insulation removal

[mizzou]

anyone had blown in or very old insulation removed? my attic is a hot mess with areas having no insulation and insulated areas with old/dirty blown in and random batts laying around.


I really want a clean slate and new batts layed into the joists and get my eaves properly breathing again.

 

[NutBucket]

What about it? Either bag it yourself or pay the pros to vacuum it out. I know folks that have done both.

 

[mizzou]

wondering how expensive it is mainly, amd if it made any noticeable improvements

 

[Greenman]

You can rent the machine to suck it out. It's a dirty, sweaty, nasty job. Put blown in insulation back, it's a tighter job.

 

[WilliamM2]

Install baffles to get the eaves breathing again. I would just remove the batts, spread the old blown in around to loosen it up, and blow in fresh insulation. I installed baffles and blew in new insulation to 18" without removing the old 3- 4" that was already there (no batts). The difference is amazing.

The only time I have seen anyone remove the old insulation was if it was soiled with rodent feces, or had gotten wet in the past.

 

[ivwshane]

I removed old insulation myself for one part of my house and will be doing it again this spring. There may be a specific tool for the job but I used my leaf blower which has a vacuum option. I made a hose out of aluminum duct pipe for dryers. Its a real PITA! Get some quotes for the job and I'll tell you if its worth it.

The main issue I had was that it vaccumed into the leaf blower bag which was way too small for the job and was a PITA to empty out. I haven't figured out what I'm going to do this next time around.