The other night I was clearing out some space in the garage. Looks like I'll be converting it to a shop soon. Right now the garage isn't insulated. I'm not opposed to buying some insulation and putting it up, but a funny thought occurred to me so I thought I would ask about it. Do you guys think old neoprene would work to insulate a room? Say I had a whole truck load of old wet suits, or dry suits, or snow skiing suits, or something. Do you think that tacking up a few layers of it all around would do an OK job of insulating?

I would want to know if there was a flammability issue before putting up too much of anything that might burn from a spark.

I think neoprene would just melt..

if this is attached to your house dont do it! You woundt bust up your old couch and burn it in your living room fireplace would you ! of course not because you know the fumes will kill you! and to everyone else please ventilate your shop,big story today in florida about how many died running gas generator IN THEIR HOUSE!

Thanks for the warning. I understand the issues at hand..

Interesting application of Neoprene. It would definitly be better than nothing as it would partially seal the area creating a air pocket that would be the actual insulating factor, but the particular design these are for(wetsuit) is designed to allow water(and this also air) through. I might use it to stop a draft or for a gasket material around a window. but not for a sheet of insulation. Now if you decide to use it to fill up a space inside the walls and it's shredded, it could actually be very effective (all that air trapped and movement restricted).
If you happen to get on that's designed for insulation it will have glass added to it (from 50 to 80 precent) and normally won't be able to be burned. But that wasn't what you mentioned.

As far as fire is concerned. it's a synthetic rubber wth a flash point of under 500 degrees(think tire). but you already know not to catch it on fire.

My recommendation would be to bite the bullet and buy commercially manufactured insulation. Neoprene will definately burn and will give off very toxic fumes when it does. The object of insulation is not only to keep the heat and/or cold where you want it, it is also helps to prevent the rapid spread of fire. That is not saying that all insulation is fire proof, but all the commercial stuff has been treated to be at least somewhat flame retardant. Think of all the valuable tools you will have in your shop and decide if you would want them protected by insulation that resists the rapid spread of fire or one that accelerates it. Remember that the cheapest thing we can get is often the most expensive thing we can own.

Woody

Thanks for the feedback. The whole thought was more for kicks then anything I would really do. I'm not even sure yet that I will bother to insulate the garage. Oregon weather usually isn't that bad.

Thanks for the feedback. The whole thought was more for kicks then anything I would really do. I'm not even sure yet that I will bother to insulate the garage. Oregon weather usually isn't that bad.

I don't know if this is relevant to your situation, but a cousin of mine, who built houses in Dutch Harbor Alaska, told me that air leaks are worse than lack of insulation in many situations.

I am not an insurance agent but if your shop did happen to burn and the insurance company found out about your not to code insulation you may not be a happy camper. I would expect them to look for any way not to pay out.

The cheapest thing I ever did for my shop was to spend $2000.00 on insulation for my shop. When things get better I plan on spending another $1000.00 on insulation. I know I wont regret it. I live in N.E. Oregon.

Chuck

Hey Jim: Eric here from over on Nelson Mtn. Road.Tried to send you an email from here but it said: "Jim can't receive any emails". Don't they have more of that nice sheet insulation at BRING? David Thompson insulated his whole shop with it. Great stuff. Send me an email- [email protected]
Take care, Eric Sprado

I would recommend rock wool insulation for a smithy. It has a temp resistance rating of 1292 f to 1562 f or 700 to 850 c. So, buy the time it caught fire, or even melted. The rest of the shop would most likely be gone. Just my two cents. :rolleyes: