Myth 1:
Sheep's wool insulation smells/stinks
Are you planning to insulate your house and are now worried that the 'animal odour' will spread through all the rooms? We can take this worry away from you, because with a Thorough cleaning this problem is quickly solved:
- First, the raw wool is washed in a gentle washing process using Curd soap flushed through.
- This removes the wool grease from the raw wool and cellulosic and organic Impurities freed.
- The cleaned wool is then rinsed with soda, to remove the soap residue.
The rinsing process removes any unpleasant odours from the wool. All that remains is a vanishing small amount of lanolin. We want to keep it specifically, because it ensures that Elasticity and bounce of the wool fibre are retained. However, the wool no longer emits any odour after washing.
If you have a sheepskin at home, you may be familiar with the typical odour of the coat. But where does the odour come from?
With a sheepskin, the odour can also be caused by tanning. This is not a processing step in the production of sheep's wool insulation. The main reason for the odour emanating from the sheepskin is the Lanolinthe wool grease.
The Odour This is because the wax in the sheep's coat is exposed to the sun and weather and therefore oxidised.
Sheep produce the wool fat lanolin by means of their sebaceous glands. This fat - also known as wool wax - is deposited as Natural protective film around the wool fibre and thus protects the sheep from cold and wet.
So lanolin is not a bad thing. On the contrary, the wax is even used in cosmetic products because it is very Many positive properties has.
Myth 2:
Mouldy sheep's wool insulation
Mould is a small fungus that can also settle in textile fibres as yellow or black mould stains. Moisture offer a good Breeding ground for mould and allows the fungal spores to spread easily.
In terms of mould formation Sheep's wool one of her superpowers: she can reach up to absorb 33% of their own weight in moisture and release again when dry.
The Moisture management of the protein fibre functions through the interaction of the outer sheath and the fibre stem:
- The multi-layered Outer shell of the sheep's wool fibre is hydrophobic, i.e. water-repellent
- This outer shell, also known as the cuticle, but allows water vapour to pass through.
- The water vapour thus into the inside of the wool fibrethe fibre stem.
- In the Fibre stem the wool fibre can absorb about 1/3 of its own weight without the wool feeling wet.
Be careful when choosing a manufacturer, because unfortunately there are also black sheep in our industry. Only the sheep's wool insulation manufacturer that uses 100% pure new sheep's wool, without any addition of synthetic support fibres or support grids (as used in panel production, for example) can guarantee unrestricted degradation of pollutants such as formaldehyde.
Also the Moisture behaviour changes when other fibres are added. The product is no longer naturally degradable with synthetic additives, resulting in landfill costs.
Therefore, make sure you have the appropriate Certificates and test numbers in order to be protected from unpleasant surprises.
Myth 3:
Sheep's wool burns easily
Conventional insulation materials such as glass wool or rock wool fall into fire protection class A1 - non-combustible. Synthetic, expanded polystyrene is in class B. We haven't got that far yet with our environmentally friendly and healthy sheep's wool.
Nevertheless, thanks to continuous technical development, we are now able to offer our ISOLENA insulation materials in the Fire protection class C and D and to have the European Technical Approval (ETA). Our sheep's wool has the following fire properties:
- The auto-ignition temperature of virgin sheep's wool is 560-600°C - about twice as high as for wood (270°C).
- Sheep's wool has a naturally high Nitrogen content the flame retardant works.
- The Smoke development is in the middle range (smoke development s2), there is no strong smoke development.
- If ignited, the insulation melts away from any heat source, without dripping (dripping behaviour d0).
This makes sheep's wool a suitable insulation material for a wide range of construction projects and it has perfectly acceptable fire behaviour in the event of a fire. Our many References speak for themselves.
Myth 4:
Sheep's wool insulation rots
Over thousands of years, sheep's wool has adapted to the most adverse conditions and thus Extensive resistances developed.
In other words, Sheep's wool "works" permanently under all possible conditions. When sheep's wool insulation is installed correctly, you don't have to worry about the insulation rotting, which is mainly due to the fact that the wool fibre binds moisture.
However, the statement about rotting is not entirely wrong: sheep's wool can very well be 100% recycled into an ecological cycle.
Myth 5:
Mice and insects nest in sheep's wool
Mice, ants and other vermin
Mice, ants and other vermin are not a threat to sheep's wool for several reasons. The wool is made of keratin and is not harmful to these animals. indigestible. Unlike cellulose or plant fibres, which consist of starch fibres, sheep's wool cannot be processed by the stomachs of these animals.
In addition, the fibre arrangement in our insulating materials is such that for these animals the Danger consists of to get stuckso they will avoid the insulating material.
Moths and carpet beetles
When it comes to Moths and carpet beetles good sheep's wool insulation must, however, have an adequate functioning wool protection to withstand these little animals.
We are very proud of the fact that we are the only provider to offer an innovative Biocide-free wool protection has developed. Our Ionic Protect® wool protection is based on a plasma process, is permanent and irreversible. The wool protection is tested according to EAD and CUAP.
Myth 6:
Sheep's wool insulation is expensive
If you look at insulation materials in a direct price comparison, sheep's wool insulation is more expensive than conventional or synthetic insulation materials.
However, if you consider the entire life cycle and any side effects, the price of sheep's wool insulation is relativised again:
- Thanks to the outstanding quality of the natural product sheep's wool, the investment pays for itself after a very short time through the excellent insulation value
- In the case of other insulation materials, the following may occur Remodelling and renovation work In addition, there are high disposal costs, which are often not taken into account when calculating the cost - an item that does not apply to sheep's wool insulation.
- If you buy cheap, you buy expensive - a saying that unfortunately also applies to house building. Again and again, builders unfortunately only get to know our insulation material in a second step: If, for example, immediately after the New building renovated because the formaldehyde levels skyrocket and then have to be extensively reworked.
A higher initial investment is an investment in the future and, above all, in your Health and that of your family. Depending on the (federal) state, there are also numerous Support programmeswhich help house builders.
Myth 7:
Sheep's wool insulation collapses
The needling and felting of our sustainable sheep's wool gives our insulation materials enough stability, in order to be safe from subsidence - assuming professional installation.
Before the Needling the cleaned and degreased wool fibres are brought into shape, we call this carding. This carded wool is then processed with felting needles so that the repeated piercing of the fibres creates the Hook the fibres of the wool together and thus a stable wool felt is created.
In particular our Sheep's wool insulation "Premium" with continuous needling is characterised by its stability and sturdiness.
Conclusion
Through the Industrial mass production of cheap, synthetic materials Although sheep's wool insulation is more expensive in comparison, it has many positive properties that the synthetic competition cannot match.
Insulation made from sheep's wool is also Easy to handle and can be easily installed without safety measures such as safety goggles or a dust mask!
If a fabric like sheep's wool were to be reinvented today, it would make the headlines as a sensation thanks to the many positive properties of this natural product.