Browse Forums Heating, Cooling & Insulation 1 Mar 21, 2016 6:52 pm Hi, I bought an old miner's cottage a year ago and after freezing through a Ballarat winter I'm looking to put in some ceiling insulation. I climbed up into the roof cavity on the weekend and found a layer of what appears to be hessian (although the underside is white so maybe it's lined with another material) about a meter above the ceiling (no insulation in there at all). I was wondering if anyone had encountered this before and knows what this layer is for (apart from catching all the dust and seeds from the silver birch out the back that blows in? I'll obviously need to rip this out to lay the insulation but am wondering if I need to replace it after I've done the insulation. ie. does it serve a purpose? If so, I'm thinking of using that reflective stuff (http://www.bunnings.com.au/ametalin-the ... n_p0811014) - would that be a good idea? Any advice much appreciated. Re: Insulation in old miner's cottage 3Mar 22, 2016 10:03 am Thanks Bels, I hadn't even considered that (which should give a good idea of how much of a novice I am at this DIY stuff). But the material is definitely a fabric. I've had a bit of a look around the net and can't see anything on asbestos taking this form - seems to be rigid or the loose stuff. Am I off base here? I had assumed it was hessian that has been painted on one side. Re: Insulation in old miner's cottage 4Mar 22, 2016 1:49 pm In a cool to cold climate like Ballarats I'd be looking at installing some ceiling batts that had a rating of at least R-4.5. What is the condition of your roofing like ? Can you take a photo of the fabric in your roof cavity. I don't think it would be asbestos. I have seen old walls built in the depression days that had hessian nailed to timber frames then coated with a mix of water, lime, cement and another couple of ingredients to form a pretty durable wall sort of like an early plasterboard or lath and plaster. Maybe it is a form of that to help insulate or waterproof the ceiling if the roofing material was failing? Stewie Re: Insulation in old miner's cottage 5Mar 22, 2016 3:23 pm Hi Stewie D, Yeah, R-4.5 was my thinking for the minimum too. Roofing is pretty ordinary, but it keeps the rain out, just not the cold and adding insulation seemed to be the easiest and best way to improve things. It is weird because from the top it appears to be hessian, but underneath it is white. You could be right on it being a failsafe, but it's got a few holes ripped in it anyway so don't think it would be missed too much if it was gone - but my knowledge is severely lacking in this area. Here are a few pics I snapped while I was up there: http://imageshack.com/a/img922/9857/2VcfoM.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img923/2155/V2JUsI.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img924/5051/FjA0Yu.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img923/3043/Yn2pWg.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img923/9520/TuzB5z.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img921/7860/mYCDuE.jpg Images 1, 3, 5 and 6 are taken above this material layer, while the others were snapped below it. Re: Insulation in old miner's cottage 6Mar 23, 2016 7:16 am That might have been the original ceiling - just hessian nailed to the underside of joists and painted as per my post above. It looks like there has been another newer plasterboard ceiling installed much more recently below that. Maybe as a way of keeping more heat in by lowering it. I bet the older hessian ceiling must have been 11' or more off the floor. What height is your newer ceiling now? Keep those photos. I'm sure members of a historical society would be interested as there wouldn't be too many original hessian ceilings like that left in such good condition. They may be able to help explain it. The other thing that should have happened when they replaced the roofing was to lay Reflective Foil Insulation ( sarking ) under the corrugated sheets. It helps keep your roof cavity cooler in Summer and prevents condensation dripping onto your ceiling when you have temperature changes. Stewie Re: Insulation in old miner's cottage 7Mar 23, 2016 10:57 am Hi Stewie D, you could well be right about it possibly being the original ceiling. The current plasterboard ceiling is a smidge over 9 feet high, and the hessian is another 2 feet above that (possibly a little more). Thanks for the tip on the historical society - I'll chase them up. Cheers Hi All New to the forum and looking for some advice, has anyone else renovated an old miners cottage in or around Ballarat and been able to identify the flooring? We… 0 8772 Is it possible to render an old corrugated iron shed.I have heard that it can be done if it is covered with chicken wire first.Not sure of the ratio of the render mix and… 0 4896 Thanks Chippy,I do have one that I levered out. I'll try to find a brand name on the windows then do some searching. Here is a photo where you can see how worn they are. 2 7958 |