During the construction of a country house, one of the most important processes is wall insulation. To ensure a comfortable microclimate, a good owner will have to insulate the ceiling and floor. However, difficulties always arise with the selection of thermal insulation material. Depending on the type of building, the type of coating will vary.
An equally important issue is protection from biological factors, rodents and insects. After all, when they penetrate the wall, they can quickly lead to damage to the material and the appearance of drafts. Some thermal insulators act as housing for rodents and insects. And it will be difficult to get the rats out of there. Many moves will prevent you from completely getting rid of pests. Therefore, before insulation, you need to find out which insulation mice will not chew on.
What insulation materials can cause damage?
Mineral woolExtruded polystyrene foamSelf-expanding polyurethane foamGlass wool
What they chew easily and regularly
- Polystyrene foam and polystyrene foamPenoizolPolystyrene foam
Do they live
There are several insulation materials that pests can easily chew through. One of the most unstable materials is polystyrene foam. The main advantages of foam plastic in construction: lightness, ease of installation and accessibility.
Rodents do not eat the material itself, but easily gnaw through it, making holes and passages . Animals will easily live and reproduce in voids. Rats can use the insulation to make their nests, grinding it into dust.
To prevent the destruction of polystyrene foam, use a fine metal mesh or treat it with boric acid or copper sulfate.
Porous materials, such as expanded polystyrene foam, are more resistant to pests. Rodents can damage it, but they will not be able to live in the insulation. Expanded polystyrene is also resistant to moisture and mechanical damage.
In glass wool
Glass wool is one of the varieties of mineral wool. Its main characteristics are fire resistance, frost resistance, elasticity and lack of sensitivity to chemicals. This kind of insulation does not allow fungi to grow and it allows air to pass through well. Glass wool is made from waste from the glass industry.
Mice in glass wool can make moves due to the low density of the material. They will not feed on the material itself, as it is of no interest to them. However, pests easily settle in the type of insulation in question. The attention of mice is especially attracted by the additional use of natural insulation materials - reeds, sawdust, clay or straw.
In mineral wool
Mice also willingly settle in mineral wool. Rodents can handle any type of mineral wool, be it glass wool or stone wool. Animals skillfully crush the insulation and make their nests in it.
In this case, it will be difficult to get rid of the problem due to the impossibility of using poisons and chemicals. A poisoned rodent can die in the insulation, causing a putrid odor in the house.
Important fact! Any type of mineral wool used as home insulation must be reinforced with rigid and bulk materials.
In basalt wool
Basalt wool has high strength levels. It has replaced traumatic glass wool, which is used less and less in construction.
Basalt wool ranks first in the total volume of sales of thermal insulation materials. The insulation consists of thin fibers obtained by rapid melting.
Rocks are also used in the production of basalt wool. Due to this, it is possible to achieve high quality and long service life of the insulation.
Basalt wool does not belong to the category of solid building materials, and rodents can easily make their passages in it. Once mice chew through walls, they can get to wiring and pipes. The later holes made by rodents are discovered, the higher the risk of serious consequences.
Rodents do not like nesting in basalt wool: the fibers of the material are prickly, which is not to the taste of small pests. The product is also resistant to putrefactive processes, mold and insects.
In stone wool
Stone wool is widely used for insulating attics and vertical structures intended for long-term use. Stone wool is considered an environmentally friendly material and can be used without fear in home construction.
Mice build their nests in stone wool, although they do not feed on it . Rodents spoil the material, which negatively affects the results of construction, so it is better for the homeowner to find other materials to insulate the home.
In expanded clay
Expanded clay is used to cover floors and foundations. It absorbs noise well and is considered a relatively cheap building material. Rats and mice are not able to chew through it due to its strength and inedibility. Animals also do not make burrows in expanded clay and do not build nests.
Despite its high performance characteristics, expanded clay has significant disadvantages : low environmental friendliness and complexity of installation. When heated, it begins to release toxic substances, so formwork must be erected before using the material.
Video description
An example of how mice “taste” the insulation, but do not stay in it, in this video:
However, rodents can gnaw passages in ecowool to get to more “edible” material. How can they build nests in insulation that was produced in violation of technology and is not impregnated with special compounds.
Ecowool is considered one of the best thermal insulation materials, as it is installed without seams, is not afraid of moisture and has good fire resistance due to fire retardant impregnation. Its disadvantages are the difficulty of installation by spraying and large shrinkage when installed in bulk.
