I Tested the Most FLAMMABLE Insulations!

[@MattHannah88]

I can only imagine what the neighbors must think. 😂"Honey, he's out there setting a pony wall on fire in the backyard"

[@Richard23ca]

As someone who works in procurement for all these products i feel like some additional info is needed here for those asking questions for their own projects... 1. For Canadians paper face is not a proper vapor barrier will not replace CGSB as it does not make a continuous vapor or air barrier and would not pass code in Canada cant speak for the states, as we have more of a freeze thaw cycle then most of the states. it is mostly used to prevent slump in fiberglass. Fiberglass the cheapest solid insulation option will slump in the wall cavity over time. the paper face prevents that increasing its life span and warranty. 2. cellulose the cheapest options require either metal lath to hold it in place or drywall and holes... other thing is that bag is meant to go into a shredder that fluffs up the cellulose, increasing volume, and efficiency of the product and is applied with a blowing machine. Should also be know this would never be used in new construction it is really only used in renovations where your not taking down drywall/plaster but there isnt enough insulation in the walls so you cut a hole and fill the cavity with cellulose. 3. Mineral Wool or Rockwool depending on brand is the best but is the most expensive solid insulation product. 4. The Ridged insulation was a bad example as that is low density product, and for residential insulation you would use a Hi-density product like from Dow/Dupont... this generally goes on the outside of the building before building wrap goes up. 5. then finally spray foam.... the most expensive option being 6-10 times more expensive then solid insulation. So money/situation is generally the determining factor on which way to go and that is determined by the size of the project. Fiber glass 10-15 k, rockwool 20-25k, spray foam 50k+ on a 2000 Sqft home. This is why most projects will use a combination of at least 2 or more products to finish a home. like fiber glass or wool in vertical walls and cellulose or another blown in insulation like Rich-R or Climate Pro in the attic ceiling. Sorry for the wall of text...

[@Savageiscool]

As a bush fire fighter in Aus, our turnout gear is made from wool, it’s actually a perfect retardant, naturally it has a high content of water and nitrogen, means it needs more oxygen to burn and without oxygen, no fire.

[@susanwesterfield6953]

Thank you so much for doing this demo! I'm in the planning stage of building a small home on my brothers' property. I have severe allergies & breathing issues at times. After seeing your demo and my own research ..I now know I will be using wool instead of spray foam.

[@tonyb3426]

Things that most people don't seem to consider is; How easy, difficult, or impossible, is the insulation to replace after it gets exposed to fire? How is the insulating ability affected by exposure to water? And, does the insulation absorb water and therefore promote the growth of mold. And even, does the insulation have any sound deadening abilities? The Mineral Wool Insulation does quite well in all of those situations. It repels water, so it retains it's insulting ability. And because it doesn't absorb water, it doesn't contribute to mold growth. And, it Doesn't have to be replaced after being exposed to water. It is not flammable, and virtually uneffected by being exposed to fire (except for being discolored on the surface). And, it has some sound deadening effects also, which is an added bonus. Whereas, most common fiberglass bat insulations absorb water and lose their body (like wet hair), losing most of their insulating ability (Permanently. Because they Don't regain their fluff after drying). And, the holding of moisture promotes the growth of mold, which becomes a health hazard. (I wonder Why is it still legal to use, much less, why it is the most commonly used in the US??? Maybe just because it is the lowest priced?). The foam insulations may not catch on fire easily, but they Do usually shrink, shrivel, or melt, when exposed to fire (or extreme heat), which reduces or removes the internal trapped airspace that is what makes it insulting. Which makes it useless after being exposed to flames, and needs to be replaced. How extremely difficult (or impossible?) would it be to replace Spray Foam insulations??

[@404nutfound]

Like the video, post10 did one very similar to this one. Always cool to see how these hold up to fire.

[@JimmyZNJ]

Very informative tests! Thanks for doing this. I just installed some rock wool insulation, primarily for sound deadening, but I'm happy to see its fire blocking properties too. I've also installed some of the reflectix bubble insulation in a few spots to lessen radiative heat loss. My only worry has been how flammable it might be. Your results don't surprise me.

[@Anythingcoolguy]

That wool was legit. This was a pretty cool video!

