Are there any green products for block void insulation?
green_help
| Posted in Green Products and Materials on
I am looking to have our block house treated with insulation in the block voids and have found most products to contain formaldehyde. I am looking to stay away from formaldehyde since my mom is very allergic to it. Is there any product that doesn’t contain formaldehyde used to treat the block voids of my house.
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Replies
Christine,
I don't think it's worth insulating the cores of concrete blocks, because there is so much thermal bridging through the concrete webs that there is little value to the insulation.
It makes much more sense to install a continuous layer of rigid foam over the entire wall surface, either on the interior or the exterior.
For more information on this issue, see the discussion in a previous GBA thread: Best loose fill insulation for concrete block?
If you decide to go ahead and fill the block voids with pourable insulation in spite of my advice, here are links to two articles you might want to read:
Loose-fill granular insulation
Perlite Loose-Fill Masonry Insulation