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How To Use Sheepsulation Products

How To Measure Your Loft/Roof

Which Product Is Right For You?

Loft Safety

Continue reading below!

Helpful Guides Continued

All Images & Text © 2008-2010 - r. perry. 'Sheepsulation' is a registered trademark in UK & USA, pending worldwide. 'Natural Wool Insulation',
'Something To Bleat About', 'Our Fleece Won't Fleece You' and 'Get Sheepsulated, Get Sheepsulaton' are advertising slogans and trademarks pending and not to be used or reproduced without written permission including downloading and printing.

How To Use Sheepsulation Products

Loft Safety: Whatever You Do, Don't Do This! - Repeated!

How To Measure Your Loft Area

Don't climb up or down your ladder facing away from it. This is highly dangerous. Always face the ladder to prevent slipping and falls. I've fallen off of ladders and through roofs and it's painful; and that was working safely - trust me!
Don't walk between joists - critical !!
Don't cut any framework unless you know what you are doing or you may render your roof unstable and seriously weaken it.
Don't pull out any electrical wiring unless the power is turned off and the wire is safely terminated.
Don't push the rafters upwards or you may dislodge tiles and cause leaks.
Don't block all the air gaps at the eaves as your roof needs to breath.
Don't smoke or light matches in your loft and if you use Halogen lights, make sure they are not touching anything and have space around them as they can exceed 100 degrees C and can cause fires.
Don't use any other sheep's wool insulation products except Sheepsulation
Our Fleece Won't Fleece You!

We have an entire range of natural sheep's wool insulation products suitable for many insulation purposes: loft and roof insulation, cavity wall insulation, pipe insulation, garden office insulation, boiler and water tank insulation, insulation stew, insulation soup, fried insulation, BBQ insulation, insulation sandwiches, insulation pie, insulation desert - you know what I mean lol:)

On our products page you can find out which insulation is best for your particular project but below is general information on how to use Sheepsulation's sheep's wool insulation and use it to it's maximum effectiveness. 

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Let's firstly deal with the rafter area. To calculate the amount of Sheepsulation needed to cover the rafters, you need to measure the length of the rafters from apex to eaves and then multiply this by the length of the roof  - distance between the gable ends. see sketches below. You can either measure each section of the roof individually and calculate the total or if you have a symmetrical roof you can measure one side and double it, providing there is only one overall area. 

First of all you have to make sure your loft is safe to walk around in. Then remove any old and worn fiberglass insulation and dispose of it. It has been found in the USA that fiberglass insulation can cause cancer and it may also cause breathing problems etc so make sure you wear goggles, gloves and a mask when removing it. Once this is done, check the overall condition of your loft space and timbers etc. If you have any old rotten timbers now would be a good time to either remove and replace them or reinforce them with fresh tanalised (treated) timber. Alternatively if there is only slight deterioration, you may be able to treat the timbers with an anti fungal preservative. If your roof is in a fairly good condition then proceed to sheepsulate your home!

It is a good idea to remove any rubble and debris which is highly likely to be found between joists etc so that the fresh Sheepsulation covers all the gaps to increase warmth. Next you need to calculate how much Sheepsulation to use and at what thickness to order it.

The good thing about Sheepsulation is that it comes in slabs and rolls of different widths and thicknesses and so if you know the spacing of the joists, we'll be able to sell you a more accurate amount so you have less waste. Any spare insulation can always be doubled up anyway.

Once you have measured your floor and rafter areas, we recommend that you order approx. 5% more material than what you've calculated as you have to allow for cuts. However as we are not deducting the thickness of the joists or rafters in our calculations, which are usually 2" thick each one, you may end up with some spare offcuts but they may be unuseable. If this happens, use the bits to stuff into any gaps but dont block the eaves air gaps.  