[@michaelsmith1846]

That was a great test! Now we just need something other than wood to build with and fires no more! You should test drywall versus wood walls.

[@anthonyfreeman5858]

Like you said, the results are wild about how effective the top 3 demonstrated how fire resistant they were. Cool video.

[@yeensbeans]

FYI those yellow cans are no longer actually MAPP gas as of like 2009. Its usually a mix of Propylene and a small amount of Propane. It burns marginally hotter than propane but it has a much higher thermal transfer. The difference could be made up with a larger burner for the propane tho. At least where I am the propane bottles are half the price.

[@pt2575]

Thank you. Very helpful information and a very good demonstration.

[@susanburd4553]

Problen with the last on the end lets off bad fumes. If you had a fire with the spray foam you would have to almost loose everything because of the offgasses

[@lijpowww]

Mineral wool is cotton candy made from rock/metal slag. It doesn't burn, works when wet, soundproofs way more than the other options you have (more mass), is easy to install. But you need to spend a bit more compared to fiber and install a vapor barrier. I prefer it, mostly due to the sound and critters don't seem to like it.

[@Richard23ca]

Caution with this statement as mineral wool and acoustic mineral wool are not always the same product. there is a standard mineral wool like rockwool, Owens Corning, & JM... But they also offer acoustic options where the manufacturing process changes from R value priority to sound damping priority. make sure to ask questions to ensure you are getting what you want.

[@lijpowww]

@@Richard23ca wel yeah, but the normal mineral wool is already better soundwise than fiber/foil/thin sheets of foam, and possibly sprayfoam pricewise, probably not when used in equal thickness.

[@Nancy-y8q1n]

Yes I agree it's more expensive but I wouldn't use anything else

[@dslay04]

Only thing with spray foam is the gases when it's ignited. You just have to coat with an protective paint

[@Richard23ca]

This is very true... often people will die in their sleep due to the off gassing that happens when spray foam is melted.

[@ArayahIru]

Truly appreciated seeing this. Learning together and sharing knowledge is a great way to kick off 2025🎉

[@ryankelly5303]

Right on. So helpful. Thank you for making this video.

[@MrBuildit]

Glad it was helpful!

[@extremegaming7025]

I watched the video and that's amazing because the spray foam insulation just totally lit up in flames behind it cuz there is a protective plastic

[@karlisgertmanis]

good i have foam in roof not separating walls. but the foam has to set first.

[@donnaknowles-ni8fg]

great experiment!!!

[@ErtsenPlayGames]

you can get foam insulation with reflective (metalized / pretty thick aluminium foil) side on it --- works great in case of small fire

[@Richard23ca]

The issue with Bubble wrap insulation is it is not meant for wall cavities... it is a wrap meant to go around objects like pipes in cold spaces like a crawl space with a heating run going through it. they offer very little R-Value so not good for controlling thermals....

[@kpopahjussi]

Very informative.

[@mnmlro]

Wool is literally stone, so it was kind of expected. I wasn't really expecting much from foam, I was kind of surprised, I thought it was going to melt like butter.

[@tvngo85]

Did they move again? They move every few years once they run out of house renovation projects to do.

[@RayGunzMedia]

So surprised at that. Foam was not on my bingo card!!!

[@edwardwahnstrom6907]

Why is the door upside down?

[@pmikroud]

I like the content that you put out, but unfortunately, this is not how fire test for building materials are done. NFPA 285 test….

[@PaiviProject]

Wow. This was good to know 👍

[@emmysworld2624]

The cellulose is basically just very finely shredded newspaper, so that is going to burn to a certain degree.

[@Richard23ca]

The paper is actually soaked in fire retardant chemicals to prevent this. Cellulose generally has a fire rating of 15-20 mins... which is why it passes fire code. But Mineral Wool is better.

[@Okk741]

Paper is 99% cellulose so yeah

[@AaronPowellvox]

It is the dumbest thing to use for insulation.

[@John.Paulis]

Wonder how he managed to have that set up with all the neighbors around

[@TomCGhost]

Its America and we can do what we want? Sure if you have a HOA theses probably a no open flame rule but those werent really open flame. They were all fire retard materials. You kinda just making a Karen comment.