What kind of insulation do they not live in?
There are enough types of insulation in which mice do not live in the construction market. Their characteristic properties are high strength and density, low environmental friendliness.
However, there are also new innovative insulation materials that are not exposed to rodents and at the same time are absolutely safe for humans from an environmental point of view. Let's take a closer look at which insulation does not breed mice.
Ecowool
The relatively new material is not damaged by rodents, despite its softness. Ecowool is treated with orthoboric acid, which repels pests. The acid also acts as an antiseptic. Therefore, ecowool is resistant to fungi and insects.
The insulation is absolutely safe for humans, so it can easily be used for thermal insulation of floors and ceilings. The main disadvantages of ecowool: high level of flammability and high cost.
Velit
Velit does not attract rats and mice due to its porous structure. The material is not dense, but absorbs noise well and has high heat retention rates. No toxic substances are used in the production of insulation, so it is used in construction without fear.
Velit is one of the most popular insulation materials due to its low cost. It was developed in Russia and is fully adapted to the climatic conditions of this country.
Foam glass
Foam glass is inaccessible to rodents due to its high strength.
There are several advantages of the material when insulating houses::
- absence of harmful fumes;
- ease of installation;
- resistance to rodents, even rats);
- durability.
Foam concrete
Another material that is not afraid of rats and mice is foam concrete. It differs from traditional concrete in being lightweight due to its porous structure. The only drawback of the material is its instability to moisture and fungal attack.
Expert opinion
When choosing materials for insulating your home, you need to take into account several tips from professionals. An important aspect of choosing insulation is its cost. But we must not forget about the quality of thermal insulation. The most inexpensive of the possible options is expanded clay. But it cannot always be used as an insulation material.
If the house is wooden and is being reconstructed, it is irrational to use expanded clay. It makes the structure too heavy, so the foundation and other supporting structures may not be able to withstand the additional load. To carry out repair work in a wooden house, lightweight materials are used.
If you plan to build a new house, expanded clay will be a good option for insulating the ceiling and floor. But in this case, even at the design stage, the weight of the structures is taken into account.
Foam concrete will be a good option for insulating the walls of a brick house. It will become another wall in the building. Therefore, in order not to reduce the area of living space, you need to mount it from the outside. Foam concrete is plastered with high quality. This material is used as thermal insulation even in a wooden house. Porous blocks weigh little, so they do not increase the load on the foundation.
Foam concrete will accumulate heat, preventing the house from cooling down during the cold period. To do this, it is better to install a layer of insulation indoors. In this case, the material will perform its functions better. But the living space will be somewhat reduced.
Rockwool and the mice
Rockwool is not attractive to mice due to its mineral fiber content. The insulation contains a small percentage of organic substances and molten basalt stones. Rats and mice do not eat Rockwool.
However, homeowners occasionally post photos that clearly show damage left by rodents on the insulation.
The list of reasons for damage to the heat insulator by mice and rats includes:
- Incorrect installation of material. Left cracks and gaps in the decorative layer of plaster. may cause animals to make passages.
- Failure to comply with thermal insulation rules. Problems arise when laying new insulation over old organic insulation, which attracts the attention of rats and mice.
Mammals can safely coexist with Rockwool, since it does not contain toxic compounds and is absolutely safe from an environmental point of view. However, they will not eat it.
Important information! You cannot treat building materials with rodent poisons yourself. Such actions can lead to unforeseen consequences and health problems for household members.
Study
The answer to the question about thermal insulators that repel rodents is impossible without market research. In total, it contains two types of heat insulators - organic and artificial.
Organic insulators are made from recycled or natural materials. They contain a minimum of chemical additives - only substances that resist fire. The main examples are ecowool, reed, straw, etc.
There are many more inorganic or artificial heat insulators. And if natural ones are produced, as a rule, in bulk or in slabs, then this category has more formats: slab mineral or basalt wool and loose perlite. You can opt for solid aerated concrete. Next we will talk about reliability indicators in relation to rodents.
Do they chew roofing felt?
Another material that is too tough for pests is roofing felt. Its resistance to rodents is evidenced by numerous reviews from builders and household owners.
Instead of roofing felt, you can also use roofing felt, which has a specific smell that repels mice and rats. The only drawback of roofing felt is the absorption of foreign odors. However, this problem can be eliminated by installing a reliable film inside the insulation.