Example:

Bed 1:     4mtrs x 3mtr        = 12 m2
Bed 2:     3mtrs x 3 mtrs     =   9 m2
Bed 3:     2.8mtrs x 3 mtrs   =  8.4 m2
Bathrm:   1.5mtrs x 1.5 mtrs =  3 m2 
En-Suite: 2mtrs x 2mtrs       =   4 m2
Bed 4:     3mtrs x 2 mtrs      =   6 m2
Landing:  3.5mtrs x 5mtrs    =  17.5 m2

                          Total Area = 59.9 m2 

This method of calculation will give you an approximate area of your loft space. There are problems with this method; you may end up with slightly more insulation than you need if you have overlaps and you may not be able to access all the areas that need insulating due to the structure of the roof which may also mean some areas of the loft may be unaccessible so you will end up with excess Sheepsulation.
Try and access the loft and measure it as best you can as this will be the best method. The alternatives are that you could just measure the outside perimeter walls of the house to give the approximately the same overall dimensions or, just buy a load of Sheepsulation and if you need more, buy more and if you have too much use it in your shed or garage as well!
There are basically three methods of calculating loft floor area but you will also have to calculate overall space of each side of the roof pitch to insulate the rafters so several calculations need to be done. The three methods of calculating floor area are: 1). Access the loft and measure the width x by length. 
       2). Measure the areas of the rooms below the loft and calculate the total area
       3). Measure the perimeter walls of the house to find an approximate total area. 

Sheepsulation is sold in packs covering areas from 2sq mtrs upto 12 sq mtrs. Work out which type and thickness of insulation you need from the products page and you'll know how many packs you need. If you need help you can email us: sales@sheepsulation.com


 

1). Accessing the loft and measuring it. This is fairly straight forward. If you have a loft which is a rectangular shape it's very simple: just measure the length (inside gable end to inside gable end) x width (inside wall to wall or length of a joist) and you'll have your floor surface area square meterage. If you have a loft which is an irregular shape, break it down into squares or rooms and calculate each area then total them up. This will be more accurate than number 2.

2). Measure the areas of the rooms below the loft and calculate the total area. If you are lucky enough to have a huge house and a huge loft, the simplest way is to break down each room's ceiling area and add them all together + 5% to allow for the sections you will not be able to see or access or where rooms converge.



 

3). Measure the perimeter walls of the house to find an approximate total m2. You should only do this if options 1 and 2 are completely impossible as this method is the least accurate and you could end up with far too much or far too little Sheepsulation.

Choosing The Right Sheepsulation Product

Our products are tremendously superior to the products of other UK manufacturers of sheeps wool insulation. Our products are used all over the world to insulate many different types of buildings from sheds to skyscrapers and is therefore very rugged and tough. It is slightly more difficult to cut than the flimsy bed blanket type products sold by other UK firms. It may take slightly longer to cut and install but you will have a vastly warmer home or building. All of our products are fire resistant to building regulations and do not expand when wet, as fibreglass alternatives. Our products are natural eco friendly recyclable products and are not by-products of other non-eco friendly products such as recycled plastic bottles etc - you're buying a sustainable renewable carbon footprint reducing product!

Our Products Explained:

Firstly we have four different thicknesses of sheep's wool insulation: with and without foil. The benefits of foil are that it reflects heat and condensation in summer and also traps heat in the winter. You should only use the foil products for top layers only and if you require a thicker bed of Sheepsulation insulation you should use the Standard 100™ to build up the thickness. There are also 2 different densities available: 20KG/m3 and 40KG/m3. This means the load of 20 or 40 kilos spread over a cubic meter - so a 40kg/m3 is heavier and denser than the 20kg/m3 but it is much warmer. You will not need to use as much 40kg/m3 as you would 20kg/m3; it all depends on what EWE (U) rating you wish to acheive, the dimensions of the timbers or structures that you are installing it into and how much money you wish to spend and how much you wish to save long term. I have purposely set these products at these thicknesses and densities, as after undertaking so much construction work and knowing the industry, I found these four products are the most used. All of the products are available in slabs or as rolls. There isn't a lot of difference except slabs may be easier to insulate rafters for the home owner compared to use in a commerical building where the structure of the building is vastly different and rolls would be quicker to use. The benefits of slabs are that they can be used to insulate section by section under smaller roofs and in tight working spaces. Rolls can just be rolled out and cut - it's just your preference.

