Is this pink fiber insulation bad for you?

[MJC]

here is a link of the american lung asosiation where they state this ishu and say fiberglass is safe and does not cause cancer

There is no way I believe that.
But there is one thing I know for certain, getting fiberglass in your lungs can cause one to cough up blood, not a good thing.
Back in '75 there was a construction crew doing finish work at the LV Hilton. They were installing, and cutting, fiberglass panels. Many of the crew, if not all, started coughing up blood.

[Zilch]

Fiberglass is the preferred loudspeaker damping material, according to those who have studied it and alternatives, Dickason, for example.

High density is preferred. I use R-15. R-21, if I want more fill, as in closed-box systems. Thinner is also available; HVAC guys use it, coated on one side for easy attachment to cabinets....

[Valentin]

r15 an r21 are not high density
3 pound sqr feet is the standard
like OC 703 or roxul AFB or RW40

[Thom]

Dacron wool is used extensively for stuffing enclosures, but I don't know if it is effective as a lining or not. Since the glass is strands I would think the only danger would be when cutting it. If worried about particles getting away, hairspray might fix that.

[Zilch]

r15 an r21 are not high density
3 pound sqr feet is the standard
like OC 703 or roxul AFB or RW40

I don't believe I asserted they were, in any absolute sense, but they are higher density than the standard R-13 and R-19 home insulation many DIYers use.

Owens-Corning 703, aka "Rigid fiberglass," and equivalents, are also readily available, but not at home improvement centers or lumber yards, typically.

Stuffing a closed-box system with 703 for "Heavy fill" somehow doesn't seem like an optimum solution to me. R-21, I can readily do:

[hjames]

Seems to me that if you need more density than R15 or R21 in a cabinet, you'd just stuff more in ... for home insulation use you want to retain still air in the layers of fiberglass "wool" as a thermal buffer, but for sound use, you might want double or triple density packed in there ...

I don't believe I asserted they were, in any absolute sense, but they are higher density than the standard R-13 and R-19 home insulation many DIYers use.


Stuffing a closed-box system with 703 for "Heavy fill" somehow doesn't seem like an optimum solution to me. R-21, I can readily do:

[Zilch]

Seems to me that if you need more density than R15 or R21 in a cabinet, you'd just stuff more in ... for home insulation use you want to retain still air in the layers of fiberglass "wool" as a thermal buffer, but for sound use, you might want double or triple density packed in there ...

I do know from my own experience it's possible to "Overdamp" a vented system with too much.

In one of Dickason's closed-box projects, he did listening comparisons with 703 versus standard insulation, and preferred standard, though it was a close call, as I recall. :dont-know

[See Loudspeaker Design Cookbook for more infos.... ]

[mikebake]

Personally I like to obsess over everything.

[herki the cat]

[quote=Thom;145090] If you pull a driver you can spray some scented pine sol or clorox spray. I'd spray the glass and leave the speakers dry.
[Quote ]
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[My two cents]
Pine sol is very messy & semi permanent to the extent that__ ultimately it will be pumped into driver voice coil gaps and crossover "pots or switch contacts" in pressurized acoustic enclosure environments.

Worse than that, Clorox is a gooy mess containing corrosive clorine that combines with water to form Hdrocloric Acid fumes to pump into sensitive compression driver "aluminum component" compartments. This stuff is extremely difficult to remove even with soap & water.
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take care, herky the cat

[jcrobso]

http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/LS00916
http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/LS00385
You can use a spray adhesive to glue it in place.
How much is used depends on the type of box.
If the box is a closed acoustic suspension then the box is filled.
If it's a bass reflex then just a layer 1~2" on the sides and back of the box.
If you use fiber glass use gloves, breathing mask and goggles.

[robertbartsch]

I've used the poly fill and it works great.

[badman]

I've used all manner of material. My favorite, by far, is "Ultratouch" cotton insulation. It's a fiberglass alternative that's far less caustic, and has better acoustic behavior.

It's green, too, and pretty cheap. Don't have to wear gloves or a respirator, either, though it does get dusty (as any of these materials do)

[duaneage]

They make a fiberglass using twisted fibers, it's white and does not shed like the older stuff. It doesn't even make you itch. The glass fibers are crinkled instead of straight. I use it in cabinets and it works great. But it costs more than standard insulation.

Polyester pilliow stuffing works good too. The egg crate foam is actually a fire hazard, it releases lots of toxic fumes when burned. Remember the night club fire in RI a few years back? Fiberglass does not burn.

Another alternative is to paint the fiberglass over to minimize fiber launch into the air. I've done a few cabs this way, also painting the glass black makes it invisible through the ports.

[jcrobso]

They make a fiberglass using twisted fibers, it's white and does not shed like the older stuff. It doesn't even make you itch. The glass fibers are crinkled instead of straight. I use it in cabinets and it works great. But it costs more than standard insulation.

Polyester pilliow stuffing works good too. The egg crate foam is actually a fire hazard, it releases lots of toxic fumes when burned. Remember the night club fire in RI a few years back? Fiberglass does not burn.

Another alternative is to paint the fiberglass over to minimize fiber launch into the air. I've done a few cabs this way, also painting the glass black makes it invisible through the ports.

Fiber glass does not burn, that is why it is used for building insulation. But in general for speaker cabinets flame prof is not a requirement, unless you are one of those the likes to smoke your woofers.

[duaneage]

A large pair of speakers filled with acoustic foam would add deadly fumes to a house in the event of a fire, far in excess of normal. And the stuff really catches. It's best not to use it in an environment where it could cause a problem. Even the paper backing on insulation has to be covered and not exposed for fire safety.