Has anyone here blown insulation in an attic?

[SAWYER]

I ordered a new exhaust fan off amazon for 73 shipped, the cheapest at Lowe's was 300(GTFO). While I am doing that I think I should put some insulation in. I have some up there on the floors but it is the old thin kind on the floor. I was told you can rent a machine to blow it in but was curious about what to expect or any tips from those who have done it

 

[mmntech]

Home depot rents the machines. It looks pretty easy just remember to wear coveralls, googles, and a mask.

 

[Bateluer]

I had contractors affiliated with Home Depot blow insulation into my insulation-less attic a couple years back. Didn't seem too difficult when they did it, but they were professionals. I'd have to check my records for the actual cost . . . I don't remember on the top of my head.

 

[Zedtom]

I had it done by a local contractor who worked with his son and was very clean and professional. He worked through the access door in the hall and his son loaded the hopper in a spare room that they had lined with plastic sheeting. It was dusty but they kept the mess to a minimum.

My house is warmer in winter and cooler in the summer. A vent fan in the garage is my next project.

 

[Jaepheth]

Get those disposable coveralls.

And get some duct tape just in case you still end up getting some on your skin.

Other than that it's not difficult at all; just get a partner who can feed the machine at a steady rate and won't get impatient and try to jam the bales into the hopper faster.

 

[kranky]

Had it done a few months ago, paid an guy who only does insulation. The insulation that was there was matted down and really not very effective. Made a big difference in both winter and summer.

 

[SpatiallyAware]

It's easy to do yourself but you need 2-3 people.

Go through and setup 'blocks' to keep ALL insulation out of any vents in the corners of the attic. One person stays with the machine and stuffs the insulation blocks into it, the other sprays, the third uses a rake to level it. Dust gets everywhere.

Usually if you buy like 10 bags you get the machine for free.

I would research whether or not you should pull up the fiberglass insulation before blowing in stuff on top of it.

 

[SpatiallyAware]

Oh, and I would be a bit skeptical about the amazon fan. Is it temp controlled etc? Link?

 

[SAWYER]

http://www.amazon.com/Ventamatic-CX2...pr_product_top

Is is made by the same company as the one in my attic. I did a google on the company and found the amazon link and then found the company's site and called them. The tech guy said the one I ordered was the best one they offered, there are a lot of reviews o it

 

[SparkyJJO]

I prefer to get the rolls and just roll out insulation. MUCH cleaner and makes doing any work up there easier and less itchy.

 

[Raizinman]

We had like $400 monthly bills both in summer and winter. We had 26 rolls of blown in insulation put in our attic. They told me we only had like 5 or 6 inches prior. Our utility bills now are $200 a month. We also noticed that our attic temperatures before were about 15 to 20 degrees hotter than outside temperature. Now our attic is within one or two degrees of outside temperature. Just perfect.

 

[mshan]

Whatever option you choose for actual insulation, I recommend doing some google or YouTube searches on proper way to install it.

I remember seeing recent episode of This Old House where they had segment about insulating a wall. Did a quick google search and found this (not same video clip I saw but relevant to what you want to do):

http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/video/0,,20051865,00.html

http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/asktoh/question/0,,1585823,00.html

Interesting comment about how vapor barrier should face up or down based upon whether heating or cooling is main issue, and other suggestion of just getting 12 inch insulation and laying at right angle to current insulation, after taking vapor barrier off.

And obviously don't want to block the intake souffets that bring air into the attic, or obstruct natural flow of air to exhaust in roof (http://htoyh.com/content/the_ice_dam_cometh.pdf).

Also might google to see if your state or electrical company offers any rebates for improving energy efficiency of house.

Good luck!

 

[vi edit]

I prefer to get the rolls and just roll out insulation. MUCH cleaner and makes doing any work up there easier and less itchy.

Not really sure about that. With spray in insulation you are doing a 12" or more blanket across the entire floor. With roll in it's hard to find it that thick...plus if you have a big attic you physically have to get those rolls in there which if it's a access door could be virtually impossible.

 

[amdhunter]

Has anyone here blown insulation in an attic?

Yeah, but I didn't swallow.

 

[Raizinman]

We also had all our ceiling lights boxed in before they blew in the insulation. Most ceiling lights are not insulated and leave an opening to the hot attic.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I got it done professionally as the same guys were doing a bunch of other misc work on my roof so figured I'd get it done as well. It's very dusty, and every time you open your attic hatch you'll have to vacuum the floor, it's messy stuff. You want to ensure to install baffles so the insulation does not block the soffit vents. Also if you have any projects that have to be done in the attic such as pulling wire, do it before. Once this job is done, you really don't want to be going in there again after that.

