Peter Daly

Can anyone identify the product shown in this photo. It's a 3/4 inch fiberboard with a thin asphaltic layer on each side? It was used as an underlayment over studs and under stucco on a house built in Menlo Park, CA in the 1960's Click to Enlarge 58.42 KB

I have the opposite opinion. I like insulations that act like moisture banks far better than non absorbent insulations like fiberglass for existing structures. So do you think that this insulation which has been saturated can be dried after the water intrusion issues have been resolved and be effectively left in place? Even if it could be, there are still extensive void areas in the wall where the insulation has settled or been compacted through the wetting process.

Seems like it may well be Perlite. So the question is, having become saturated is it in any way feasible leave the insulation in place and let it dry assuming that the water intrusion issues can be dealt with successfully?

Yes I think that's accurate. The only alternative I can think of is that it's a foam product that has somehow broken down completely and that just doesn't seem likely

The photo may be somewhat deceptive. The material is distinctly blue.

I don't think it's Icynene pour fill or uffi. It looks like it was placed behind a netting while the walls were open. Right now, it has very little if any cohesion. I can pull it out in handfulls and has the consistency of a fine sand. I'm sure that the insulation was installed when the building was remodeled in 2000. At the time, it was written up as one of the most important "green" projects in the city up to that time so I'm thinking that the insulation might be a product that was relatively new at the time.

I'm hoping someone can identify the insulation shown in the attached photo. It was placed in the walls in a building in San Francisco inabout 2000, presumably blown in behind the netting before the drywall was installed. It has a fine granular texture. The wall cavities have been repeatedly wetted since then due to poor window installation detailing and the lack of a weather-resistive barrier behind old redwood siding and the insulation is currently saturated and has compressed somewhat. I'm hoping to identify the brand and to determine if it can be salvaged in any way or whether I should advise the owner to remove and replace it. Thanks Download Attachment: DSCN0019.JPG 864.27 KB