gp1 Posted August 11, 2018 Share Posted August 11, 2018 Hi just been reading about the weedkiller case in america. .In 2015 the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the World Health Organisation's cancer agency, concluded that it was "probably carcinogenic to humans". but the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) continues to insist that glyphosate is safe when used carefully. i seem to remember reading the same thing about fiberglass insulation a few days ago but cant be sure. it is an irritant to skin. But was thinking it was looking a bit tatty and would be nice to have it replaced. Does anyone have any similar thoughts or views? Its autosleeper 1994. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted August 11, 2018 Share Posted August 11, 2018 Fibreglass insulation is very prone to causing skin irritation as anyone who has ever insulated a loft will verify, but as long as you leave it alone it will leave you alone. If fibreglass insulation has or had any carcinogenic or any other nasty properties no doubt the media would have been all over it much like they are with asbestos - but as far as know they are not - but if you are in doubt you can do your own research on Google. Life is terminal and the only way to avoid dying (and taxation) is to not be born! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gp1 Posted August 11, 2018 Author Share Posted August 11, 2018 Thanks i didnt know they used it in lofts. It is not very attractive stuff especially after 20 years (?). Not sure about the advice about deciding not to be born. Because that would imply you were alive before being alive and able to make decisions. Perhaps even contributing to a forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted August 11, 2018 Share Posted August 11, 2018 But surely unless you where doing some serious dismantling or had suffered quite severe accident damage the insulation should never be exposed after build? So how do you know your insulation is in a poor state? Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyishuk Posted August 11, 2018 Share Posted August 11, 2018 I'm no medical expert but would hazard a guess that lung tissue is a lot more sensitive than skin when blown around. Maybe replace it with insulation foam or builders foam in the awkward areas. Rgds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevec176 Posted August 11, 2018 Share Posted August 11, 2018 Fibre glass, like asbestos is fine until you start messing with it. When you cut or sand fibre glass it produces small strands which if inhaled will stay in the lungs forever. Leave alone or use the proper protection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gp1 Posted August 11, 2018 Author Share Posted August 11, 2018 Sorry its fiberglass wool. And autosleepers have it around the inside of the van. The wool makes up alot of the interior of the van.2 kids are supposed to sleep up top with the stuff 3 inches from their nostrils. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted August 12, 2018 Share Posted August 12, 2018 Potential health risks of glass fibre wool are mentioned here https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass_wool Although ‘loose’ glass fibre wool tends not to be used nowadays in motorhomes, it’s universally employed for domestic insulation (lofts, wall cavities). I’m surprised that you were unaware of this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayjsj Posted August 12, 2018 Share Posted August 12, 2018 I found a lot of the stuff when renovating my 1988 Autosleeper Talisman. Autosleeper hadnt used the thick stuff and it didnt fill the voids properly, I used a couple of 'eco friendly' very thick rolls, from Homebase. Worked very well, think it was plant based, no glass strands anyway. Just remembered it was 'Rockwall' much nicer than the original stuff. Ray. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grumblewagon Posted August 12, 2018 Share Posted August 12, 2018 Unless the fiberglass is exposed , I wouldn't worry about it. It's mainly used because it is cheap, but there are alternatives available. I fitted 12" deep of it across my loft and simply wore a disposable boiler suit and a face mask while fitting it. I think you might cause more problems by removing old insulation, so I wouldn't do it unless it was absolutely necessary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gp1 Posted August 12, 2018 Author Share Posted August 12, 2018 Thanks for the comments. Its not so much stuffed in anywhere its just used over things like the doors and cieling. People go on about keeping original features of older campers but i dont see how this would be a selling point. Anyway i think i should do a bit more reading up. Think left alone its not too bad. Just bought one of those blade cordless hoovers so will be sucking up anything and everything. Thinking about it where the sun has beaten down on certain points its come away and has deteriorated so maybe i will get those bits replaced with something. It was just glued onto wood. Thanks for the help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted August 12, 2018 Share Posted August 12, 2018 I'm still a mite