I have a project coming up where I need to remove all the loose fill insulation in the attic,
If i am remembering right somebody on here mentioned a vacuum that they rented for that particular situation. If anybody could steer me in the right direction it would be appreciated.
And yes i am having all suspect materials for this remodel checked for asbestos..
Thanks for any help!!!
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Replies
My insulation guy has the one that does ours. You would also need a truck/trailer equipped to recieve what is suckeed out of th ehouse
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Thanks, I will call the insulators tommorow and see if they are/can do this.
Passin: Wonder if any of those outfits which clean out furnance ductwork would consider doing this? jimz
Called the insulator outfit today, he said they have never done it and didnt seem to thrilled about the idea. There is probably a dozen other outfits around here so i will make some more phone calls tommorow.
As far as costs are concerned some of you have stated maybe 70 or 80 cents a ft...Done deal if i can find anybody willing.
If not i was thinking about cutting a 2'x2' hole in the cieling towards the outer walls of each bay and pushing it through. I know it will be a huge mess but the house is empty.
Probably the biggest issue is head room, at the peek there is only about 42".
I have the same task ahead of me. I've got a neighbor that's got a "dude with a dumptruck" kind of business and in the fall the neighbors all just blow their leaves to the street and he comes by with a mongo vaccuum and sucks them all up into his tented truck. I'd think that would work and those guys probably aren't doing a lot this time of year if you can find one.Just a thought.
Do you need to have all the insulation removed at once, or could you pile it all up on one side/corner using some poly or burlap to hold it until you are done with the work?
Piff, any idea on what your guy charges for this kind of activity? I really didn't know anyone did it as a service. I may need to seriously consider this if I decide to move forward this Spring-Summer in spraying on foam insulation in those attic ceiling-joist cavities.
i went trough the same thing here but have decided to do it myself (without vacum). two different outfits quoted $.65-.75/SF
Dave
Exactly how will you 'do it yourself'?
It is a very messy job to rake it and bag it. Finish with shop vac. (I'd pay to have it done if I were to do it again).
I was thinking the same thing, but I guess it can really depend on the size of one's attic, the ease of getting around one's attic, etc. Being that mine is a combination mine field and moonscape, I can see paying someone $0.75/SqFt to remove it.
I can't say on a sq ft basis. Seems like a whole house attic was about $800.I can tell you this - whatever he charges, it is worth it!
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Do you think a leaf blower/vacuum would work? Probably fill the bag in about ten seconds though! We could have used something in MS--took down all th drywall ceilings in a house that was insulated with loose-fill fiberglass. What a PITA--had to herd it all into garbage bags and press the air out--took a long time. The wind was blowing hard in one direction and we had drifts of the insulation on one side of all the rooms. Started putting the insulation in bags and the wind shifted. I finally pulled a mattress across a door opening to stop the stuff from blowin all over.
A few years ago on Hometime they did an attic remodel. One of those projects where the HO was very directly envolved.They (don't remember if it was the HO or Hometime) and they used a leaf blower.One of the problems was that they got a lot of blowby from the bag that it was going into and made lots of dust.I have heard of people using woodworking ductcollector units with long hoses so that they could get the output end out of the house.My neighbor had it done as part of remodel and it was done by the local Masco insutlation sub.They used a blower that look about like the typical dust colleter blower, but powered by a gas engine.That was setup outside and feed into a "very large" trash bag. I don't remember the details, but maybe 2-3 ft dia and 6-8 ft long.
Likely one of those drywall sanding adapters for a shop vac would work -- puts a 20-30 gallon plastic garbage can in front of the vac.
If ignorance is bliss why aren't more people
happy?
I used my electric leaf blower/vac to clean out the loosefill cellulose in part of my house when I put in a half-bath in our story and a half old house.
I filled 3 or 4 trash bags and wore a respirator.
It worked well. But I only had to clear about 5x8'. I think a whole attic would require rethinking.
Good luck
Alan
I had thought about that kind of set up, but like you said a small area would probably be fine but a bigger area probably wouldnt be worth the hassle. And its not that its a huge house its only about 1200 square feet, but the depth of the insulation at the access is about 14 to 18" deep.
I used a 2 HP dust collector and it worked like a champ. Put the output hose in a trash trailer with a tarp over it and the dust wasn't too bad. A dumpster should work fine. It does take a lot of hose.
Last year when I re-did my living room I dropped about 16" of blown in stuff on my floor about 500 square feet.
Too much for the shop vac to handle.
I used my wifes electric blower/vac it has a mulcher on it ---it stuffed the bag real tight.
It was easy to transfer from catch bag to large garbage bag.
I re-used the insulation in the attic after I was done too.
I am pulling down all the ceilings, starting at one end and letting the blown insulation fall with the sheetrock. nothing I can't do, but thought for a few hundred I might sub it out. for $700, I can stand the dust for a day.
Dave
Mine was cellulous , <spelling>
So it wasn't that bad I was able to put it over the bats I layed down ----- just being frugal
My GC hauled out 50 trash bags of blown-in after dropping the ceiling - and that was only about 850 sq ft. Whatever they charge it's gotta be a bargin to have someone else haul it off!!
http://www.jrproductsinc.com
they have removal vacs really not alot more than a billygoat or walkbehind blower ... you figure out the hose and the "blow to" i'd think a cage made of hardware cloth... or a dumpster covered in a mesh and suck it out blow it in...
p
If it's cellulose rent a cell machine with a detachable blower and all the hose you need set blower in back of trailer, dumpster or truck and attach hose to intake on blower, Red Green, can help you with this, take other end into attic plug in blower and suck away. Sucked up alot cell that way when I used to do blown in. If it's fiberglass or rock wool call an industrial vac service.