Thermal insulators with a strong structure - foam concrete, expanded clay or roofing felt - are resistant to the effects of rodents. Mice cannot settle inside materials and enter a person’s home.
Heat insulators containing mineral fibers: mineral, stone and basalt wool are considered relatively safe for insulating houses. Mice and rats will not consume mineral fibers as food, but if desired, they can damage them and make passages and holes in the material.
For thermal insulation at home, it is not recommended to use organic insulation and low-density materials: reeds, sawdust, polystyrene foam. They will not protect your home from rodent infestation.
Briefly about the main thing
Without high-quality thermal insulation, it is difficult to create normal living conditions in a house so as not to freeze in winter, spending a lot of money on heating, and not swelter from the heat in summer. But the effectiveness of the insulation may come to naught if there are mice in it. They are not at all attracted to foam glass, expanded clay, penoizol and cellular concrete insulation, but these materials have too many disadvantages compared to such modern insulators as mineral wool and expanded polystyrene. Therefore, you need to know what ways you can protect them from rodents or scare them away.
Ratings 0
Effective methods
Rodent control
- Mouse repellent herbs are laid out in the holes around the perimeter of the rooms: peppermint, chamomile, lemon balm, tansy, wormwood. If the premises are non-residential - elderberry leaves, walnut leaves, black root seeds, burdock seeds.
- Wood ash is sprinkled along the walls. This component causes irritation to the skin of the paws, and the animal feels discomfort. He tries to lick the ash, it gets into the stomach, causing abdominal pain. The condition is not fatal, but with constant discomfort it forces the rodent to run away.
- The floor is washed with the addition of vinegar and ammonia every evening. You can leave the concentrated substance in a saucer in the corners of the room. Or they use essential oils to repel - mint, chamomile, citrus, lavender.
- Make your own traps from plastic bottles. The neck is cut off, mouse bait is placed inside the bottle, and the walls are lubricated with vegetable oil. Insert the cut neck back in the form of a watering can and secure with tape. They leave it in the room.
- The modern trap is a glue trap. Sold in tube. Glue for mice is applied to a plastic base, drywall, plywood, and fixed to the floor so that the mouse does not drag the trap along with it. Bait is placed in the center. The rodent initially sticks with its paw, then with its whole body. Several pests are caught in the trap at once, but it is better to use it in non-residential premises.
- The ultrasonic repeller is an innovative product against mice. But the effectiveness is reduced by walls, carpets, and furniture. It is recommended to install several at different ends of the room. You should buy a device with proven effectiveness, as indicated by consumer reviews. You can use the Typhoon, Clean House device. In Moscow they buy in specialized stores.
Mousetraps, traps, traps should be placed near holes, near walls. Mice always move along the learned route. If there are few pests, you can deal with them in a few days.
If mice appear under the skin of a house, this negates all the builders’ efforts to insulate it.
Rodents make nests in the insulation, make passages in it, cold penetrates into the resulting holes, and heating costs increase.
In order not to suffer from this disaster, and not to have to make expensive repairs, it is important to immediately know which insulation is not chewed by mice and rats.
How to protect your home from rodent attacks
A few simple rules will help protect polystyrene foam from sharp mouse teeth:
The best option would be to purchase a cat. Preference should be given to hunting breeds, but you can adopt an ordinary kitten from the shelter
It is important that its color be variegated or striped. The smell of a predator alone will repel rodents
Try to keep food products out of reach of animals. You should regularly clean the entire house or apartment, and do not leave food residues on the table or other surfaces.
Installation of polystyrene foam must be carried out in accordance with technological features. It is worth carefully sealing all cracks and openings, since it is through them that mice enter the room.
Advice! Experts recommend puttingtying the entire surface of the insulation, and then covering it using special building materials.
To ensure maximum safety, you can cover the foam with a fine metal mesh. Such material is definitely not subject to damage, because mice will not be able to chew through it. It is worth noting that any high-strength cladding panels, as well as insulation with a dense structure, do not pose a problem for rodents.
Even at the stage of building a house, it is recommended to use a strip type of foundation. The design creates protection against parasites; for greater reliability, glass fragments should be scattered around the perimeter.
Boric acid is often used as an effective rodent control agent. The powder scatters throughout the room, especially in the burrow areas. The acid is safe for people and pets.
