Insulation Questions.......

[Tony Falotico]

Does blown in insulation Have to be blown in ??

No, I'm not trying to be funny, it's a serious question. Here's the deal........ My house was built in 1990, I bought it in '92. The attic has blown in insulation over the living space, none over the garage area. The blown in is skimpy in areas, especially around the perimeters. The living room has always been cold and drafty.

I've been doing some remodeling, removing carpet and linolium, replacing with laminate wood flooring and tile. I've also installed two solar tubes in the LR and recessed ceiling lights thoughout (18 so far). So, I've been spending time in the attic rewiring, and moving the insulation around. I need to go back and insulate around the recessed fixtures in the ceiling.

At the same time, I would like to improve (add more) the insulation. My options are to place batts or add more blown in. I really don't care to rent and fool with the blower, I was wondering can I just open some bags and spread it around over what's already there?? Or does the blower do some magic fluffing that makes it work better?

OR, Would I be better off biting the bullet and placing batts?? If I do place batts, do I need to remove the loose stuff first, or can I lay the batts over the existing loose stuff??

Any information will be very much appreciated, I hope to do something in the next few days before the Artic Blast hits this weekend.

Thanks, Tony.

[Ray Bersch]

Tony,
This type of insulation is meant to loosely cover the area to be insulated so as to trap air or "discourage" air movement. It should be spread evenly to accomplish a uniform thickness. When it is packaged in the bag it will tend to lump up and be difficult to spread evenly by hand - thus the blower and large diamater flex pipe which breaks up the lumps and allows an even flow of the material. If you spread it by hand you may think you have an even cover but it is not likely to "fluff up" and there will be lots of clumps of the stuff. Which is exactly what you have done by stomping around up there - it can't be helped.

Bat insulation works the same way - air is trapped within the insulation - a common mistake made by many is to compress the bats when installing them, especially in walls - completely defeating its purpose.

You can install bat insulation over your existing blown in insulation, just be sure to use unfaced bats. The face, whether craft paper, foil or plastic, is meant as a vapor barrier and you do not want that in your attic over an existing layer of insulation because it will trap water vapor beneath it - a sure fire way to promote mold.

Two other things here - be sure to allow for air movement at the eves through your sofits to promote air circulation throughout your attic - you want the air to move freely above the insulation, secondly, wear a dust mask (and don't do this work on a hot day - insulation and sweat - not a comfortable mix)

Ray

[Cecil Arnold]

Tony, it is my understanding that it might be more efficient to blow it in but it is not necessary. By that I mean that blowing would give more height to the insulation making it more efficient by slowing the migration of conditioned air.

[Jim O'Dell]

If it helps, some of the box stores here will let you use a machine if you buy "X" amount of insulation. One of the guys at work did this. He was in the attic, his wife kept the machine filled. I'd do the machine for best results. Jim

[Matt Meiser]

In Michigan, which I'm guessing is an entirely different insulation market than Florida, I paid about $450 to have insulation blown in the attic of my shop 12+ inches deep. It is a messy job, and if I were you I'd just pay someone to do it.

[Bart Leetch]

I used to work in the insulation industry. It will be cheaper & easier for you to have a reputable installer come & blow it in. Its just not worth your time,money & misery. Better to put your time into your home in a way that will save you money & your time is money so do something you can do skilfully. It would probably take you anywhere from 1/2 again longer to once again longer to do the same work that the professional installer will do.

Check with the better quality home builders in the area to find out the insulation companies that they hire.

[Karl Laustrup]

Tony, the blown in insulation is great stuff. I had 12" put in our old house and what a difference it made. I had cellulose put in. It came in large packages and was compressed. The machine kinda chewed it up and spit it out at the other end in the attic all nice and fluffy. I don't think you could do it properly by just placing it where you need it. Besides after 15 years your original insulation has compressed so an added layer would help with the heating and cooling of your home.

Personally I would go the blown in route, but let a professional do it.

There's my $1.398 worth.

Karl

[Tony Falotico]

Thank you all very much for the great input, after debating for several days, getting prices and talking with some local contractor friends, we have decided to wait a few weeks while I finish up 'stomping around the attic' and hire a pro to re-blow the attic area.

Thanks again to all who chimed in with great info.........

[Steve Ash]

Sorry I somehow missed this Tony. I sometime blow in the insulation on the houses I build, and sometimes I call in a subcontractor to do it. ( If it is a easy one in other words, I do it:o )

In fact we just did 2 homes this week. You got some good info from these guys and I would certainly agree to hire someone else, as it tends to get a bit nasty up in those attics.

Hmmm, Florida sounds pretty good to this Michigan contractor as I sit looking out at snow and cold temps.

[Tim Burke]

Sounds like you got the right answers, but just to add - I have blown in cellulose insulation twice. Once in a whole house, the last time in my attached garage. Makes a huge difference.

My Iowa garage stays well above freezing now even in the coldest part of winter (walls are insulated too). Another nice thing that you should appreciate in Florida is that it keeps the oppressive radiant heat from the attic out during the hot months.

It's easy to blow it in, but when I did it I assumed a contractor would be too expensive, so I never checked. Now I would be inclined to just call a contractor given the small price difference.

And please don't try to sell me on an "Artic Blast" - more like slightly cool compared to Iowa :D

Tim

[Tony Falotico]

Hmmm, Florida sounds pretty good to this Michigan contractor as I sit looking out at snow and cold temps.

I don't know Steve, they are talking high 20's, low 30's around here the next few nights, That's awful darn cold for us Florida folk's, even us North Florida folks!

While extremely rare, we have seen some very strange cold, wet, white stuff in the mornings :eek: . I think 1989 was the last time it actually hung around for few hours.

[Tony Falotico]

It's easy to blow it in, but when I did it I assumed a contractor would be too expensive, so I never checked. Now I would be inclined to just call a contractor given the small price difference.

Talked to a local contractor this week who gave me the name of a sub who does blow-in. The contractor said the sub usually blows it in for about what the bats would cost.

I'll price both ways, but the sub would have to be REAL expensive to loose this one. I am basically cheap, but some things ARE worth paying for ! :D


And please don't try to sell me on an "Artic Blast" - more like slightly cool compared to Iowa
It's all a matter of perspective !!