Replies

1. 
   rjw | Jan 29, 2010 12:44pm | #1

   We need a lot more information to make any sort of assessment.

   How old is the house? Where are you located? What kind of construction? What kind of exteriior cladding?

   Could it be that a previous installation (cellulous or vermiculite) has settled?

1. 
   Yossarian99 | Jan 30, 2010 09:08am | #5

   True story.

   1958 brick ranch in Denver. 2x4 framing with brick vaneer, inside drywall then plaster. Opened up where the panel was floor to cieling, no insulation, and no vermiculite thank you.

   Eletrical is not knob&tube.

1. 
   rjw | Jan 30, 2010 11:36am | #6

   With the brick veneer, I'd
   With the brick veneer, I'd consider blowing in from the inside -- I've heard of it, but don't have any direct experience (other than repairing a fair amount of plaster over the years.

   Perhaps.... foam injected through holes drilled through the brick mortar joints?

   Just a SWAG

1. 
   MarkH | Jan 30, 2010 07:31pm | #8

   My parents had a brick veneer house insulated from the outside. They drilled small holes in the mortar and blew through a very small nozzle. You could see small patches in the mortar when the job was finished, but today they are nearly impossible to find.

1. 
   rjw | Jan 31, 2010 08:51am | #9

   Thanks - did they have cellulous blown in?

2. 
   MarkH | Jan 31, 2010 08:57am | #10

   I believe it was cellulose, but I'm not 100% certain, could have been fiberglass. It wasn't foam.

2. 
   rjw | Jan 31, 2010 09:06am | #11

   Wow, major brain freeze....

   Cellulose can be blown through 5/8 - 3/4" holes in brick veneer.

   http://www.cellulose.org/userdocs/TechnicalSpecifications/CIMA-TechnicalBulletin02.pdf

1. 
   Yossarian99 | Jan 31, 2010 11:29am | #12

   Good read, thanks.

2. 
   cussnu2 | Jan 29, 2010 01:29pm | #2

   You can fill from the outside and not disturb your plaster at all. Either remove a couple of claps (high and middle) and then drill holes or just drill holes through claps and plug with caps designed for that purpose. A quick google will turn up a source for plugs. Added benefit of exterior job is no mess inside.

1. 
   DanH | Jan 29, 2010 09:25pm | #4

   Yeah, my parents did that to an old farmhouse. Worked out pretty well, though a few claps broke and had to be replaced.

3. 
   DanH | Jan 29, 2010 09:25pm | #3

   And note that you should never blow insulation into an area where knob&tube wiring is still in use.

4. 
   Amish Electrician | Jan 30, 2010 11:55am | #7

   First off, his house is wirede using an older version if Romex - not knob & tube.

   Those cables almost certainly do not have ground wires in them; now is a very good opportunity to replace them. Even if you just replace them to some point in the attic, you will be preparing yourself for when an opportunity does present itself for upgrading all the wiring.

   I'd just check the bays on either side of the panel; chances are that only this bay was skipped; perhaps the electrician had not installed the panel yet, or the insulation guy thought he was supposed to leave the wires uncovered.

   You can check any bay by making a 1/4" hole and a piece of wire. You ought to be able to snag the insulation with the wire if it's there.

   I assume you opened the wall to replace that old panel. This is also a good time to run 1" conduits from the panel, and into the crawl space and attic - again, to make it easier to add circuits in the future.

1. 
   Yossarian99 | Jan 31, 2010 11:37am | #13

   We removed the old Federal panel entirely. New meter, shutoff, and relocated the panel into the attached garage. We put a junction box in the attic to tie all of the old style romex to the new panel. Over time the plan is to reduce the amount of the original wiring used in the house when the kitchen, baths, basement are done.

   Checking the other bays today.

5. 
   BigBill | Jan 31, 2010 04:25pm | #14

   Why does it look like Yossarian is in the nose of a B-29? He was flying in B-24. So where did this picture of Alan Arkin come from?

1. 
   Yossarian99 | Jan 31, 2010 06:12pm | #15

   Ah, who is he that is wise in the ways of aircraft?

1. 
   BigBill | Feb 01, 2010 12:37pm | #17

   USAF retired. 4 years at Wright-Patterson AFB. Home of the USAF Museum. I'm curious as to where you got the picture of Alan Arkin.

1. 
   DanH | Feb 01, 2010 08:20pm | #18

   http://www.aviastar.org/index2.html (though it probably doesn't have a B70).

   (I was living in Fairborn when they moved the museum across the road. Didn't seen the B70 moving, but saw several other big AC.)

   [Boy, the synapses are getting old. I misremembered the B70 as a B10.)

6. 
   Norman | Feb 01, 2010 11:42am | #16

   Chances are, Hollywood had access to a B29 and no access to a B24. My understading is that the B24 didn't hold up all that well over the generations.

   Besides, Hollywood's respect for accuracy is about equal to the great books written by Britney Spears.

   Ya know?