Replies

1. 
   frenchy | Jan 31, 2005 07:47pm | #1

   two problems occur to me,  first there is no vapor barrier with just beads and second I have used beads in the concrete block walls of my basement and I will tell you it's tough to fill them properly,   Far from a simple pour them into the holes it became a monster job trying to get them to settle down to final depth.. in the end I accepted less than I should simply because time was marching by and the house needed to be enclosed and finished..

    

    I would think that it would be a simple matter to remiove the interior walls and spray foam in , after all all you will lose is a few bucks worth of sheetrock won't you? 

2. 
   csnow | Jan 31, 2005 07:59pm | #2

   While a tempting scavenger material, bead do not make for good insulation.  Too much air movement through the voids.  Convective loops will start up within the cavities, accelerating as it gets colder.  Sort of like fiberglass batts, but worse.

   Now if someone could come up with a simple machine that chops them and fuses them together in sheets, we could put Dow Chemical on the run.

3. 
   CapnMac | Jan 31, 2005 08:17pm | #3

   It will likely be the same effort as blown-in cellulose, for possibly less effect (you need to make a hole in the top & bottom of each exterior wall cavity).

   I, too, and slightly curious, you just happen to have around 4-500 c.f. of either beads or peanuts laying around?  I mean, I have been accused, more than once, of being a pack rat, but still . . . <g>

   Don't get me wrong, it's an inventive approach for insulation, it's just going to be hard to get into the spaces like over doors and over and under windows.  I can't imagine how much fun corners & T's will be.

   But, then again, I am not an experienced insulator, and do not play one here or on tv . . .

   Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
1. 
   frenchy | Jan 31, 2005 08:56pm | #4

   I can go to a large foam plant near here and they sell these giant bags of beads for a little over 1.60 a bag.     Three bags more than fill the back of my pick up and stand up over the cab in height    (  It would take about 5 bags to completely fill the average bedroom floor to ceiling)  the only trouble is the bags are so flimsey that I have to tarp over them and cover them completely to keep the bags from bursting and leaving a "snow" storm behind me.....