Just in case you didn’t see this piece on ABC news, here is what the fuss is about: apparently a house can go on fire because of an improperly fitted insulation.
The ones to blame here are the laws of physics and tradesmen who are unaware of them. As you may know, those halogen downlights in your ceiling tend to get quite hot. If the insulation is covering the back parts of the halogen lights, temperature rise is accelerated and that is likely to cause the insulation material (which is commonly wool) to go on fire.
This has been the explanation for some 30 house fires in NSW, that happened days after a brand new insulation was fitted. These people simply wanted to improve their homes taking advantage of the recently announced government rebate and as a result were almost left homeless.
The worst part is that even smoke alarms weren’t a big help as they weren’t triggered right away. This could be because of the fact that the fire is above them, not below.
Firemen are urging people to climb up and make sure that the downlights are not being smothered by the insulation. I know that we shouldn’t have to - but hey, better safe than sorry!
Related posts:
- Insulation and house fires - a word from the specialists A while ago I wrote about a report on...
- Energy efficient house to cut your power bills - ceiling insulation for free Did you know that by installing ceiling insulation and solar...
- Complications of free insulation Have you ever heard the saying "The road to hell...
- How to protect your house from fire We remember the Black Saturday fires too well. They...
- Fire drill in your house Do you know why they conduct a fire drill...
Subscribe to Homeiown.com - click here
I can’t believe the amount of insulation companies advertising at the moment. There are sure to be a lot of shody ones who are doing it just to capitalise off of the government rebate.
I’ve been reading the same about companies that sell solar panels, apparently some have been telling people lies about how much will they save by going solar just to sell more. Now the government is saying there is room for independent advisers on solar installations
[...] Lang presents Homeowners beware: dodgy insulation can cause a house fire. | Home I Own, Aussie Real Estate Blog posted at Home I [...]
[...] may want to subscribe to Home I Own, either via RSS or via email. Thanks for visiting! A while ago I wrote about a report on ABC that was warning people about the dangers of improperly fitted insulation. And luckily, that [...]