-tested, and the result was a negative without qualification — no asbestos found. This is only one case, of course. For all I know, some of the product was made with asbestos and some wasn't. But it would seem that it's wrong to say definitively that Kimsul has asbestos in it.

Still wise to wear a dust mask in any attic and around insulation generally, of course.

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Permalink Reply by Bob Kretvix on November 28, 2012 at 12:16pm

At least you know now.  So many materials contain asbestos its probably more difficult to say it doesn't than it does.  Good luck.

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Permalink Reply by Brian Robinson on November 29, 2012 at 7:12pm

We've seen this before on several occasions.  It is a cellulosic based product - essentially crenulated or creped paper.

http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/1099183575035133639rVRBwi

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1939-KIMSUL-INSULATION-Catalog-Photos-Home-...

http://www.ebay.com/sch/sis.html?_nkw=1937%20AD%20KIMSUL%20BUILDING...

1933
Kimsul Insulation- Seeking new ways to introduce its products for consumer use, Kimberley-Clark created Kimsul, a home insulating product made of creped wadding, impregnated with asphalt. Originally, Kimsul began as insulation paneling for refrigerators. Later, the product appeared in automobiles as dashboard insulation.
Kimsul was promoted as the insulation with many-layer construction; unlike then-typical loose bulk insulation, Kimsul had layers stitched together to form a blanket of uniform thickness.
In connection with a famous 1948 movie, "Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House," starring Cary Grant and Myrna Loy, Kimsul was advertised as the insulation used in the dream house. The product was easy to install and was resistant to fire, moisture, fungus, vermin and termites. National advertising for the product urged consumers to "Wrap your home in a blanket of Kimsul." 
Earlier, Kimsul had been the standard material for insulating Navy quonset huts (prefabricated metal buildings) during World War II. It gave protection against the tropical heat and Alaskan cold.

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