Pseudologoi were the personifications, or tangible manifestations, of lies and falsehoods in Greek Mythology. Myths are stories that people know to take as parables, not to interpret literally. But falsehoods are dangerous. With the explosion of social media and self-proclaimed experts commenting on building industry websites and blogs, personal views and false information (whether intentional or not) is now everywhere. It can be difficult to sort through the falsehoods to find the truth. Tangible manifestations of falsehoods in the building industry occur when industry experts specify products on the basis of this prevalent misinformation. The buildings they construct become the living embodiments of falsehoods, and the repercussions can be serious, ranging from wasted money to buildings that may deteriorate over time.
Listed below are three common pseudos’ about mineral fiber installed as continuous thermal insulation. These three myths relate to wind washing, water absorption and loss of R-value due to cold temperatures. Data provided in this article was obtained by third-party testing labs.