What's above the ceiling?

March 4, 2007 3:54 PM

So there I was, running cable through the celing, and all of a sudden this stuff starts pouring out. Think of what happens when you invert an hourglass; but instead of sand rushing out, it was this junk that looked like wooden perlite.

I filled up 3 plastic shopping bags with the stuff, which certainly LOOKS like some kind of insulation. The odd thing was the small hole touching off such a large amount of debris. And my family was mildly freaked out too.

What *is* this stuff? And do we need to worry about it?

posted by portabella to home & garden (7 comments total)

It is likely blown-in vermiculite insulation. The question is, is it asbestos insulation. I would have it tested unless someone here can authoritatively assure you that this sort of stuff was never made with asbestos. Here is some background.
posted by caddis at 4:12 PM on March 4, 2007

i've heard that mulched dry newspapers are used for insulation. might that be it?
posted by andythebean at 4:13 PM on March 4, 2007

Your description makes it sound exactly like vermiculite. I think caddis is dead on.
posted by fake at 4:18 PM on March 4, 2007

If you're interested, you can purchase vermiculite in the potting soil section of a hardware store to compare to what you found.
posted by odinsdream at 4:20 PM on March 4, 2007

Sounds exactly like vermiculite. Be sure to hit your local home improvement store and get some insulation to replace it. Your house will be hotter in the summer and colder in the winter without it.
posted by mathowie at 4:23 PM on March 4, 2007

Hmm, I saw the title and first thought, "Sounds like the guy's got termites". Kinda surprised nobody else said so. Without a pic or a better description it's impossible to say, but termites do excrete small, light brown stuff that seems wood-like and can be quite abundant in severe infestations. Thing is that it's much smaller than vermiculite so if you're sure of the size comparison it's probably not bugs. If you're not sure though, you should look into it.

btw, Vermiculite has what looks like gold-ish tint/specks in it. not all brown like wood.
posted by a_green_man at 6:18 PM on March 4, 2007

It is fabulous insulation. I owned a house that had it, up in northern Wisconsin. Only problem is that it does leak out small holes. Sometimes around electric outlets, that sort of thing.
posted by Goofyy at 5:37 AM on March 6, 2007