Using a leaf blower to install cellulose insulation

[arcas]

Okay. Stop laughing.

I plan to add some insulation to the attic in the next week or two. Problem is the attic entry is on one side of the house and part of the attic on the other side of the house is "down and diagonal" and pretty darned hard to get to...meaning I'd need around 75-100 feet of blower hose if the insulation blower machine were to be located outside like the instructions say. I somehow doubt the hoses are this long. Sitting the blower inside the house near the attic door saves maybe 30 feet of hose but that still means I'd still need at least 50 feet of hose. Still probably too long (anybody know how long those hoses are?). How far will an insulation blower "throw" the insulation? The instructions say put the hose about 1 foot above where you want to put the insulation which implies that it doesn't throw very far.

So I was thinking...the part of the attic that's hard to get to is around 120 sq feet so we're not talking a whole lot of insulation...maybe a half dozen bags. Would it be possible to use my leaf blower/shredder for this (assuming I can clean the leaf debris from the impeller)? The idea is to put the thing in vacuum mode, suck the cellulose insulation in one end and blow it out the other.

 

[NutBucket]

Doesn't sound like a bad idea. I know that the truck mounted blowers can easily go a hundred feet. I've never seen any other units. Why not use a leaf blower? Also, I hope you're removing the old insulation if its compacted and otherwise not fluffy anymore.

 

[Squisher]

This is a backpack blower, right?

 

[arcas]

This is a backpack blower, right?

Actually, no. It's just a run-of-the-mill hand-held blower/vac/shredder. So the immediate problem would be controlling the input and the output. I was thinking of maybe rigging some flexible drainage pipe that's laying around in the garage so that I'd have at least some independent control over the discharge direction. Still, it'd probably be a 2-person job...one person controlling the vac unit, the other person aiming...

I dunno, starting to sound like a Rube Goldberg contraption...Just for once, I'd like things to be simple. Just once.

 

[T2T III]

Your idea sounds quite impressive. If anything, you could just try one bag to see how it works out. If it doesn't, then you could move onto other alternatives. My neighbor re-insulated his attic as follows:

1) Blown-in insulation was scooped up with a snow shovel from the middle of his attic.
2) The insulation was placed along the sides bulking up what was already there.
3) The cleared areas were covered with R-30 fiberglass insulation that he rolled out and installed.

This is an option that I was considering doing - which would allow me to get by without having to use one of the blowing machines, too.

As always, remember to utilize a good mask to prevent yourself from breathing in all the dust and stuff that will get produced during the process. If I don't wear a mask when I go up into my attic, I usually get pretty sick from just breathing that crap for a few minutes.

 

[Pliablemoose]

Can I watch?

 

[Evadman]

However you put it up there, make sure not to cover the vents along the sides in the eaves. Cover them and you can kiss your roof good bye.

Wear a dust mask if you do do that. Sounds kinda assinine to me, but I can not think of a good reason that it would not work.

 

[NutBucket]

Actually, just sounds like the cheap engineer's approach

 

[etech]

Originally posted by: wje
Your idea sounds quite impressive. If anything, you could just try one bag to see how it works out. If it doesn't, then you could move onto other alternatives. My neighbor re-insulated his attic as follows:

1) Blown-in insulation was scooped up with a snow shovel from the middle of his attic.
2) The insulation was placed along the sides bulking up what was already there.
3) The cleared areas were covered with R-30 fiberglass insulation that he rolled out and installed.

This is an option that I was considering doing - which would allow me to get by without having to use one of the blowing machines, too.

As always, remember to utilize a good mask to prevent yourself from breathing in all the dust and stuff that will get produced during the process. If I don't wear a mask when I go up into my attic, I usually get pretty sick from just breathing that crap for a few minutes.

Strange, that's the way I did my attic, except I just used a broom to sweep the old rock wool insulation out to the sides. I then used two layes of 6" batts for the middle two thirds of the attic. The first layer had the paper backing which went next to the ceiling. The top batt went in the other direction and did not have the backing.

arcas,
With the shop vac that I have you could not use it to pick up and blow insulation directly. The insulation would screw up the motor and wouldn't make it through the fan blades.

 

[NutBucket]

He wants to use a leaf blower, not a shop vac.

 

[etech]

My shop vac converts to a leaf blower, works on the same principle.



I still remember back in the days of overclocking C300's watching a guy with a gas powered leaf blower and wondering how many CFM that it put out and how much gas it would take to keep my celery cool for a day.

 

[Mark Anderson]

Insulation blowers are a convenient way to install insulation into existing walls. You can rent insulation blowers from local hardware stores and sometimes use them free if you purchase a minimum amount of insulation. Wearing the proper gear and using the right insulation ensures easy loading and operation of an insulation blower.

 

[Rubycon]

Wow spammers are now necromancing threads!

 

[Zebo]

Get after it Tim. Haters gonna hate.

 

[deadlyapp]

Wow spammers are now necromancing threads!

:awe:

 

[Born2bwire]

Wow spammers are now necromancing threads!

:O

You've changed your hair!