One of the most effective folk remedies is the use of suitable plants: wild rosemary, chamomile, wormwood, tansy. Fresh or dried herbs are located in the corners of the home, as well as in those places where animals most often appear.
An ultrasonic repeller is considered an effective modern method. The device is capable of producing sounds inaccessible to the human ear, but the parasites hear it and are afraid of it. Such devices can be used both in the house and in the garden.
Reliability indicators
The main task of insulation is to preserve heat at the facility and protect building elements from external factors - precipitation and temperature fluctuations. Therefore, low thermal conductivity comes first. This parameter determines the amount of heat that escapes outside. It should be as low as possible.
Two more important parameters are vapor permeability and hygroscopicity. They are responsible for the moisture permeability of the insulation. If the insulator absorbs too much moisture, it will quickly lose its properties. Mineral and stone wool slabs suffer from increased sensitivity to this parameter.
Preservation of the original dimensions, fire and environmental safety are also important. The combination of all these qualities will maintain a comfortable microclimate for people for a long time.
As a rule, when installing insulation, a small air gap is created. It helps remove condensation and shift the dew point into the space between the house element and the insulating layer. Mice and other rodents strive to occupy this warm place - they eat the insulator and live in it. As a result, the parameters deteriorate.
Rodents tear insulating material to pieces. However, gradually the through holes begin to let in cold, moisture and comfort disappears. The mice leave to look for another place, and gradual destruction awaits the home, especially if the owners do not know about the damaged insulation.
Ways to fight
If rodents have already appeared in the house, damaging building materials, building nests and numerous passages in it, the question arises of how to get rid of mice in the insulation. Initially, you should destroy the pests, and only then begin to restore the walls, floors, ceilings, and increase protection.
Using poison is not the best option. The poison does not act immediately. Death occurs within 5 days. There is a high probability of death of a rodent in the insulation layer. Then the unpleasant cadaverous smell will spread throughout the house. Compared to modern drugs with a mummifying effect, the smell is still present, although not as strong.
The best option for rodent control is catching or expulsion. They use traditional methods, physical ones, and attract natural enemies of rodents.
Option #3. Ecowool
In order to avoid mice settling inside the insulating material, many experts advise using ecowool for thermal insulation purposes. This material is relatively “young”, however, it has already managed to take an honorable place among effective and frequently used heat insulators. The installation procedure for ecowool involves the use of special equipment that helps in distributing the insulation over the treated area. And as soon as the material initially sets, the layer must be leveled using a special roller.
You may be wondering: why don’t rodents eat ecowool? After all, it is soft, therefore, it will easily yield to the teeth of animals. But the whole secret why rodents don’t “like” ecowool is that its production uses orthoboric acid, which causes serious consequences in these animals (from dehydration to suffocation). Perhaps some individuals will make attempts to make a nest there, but they will not live long, and they will not be able to reproduce, which is why they will soon leave such a cozy, it would seem, place.
As noted above, this insulation is treated with orthoboric acid, which has antiseptic properties. At high temperatures, the material releases moisture, due to which it has excellent fire-fighting characteristics. The raw material in the production of ecowool is cellulose, and it is known to be completely harmless to the human body. It is for this reason that it is possible to insulate not only the external walls of the building, but also the internal surfaces, distributing the insulation between the beams of the sheathing equipped for this purpose.
The thermal conductivity of this insulation is low, as well as sound conductivity, therefore, it perfectly retains heat in the room and muffles all sounds that come from outside or from adjacent rooms (if we are talking about insulating interior walls). Finally, ecowool will serve you for many years, because over time it does not decompose or rot.
Video - What you need to know about ecowool
Insulation with foil
Previously, we talked about how and where to use insulation with foil; in addition to this article, we advise you to read this information and read about it here
Unsustainable options
First, let's note those materials that most often suffer from rodents. All these insulation materials are of no gastronomic interest to rats, that is, they are not free. But rodents gnaw passages in the insulating layer and make nests there.
Mineral wool, polystyrene foam, chipboard, MDF, fiberboard
The list of materials that are most often subject to rodent attacks includes:
- Mineral wool. Mice successfully damage loose material sold in rolls and hard basalt wool slabs.
- Styrofoam. Polymer foam material has good heat-insulating properties, but rodents quickly gnaw holes in it.