Also keep the existing insulation, just blow on top. You can never have too much insulation.

The key though is making sure you do not compromise your ventilation or you could have all the insulation in the world but you'll still have ice dam issues.

 

[arrfep]

My brother and I did it for my parents' house a few years back. Pretty simple job, and I'll echo the comments about making sure you have a good partner feeding the machine, and also to make sure you wear the coveralls, goggles and a mask. Overall, definitely worth the money. The first winter the house was significantly warmer. Can't speak to cost savings though.

 

[Sepen]

I do this for a living. The machine is very easy to use, a two man job though. One man feeds the insulation, if using the HD machine it is super easy to load it, and the other blows it in. At your end you have a on/off switch for ease of use. It can throw a good 10-15 ft out and really isn't that messy. And no need to rake it, just pile it on at a depth you want and then go a tad thicker as it will settle just a bit in the future. If you are installing a fan do you have any sort of intake vents? (soffit vents) This will make the insul and fan work more effectively. If you do have intakes make sure you install baffles first before insulating otherwise you will fill in the eave areas and the vents will no longer work. If not and you don't want to install them then the fan and insulation will be much better than what you have now.

It really is an easy job. I just did a 1000 sq ft attic, three sections, in which I had to cut the plywood to gain entrance, and it took two of us 3 hours for the entire job.

And don't believe the hype on the bag about how much you need. I bought enough for 10" thick. After I was done I had between 16" and 20" thickness and still had two bags leftover.

And the power fan, it really does make a big difference. Just make sure that it comes with a Thermostat/Humidistat Control.

 

[stonecold3169]

You will definitely love doing this.

My only real contribution to this topic is this; If possible, yes you should remove your old insulation. It won't physically hurt anything being there, but flattened or crushed insulation will diminish your R-value

 

[DaveJ]

My brother and I did it for my parents' house a few years back. Pretty simple job, and I'll echo the comments about making sure you have a good partner feeding the machine, and also to make sure you wear the coveralls, goggles and a mask. Overall, definitely worth the money. The first winter the house was significantly warmer. Can't speak to cost savings though.

I had 12" of insulation blown in my attic 5 years ago, and it made a huge difference. After the insulation my electric bills dropped by about 30% and the house was much more comfortable now that the AC could keep up with the heat.

 

[3chordcharlie]

There are two kinds of blow-in stuff at my HD. Recycled and fiberglass (white/pink)

The recycled cellulose stuff looks like ground-up newspapers and blue jeans. I've blown my own and another attic in with this. It's really, really dusty, but other than that the results were good.

This year I helped a friend out with their attic, and HD had started stocking fiberglass. The fiberglass stuff was super light, completely dust free (I mean completely), installed faster, and cost just about the same.

If you have a choice, it's a no-brainer.

You will definitely love doing this.

My only real contribution to this topic is this; If possible, yes you should remove your old insulation. It won't physically hurt anything being there, but flattened or crushed insulation will diminish your R-value

Only if space is a limiting factor - R-value is cumulative, just figure out what you want to add, and therefore how much product you need to get up there. If you have sufficient space already, there's no reason to remove the old product, as this will be extremely messy and time consuming.

 

[alkemyst]

I have never blown anyone in an attic.

 

[WT]

Get those disposable coveralls.

And get some duct tape just in case you still end up getting some on your skin.

Other than that it's not difficult at all; just get a partner who can feed the machine at a steady rate and won't get impatient and try to jam the bales into the hopper faster.

:thumbsup:

We used these eco-green insulation bundles, and they were packed so tight it was hard to break it up without making a huge mess, and if you tried to jam a large chunk into the unit, it'd stuff it up very quickly.

Make SURE you have a tarp under the unit to catch the insulation that misses the hopper, and be sure to crumble it up as best as possible. That stuff gets everywhere, so the more skin you can cover, the better.

 

[Fritzo]

Hi. My name is Insulation.

 

[3chordcharlie]

:thumbsup:

We used these eco-green insulation bundles, and they were packed so tight it was hard to break it up without making a huge mess, and if you tried to jam a large chunk into the unit, it'd stuff it up very quickly.

Make SURE you have a tarp under the unit to catch the insulation that misses the hopper, and be sure to crumble it up as best as possible. That stuff gets everywhere, so the more skin you can cover, the better.

Best is to stage the machine outside the house.

And I really highly recommend the fiberglass if price is close in your area (or not an issue)