confused. :-) Are you saying that the actual insulating material is exposed inside the van, and that the material used by Auto-Sleepers is glass wool? Or are you possibly confusing the headlining material, frequently some kind of synthetic felt carpet with the insulation? Unless your van has been "fiddled with" or damaged, I seriously doubt that the actual insulation is visible or accessible without some of the inner lining material having been removed. Had glass wool insulation been exposed within the van from day one, I seriously doubt that any would now remain. It is a fragile, open textured, loose, somewhat friable material, comprising long strands of glass of small diameter, and is usually sold in shrink wrapped plastic rolls as loft insulation. If you want to see some go to any reasonably large DIY shop and look for loft insulation. It is an irritant, but because it's individual strands are of greater diameter than asbestos strands, it is not classed as carcinogenic. The standard advice to anyone using it is to cover up, wear rubber gloves, a mask and goggles to protect eyes and respiratory tract, and to wash off any exposed skin to cold, not hot, water. It is, in any case, the wrong kind of insulant to use inside a van, because it is designed to allow water vapour to pass through it without condensing as its temperature falls, so that the vapour can then escape via loft ventilation. Used inside what is basically a metal box, it would, unless the inside surface is VERY carefully vapour sealed, pass water vapour through to the van bodywork where, in cold weather, it would condense with predictable results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted August 13, 2018 Share Posted August 13, 2018 As Rayjsj touches on above, Auto-Sleepers’s normal conversion procedure used to employ common-or-garden ‘exposed’ glass-fibre insulation material. The attached photo of a panel-van conversion being carried out in the Auto-Sleepers factory shows this clearly. There is a tendency for this material (if not enclosed in a protective cover) to disintegrate over time and ’sag’ - however, there will be instances where there are few realistic alternatives. The inner surface of my 2005 Hobby motorhome’s GRP overcab pod was insulated with what was probably “Thinsulate”, but only half of the surface was covered. As a result condensation formed on the uninsulated area and dripped into the voids above and behind the lockers built into the overcab pod. Hobby had done a wonderful job of constructing the lockers so they could not be removed and the only realistic fix was to excise large sections of the walls and ceiling of each locker, stuff glass-fibre insulation up into the voids and then rebuild the lockers’ walls and ceilings. It took ages to do and could have been avoided if Hobby had acted sensibly and fully insulated the overcab pod at the build stage. It’s likely that the potential problem afflicts all Ford Transit-based Hobby models that have lockers above the cab. Various types of motorhome insulation are discussed here: https://buildacampervan.com/insulation/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gp1 Posted August 13, 2018 Author Share Posted August 13, 2018 Thankyou everyone and thankyou brian. I am not talking about cavity insulation as in the pic. Was reading in the autosleepers manual the other day and it says the van has been insulated with glass fiber wool. Looking at the van this morning it seems it is only visible on beams and some other surfaces. But hang on. Maybe the stuff im looking at isnt the wool. Maybe its just really rough material - and the wool is inside? This would explain everything. So basically the wool is in the cavitys and ive never seen it. And the stuff that feels like glass fiber wool isnt - its just rough wooly irritable material. Ok think im getting there. Thanks. Yes headlining material - thanks brian. I feel alot safer sleeping at night now. Its all behind surfaces so relatively safe. Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pepe63xnotuse Posted August 13, 2018 Share Posted August 13, 2018 gp1... I thought you were supposed to be a "newbie" owner of a 2004 Ducato (Boxer?) based "*Swift Freestyle Sunseeker" (*feel free to rearrange and/or delete and/or add to that model name.. )? ..so where's this 1994 Autosleeper T4 that you are sleeping in appeared from?.... :-S Considering how much of a meal you've made of just getting water into, and operating the cooker, in the former, please don't say you've acquired a second one!? (lol) (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gp1 Posted August 13, 2018 Author Share Posted August 13, 2018 Ha! Thats funny! Yes youve all got to go thru it all over again! The anguish never ceases! No ive had the t4 for ages but only ever used the bed and the heater. That packed in last winter. The bed is fine. Being unable to get away from family i decided to get the ducato so they could come with me. Which has worked out ok thanks to everyone on here and the people at the service place in south wales. Dont worry not planning on getting any more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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