- Polyurethane foam. Self-expanding foam forms a fairly dense coating; mice damage it infrequently. But the creation of holes and passages is not excluded.
- Organic slabs. Chipboards and fibreboards are often used for cladding and insulation of structures. A more resistant variety is
- MDF. The basis of any of the listed materials is wood, so the slabs are not a serious obstacle to rats. Penoizol. A type of sprayed foam, the material is less susceptible to “attacks” by rodents, but if there are a large number of mice, the thermal insulation layer will be quickly destroyed.
Methods for protecting foam
Styrofoam
Polystyrene foam is a popular insulation material, but it is often damaged by rodents. To protect the heat-insulating layer, it is recommended to use the following measures:
- use polystyrene foam rather than polystyrene foam; this type of material is denser and less likely to be damaged by rats;
- Apply a thin layer of concrete mortar to the foam boards and dry. The solution, when hardened, forms a durable “case” that protects the foam from damage by rodents;
- wrap the foam sheets with metal mesh.
Why choose mineral wool?
When purchasing this or that insulation, it is always important how and in what form it is produced. For example, cotton wool manufacturers have taken care of convenience
On the building materials market you can buy it in this format:
- roll;
- mat;
- cylinder;
- placer;
- plate.
Mineral wool in rolls
The material in the form of a roll is convenient in that by using it you can obtain an even thermal insulation layer in which there will be no cold bridges. The option with slabs is ideal for vertical insulation. Firstly, it does not slip, and secondly, it is quite difficult to deform it during use.
Manufacturers strongly recommend using blown-in cotton wool to fill the most difficult-to-reach cavities. Today the choice is quite large and, if you need any specific parameters of density or thickness, you can easily find a suitable option on the goods market.
Material advantages
Another positive aspect of mineral wool is its non-flammability. This material can withstand heating up to 1000 degrees above zero without changing its physical properties. In this case, it is used, of course, as a fire protection element. In the event of a fire, it will be quite difficult to contain the thickness of the insulation, but toxic components will not be released.
This is due to the fact that a breathable layer is created that reliably protects the wall from rotting.
Mineral wool is a reliable insulation material
The material is durable. If you operate it correctly, then for 65-70 years you will not raise the issue of replacement. In slabs, cotton wool can hold its shape perfectly. This is achieved due to the fact that it is unable to:
- deform;
- crumple
- dry out.
In matters of installation, it is also quite practical. It shrinks to the required dimensions during transportation and at the same time restores its shape within ten minutes. The material is cut with a standard knife. Now let's talk about what materials rodents appear in and how to deal with them.
List of disadvantages: how to overcome rodents?
Today, only one obvious negative point is known when choosing mineral wool. This is because cotton wool is hygroscopic.
When a material absorbs moisture, its thermal insulation properties are significantly reduced. When humidified by 2-3%, the thermal insulation characteristics immediately change by 10-11%
That’s why installation and vapor barrier are so important
Dusting also cannot be called a plus, but cotton wool is very rarely used for open structures. Therefore, this is rather not a minus, but simply a feature.
Mineral wool
It is impossible to say unequivocally whether mice eat mineral wool. According to the latest numerous experiments and experiments, all varieties of mineral wool are not an obstacle to rodents. Even such a prickly and irritating material as glass wool is no problem for them. Among other things, mice are as comfortable as possible in almost any insulation. They make warm nests and live comfortably.
They are primarily attracted by the following characteristics:
- does not rot;
- almost never spoils;
- high ventilation characteristics;
- always dry;
- warm;
- excellent shape maintenance.
Although if we consider such an innovative material as ecowool, then there are no rodents there. Everything is quite simple. Ecowool contains orthoboric acid, which causes severe thirst and discomfort in animals. If a rodent decides to make a nest, it won’t last long; it will have to move soon.
Table comparing the properties of the main thermal insulation materials
| Name of material | Thermal conductivity, W/m*K | Vapor permeability, mg/m*h*Pa | Moisture absorption,% | Flammability group |
| Minvata | 0,037-0,048 | 0,49-0,6 | 1,5 | NG |
| Styrofoam | 0,036-0,041 | 0,03 | 3 | G1-G4 |
| PPU | 0,023-0,035 | 0,02 | 2 | G2 |
| Penoizol | 0,028-0,034 | 0,21-0,24 | 18 | G1 |
| Ecowool | 0,032-0,041 | 0,3 | 1 | G2 |
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