The important factor of the Sheepsulation range is really the density of the material. 20KG/m3 is very light, soft and flexible so it is easy to work with. For these reasons the thicker products such as Heavyweight 175™ and Super Sheepy 200™ are 20kg/m3; it is less load on your roof and can be compressed more than the 40KG/m3 products so you can squeeze more material between lower thicknesses of timber but because it expands you can also trap more air for warmth. The 40KG/m3 products such as the Lite 50™ and the Standard 100™ are slightly less flexible, will not compress quite as much and are marginally more difficult to cut but in terms of thickness and warmth, the EWE (U) rating would be better for a thinner layer of material used. it's all swings and roundabouts lol:) 

 

Thickness & Density vs EWE (U) Value and Cost 

See the photos opposite that demonstrate the compression and compactability of Sheepsulation. If you wish to insulate cavity walls on a new build or extension we can provide a the Lite 50 in a 60KG/m3 density with foil. It will be a more solid compressed material but will reflect damp and condensation and it will be mega warm but it is not cheap. Special order only.

So if you have a low density i.e: 20KG/m3, it will be quite thick and have a slightly lower U value as there is more actual material (more mass) to trap heat and insulate. If you are using a higher density i.e: 40KG/m3, it is thinner (has less mass/occupied space) but when doubled up will ultimately be more energy efficient and will be warmer than the 20KG/m3. The higher the density, the less heat escapes. So basically you can have a thinner material with a higher U value = less heat retained or a thicker material with a lower U value but which is more expensive.

Costings: i've drawn up the table below to try and explain in an easier way which products will be better for different types of applications, the best value for money short and long term and, what you're likely to save in energy and actual money. 
See bottom of page.

Measure A-B to give width = x       Measure Gable to Gable (internally - from inside the loft) to give length = X
Multiply small x  by big X  = gives the area measurement of the side of the roof:
              eg:   3m  x     5m  = 15m2  - so you need enough Sheepsulation to cover 15m2.  

If you didn't measure in meters, convert measurements to meters and you have the m2 area.
If the other side of the roof is the same double the total and you know how much Sheepsulation you need to cover the rafters.

Differences Between R Rating and U Value  

You need to understand these two differences as they are important in relation to heat resistance and heat loss.

An R rating or R value represents how much heat loss the material resists from passing through it, usually on a single component and rates the energy efficiency; in relation to running costs, environmental impact etc so a high R rating equals good energy efficiency. In relation to the price of the product, you will be purchasing material that is cheaper to run and more energy efficient over the product's lifespan. Your home will be more energy efficient using Sheepsulation but other factors within your home will effect the overall energy efficiency rating such as type of glass used for glazing, type of power used etc.

A U value represents measurement of actual heat loss passing through the material, so the lower this value the better for insulation effectiveness - less heat is lost therefore insulating your home better.

Building regulations require a minimum of 1.6 U value which all glassfibre insulations reach, whereas our Sheepsulation natural sheeps wool insulation, reaches and exceeds 1.4 which is a lower number than 1.6 so therefore it retains heat much better and has better insulating properties. This is why sheep have sheeps wool around their bodies rather than glassfibre! ha ha

So in these circumstances, the U value is more important than R rating as you need to know that you will be spending less money over a long period of time by using Sheepsulation compared to using rock/mineral/glassfibre insulation and the main advantage is that Sheepsulation is a natural renewable sustainable recyclable eco-friendly product compared to glassfibre insulations which aren't. So when you see these other carbon reducing insulations that scream energy efficiency, have a more closer look at the U values and you'll see that Sheepsulation is much better!

Fire, Moisture & Sound Testing

The absolutely brilliant thing about Sheepsulation when compared to glassfibre insulation is that it doesn't produce chemicals if it catches on fire. It is certified to category D & E for fire which means it will burn for upto 1 minute before it catches completely on fire so it is much safer than glassfibre.

Sheepsulation is moisture resistant and will not expand significantly if it becomes wet, so less condensation inside your roof.

Sheepsulation's density also reduces and absorbs sound much better than glassfibre and this is the benefit of using 175mm and 200mm thicknesses as well as the extra heat retained. 

Super Sheepy 200 11" normal thickness
Compressed lightly down to 3" approx. 65% compression!

Super Sheepy is undoubtedly the best product as you'll be able to fit 200mm of Sheepsulation between 4"+ thick joists. As you can see it will compress a great deal more but this is not recommended as the fibres will begin to break down after a 60% compression rate over a period of several years.