[@Verdad2024]

I wish you tried Denim. In Chile we are using recycled plastics

[@Richard23ca]

The cellulose is an alternative to that... they have the jeans thing as well its from JM called Rich-R... but it is horrible to work with... not worth the head ache of application and clean up... better to just go with a normal blown like Climate Pro or if cost is an issue Cellulose which is made from recycled product as well.

[@rhkips]

You're supposed to have two extinguishers. One for fire, and one for flames.

[@pdmark311]

Rockwool is the only way to go

[@Nancy-y8q1n]

I agree I tore out the walls in my parents bedroom and used rockwool and a vapor barrier

[@brandonhackley7067]

Super interesting

[@pontiacwolf]

You should’ve looked up what a common city code or state code would be. If you would have. You would have found out that any foam insulation needs to be covered up with something. I believe you could cover it up with more bat insulation or Premable plastic. The reason why is that long before the flames from a fire would kill you. The fumes that the foam insulation gives off would kill you way before.

[@AaronPowellvox]

That cellulose insulation goes up like a Roman candle after years of sitting. I know this because I have to braze air conditioners in attics and it is the worst fire hazard and should never be used. Plus it’s the only one you actually had to put out.

[@nathanaellacey2259]

I think any insulation can burn but it takes a lot of heat

[@HomeOfMacWoeffie]

Rockwool should be better ;)

[@Okk741]

6:28 "I like my fire drippy bruh"

[@CoorsLight2025]

Chicken wire and a staple gun would have been good for the cellulose insulation (if u don't have to drive 25 miles to get chicken wire 😅)

[@scharbon4089]

The blue foam must have lost it's R value, so has the sprayed one!

[@queenirmamay]

UK Glenfield Towers after watching it come chat to me good luck America

[@Nancy-y8q1n]

DYI about JM insulation it's made with plastic fibers in it guess what fire does to plastic

[@Nancy-y8q1n]

I used rock wool in my home

[@TomCGhost]

Alex... whos shop is this... lol

[@gmffarr821]

Are you happy with the insulation you used in your new house after this test?

[@TrevorVaubel]

I assume they'll all burn once it gets hot enough

[@PrograError]

But how long and far? If it's when the structure is already likely compromised, I think that's far and beyond any reasonable failure point…

[@iseejewelz3874]

GOD DAMN this man is so freaking fine

[@HunteroftheNorth]

Mr. Burn It

[@Bdchannel77620]

Interesting. This other channel had different results with spray foam and paneling insulation. kzbin.info/www/bejne/eZWspaappJioqJIfeature=shared

[@Luke_Co]

Hey, fun video but be careful on this topic especially regarding making suggestion on products to use. I'm not sure how the US regulates fire safety in construction (as im from the UK) but I would strongly recommend reading up on the relevant building regulations and referencing them within your videos to provide a more informed video, likewise reference the manufactures fire testing data. Scary reading some of the comments...

[@Richard23ca]

This is very true... There are many options in each product group from various manufactures but generally the situation will dictate which type of insulation is needed based on building codes/Situations.

[@Luke_Co]

@Richard23ca interestingly within the architecture practice I currently work for, we will typically only specify mineral/rock wool for all our projects, unless other factors come into play like compressive strength or thickness limitations... Due to recent massive cultural factors like grenfell tower incident. we fear that within the decade insurance companies will not cover or charge extortionate rates for buildings that use combustible insulation such as PIR ridged foam. Frankly speaking, yes fun vid, but these test should be completed by accredited professionals, and or contain information from them. I fear people just googling best fire insulation will come here. Im taking this all a little too seriously as its just a fun vid so rant over, but yeah careful recommending products. hope y'all have a good year.

[@MrFranKane]

So are you telling me, sheep are fire proof.... Well that's a superpower

[@Bwilson-31]

Boring 🥱

[@FunnyVidz44]

First

[@Anogram]

Nice to see most of the insulation did great resisting fire. Now that this is Trump's America be prepared for everything to catch fire. He has the biggest and hottest torch there is.

[@bealzibub4002]

Oh dear 🥱

[@meta2016]

This dude is a joke