I am almost finished restoring an old frame (all wood) house located in Northeast Texas. I will be blowing R38 in the attic soon. Are there any suggestions/recommendations/techniques you can make? For instance, a friend mentioned that a “pro” he knows sprays (mists) some kind of anti-static liquid into the hopper as the insulation gets ground up for delivery. Anyone know what the anti-static stuff is? Thanks,
Harold
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Replies
I live in North Texas also. I had some insulation blown in a few years back. It has seemed to do a good job. The insulation contractor used a setup that introduced a small mist of water in the delivery system. I was told that this would help with the settling issues that comes with this type of insulation.
I haven't noticed an settling issues as yet. The guys put several measuring devices up in the attic to facilitate the installation process. This also allow the home owner to see if there have been any settling issues.
You may want to contact the folks that install the insulation and ask?
Just my 2 cents.
Tim
What kind of measuring devices? I always have a heck of a time judging depth because of the dust that gets kicked up and cuts visibility. I wonder if the mist helps with it?
The folks that did my insulation installation set up a series of rulers that where made of heavy duty paper. These rulers had some adhesive that allow them to be attached to the attic floor/trusses. They were measured off in inches so the installer knew how much insulation to install per area.
The water added to the insulation made it stay in place better and I've not noticed any appreciable settling.
Hope this answers your question.
Tim
thanks for the info.
I live in North Texas also and I am considering blowing in additional insulation also. What is in my attic now is only about 6 inches deep, just enough to cover the joists but I want to put in more. Do I just blow in more to get to 12 or 18" deep? I can clean away the insulation from any of the recessed lights so the insulation wont get too hot but what about some of the electrical wires that are laid down, do they just get covered up with the insulation?
Thanks,
Mike Francis
Mike: Oak Ridge National Laboratory has published a great document on insulation. If you go here http://www.ornl.gov/sci/roofs+walls/insulation/ins_16.html, you can calculate the amount of insulation required for our area (R38). You can also download the entire document here http://www.ornl.gov/sci/roofs+walls/foundation/ORNL_CON-295.pdf. Great information.
You should not worry about covering wiring. Just make sure that any recessed lighting is the proper type for being covered with insulation or you will have to build a box over it to keep the insulation spaced from the fixture.
Harold
Thanks for the info.
Mike- Toolfreak
The website provides a lot of good information. I went to Lowes and priced out the cellulose and it was cheap and Lowes said they would loan me the blower free of charge as long as I bought at least 20 bags. I have another question, I keep reading about adding some water to the hopper but how much do you add. Each bag of the cellulose fiber is 40 lbs at Lowes so is there a specific amount to use?
Thanks,
Mike Francis- Toolfreak
As I understand the process, adding water can only be done with the proper installation rig. I'm not sure this type of rig can be rented for the DIY.
The company that did my insulation install had to connect the delivery end of the hose to my garden hose. There was a nozzle fitted to the end of the discharge hose that misted a small amount of water. This was to cut down on the dust and to help with the settling problems that cellulose tends to exhibit. Also, the installers put depth gauges in the attic to assist with their install. They were made from thick cardboard that had adhesive on the end. This allowed the installers to stick them to the trusses. They were marked off in inches. This would tell the installer when he had installed the cellulose to the proper depth.
Now all I have to do to check and see if there has been any settling is to go into the attic and look at the depth gauges. So far so good. This was done several years ago and I've not seen any evidence of settling.
Just my 2 cents ....
I have seen small amounts of water added to cellulose insulation as the bales are chewed up in the hopper. I believe it is to dissipate a static electric buildup.
I hope you are talking about cellulose insulation. Don't waste your time with fibreglass.
And you should go higher than R38, you won't be sorry. It's not much more money to get to R50. The guy is there already, so get more R-factor.
You'll be happy during those brutal hot summers - the A/C won't have to run so much because the cellulose will block the radiant heat from the attic.
the A/C won't have to run so much because the cellulose will block the radiant heat from the attic
True enough, but you really have to cover all of the exposed ceiling joists, and deeply. Which becomes a good case for moving the insulation envelope up to the bottom of the roof framing, which also gets the ductwork out of the 140º attic--but that's an entirely different thread <g>
I'm wondering if what OP saw was a bit of dishwashing detergent in the water used to get blown-in to stick. A drop or two of soap lowers the water's surface tension, which (might) make it "stick" better to the framing.Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
When I had my walls wet-sprayed with cellulose, the guy described the liquid that he used as a watery version of Elmers Glue. It was a very fine mist.
described the liquid that he used as a watery version of Elmers Glue. It was a very fine mist
I want to remember that I sat through a free lunch on installing cellulose where they said that all it really needed to stick was a light mist of water. As that slightly shrank the bits and made them mildly tacky. Then, on drying, it expanded a bit and stuck.
Been many (too many) years past, always hired out the insulation. So, maybe in some climates a bit of white glue diluted is just the ticket.Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)