Making Free Styrofoam Insulation Balls for Styrocrete

Steps

1. 1

   Step 1: Introduction to the subtropical garden renovation and pool insulation

   Watch this part (0:00)

   Welcome to a small update on the subtropical garden renovation. We see our pool completely insulated, after which we use Styrocrete. Styrocrete is a mixture of cement and EPS balls, otherwise known as styrofoam.

   In this video, I will show you how I grind styrofoam into usable insulation material. Since the weather is not so great today, work never stops, so I am going to show you how we make styrofoam for the Styrocrete.

2. 2

   Step 2: Collecting free leftover styrofoam pieces

   Watch this part (0:23)

   I have a lot of old leftover pieces of styrofoam that are thick, thin, long, and short. These are all leftover pieces that I was able to take with me for free.

   This makes perfect insulation material. Buying styrofoam bags sold as insulation is very expensive as prices go through the roof, so this lets me convert my styrofoam for free.

3. 3

   Step 3: Shredding styrofoam with a homemade laser-cut box and a drill

   Watch this part (0:43)

   I made a wooden box using a laser cutter with a rotating mechanism inside that runs on a drill. The box is connected to an industrial vacuum cleaner which can also vacuum water and everything.

   The drum inside is completely filled with teeth. The drill makes this drum rotate so you can easily push the styrofoam in from the top.

   What I used

   Item	Amount	Notes
   laser-cut wooden box	1	contains a rotating mechanism
   drill	1	drives the rotating mechanism
   industrial vacuum cleaner	1	can also suck water

4. 4

   Step 4: Pushing styrofoam from the top

   The rotating drum inside the box is completely covered with teeth to break the material apart. You can easily push the styrofoam in from the top so it is chipped and turned into loose balls.

5. 5

   Step 5: Collecting the shredded styrofoam balls into a barrel

   Watch this part (1:18)

   The styrofoam is broken off as it were and reused into loose small balls. These balls go via the vacuum hose and are stored in the large vessel.

   From there, I can tip them over into a big bag. If the drill happens to overheat, a fan is used to cool it down.

   Tip

   Use a fan to cool the drill down if it overheats.

   What I used

   Item	Amount	Notes
   vacuum hose	1	transports balls to the vessel
   large vessel	1	stores the styrofoam balls
   big bag	1	holds the dumped balls

6. 6

   Step 6: Takeaways

   • Styrocrete is a mixture of cement and EPS styrofoam balls used for pool insulation.

   • Leftover styrofoam pieces can be collected for free to use as insulation.

   • A homemade laser-cut wooden box with a drill and a rotating drum can shred styrofoam.

   • An industrial vacuum cleaner and a large barrel safely collect the shredded styrofoam balls.

   • Making insulation materials yourself is a great way to avoid high retail prices and cut costs.