Greetings all,
I’m preparing to insulate a bathroom reno using the Regal wall system. I’ve got the InsulMesh installed and am ready to blow the cells into the stud cavities.
The consensus from Regal’s web site and the BT discussions that I’ve read reccomend that a restrictor plate be used to lean out the mixture when blowing the walls. My local outlet supplies the cells and the blower but has no clue about the restrictor plate.
Is there a workaround? How does the restrictor plate fit up to the blower? Perhaps this is something that I could fab up?
Thanks in advance,
John
Replies
John,
The restrictor plate you speak of is just a sliding plate that fits between the chamber where the insulation is loaded into and the area where it is collected in to go through the blower. I am not sure about exactly how the Predator is configured but there is a restrictor plate either built into the machine or comes as a detachable piece. I think the insulation blowers that Lowes rents out are predators. Your supplier's blower should have a restrictor plate. If not you may want to consider going with the one form Lowes.
Hey, thanks for the reply. I'll check with Lowe's and see what they have to offer.
John
The restrictor plate is a round metal plate that you set down into the insulation hopper. It blocks about half the holes, so thereby cuts down the insulation volume by half or so.
The first time I rented a blower, the yahoo Lowes employee had NO idea what it was but said they didn't have them. Well, they do have them. In my case, they kept the restrictor plates behind the commercial desk. And even if you're going to have the blower in the same room you're blowing, get the 50' (or so) of hose.
If you're doing a Mooney Wall, then you need the restrictor plate. If you're doing a Regal Wall, I don't know that you have to use it, but a 4' wand would be helpful.
Steve from Regal is very helpful if you have questions:
[email protected]
jt8
"Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goals." -- Sydney Smith
Edited 2/1/2008 12:57 pm by JohnT8
Thanks, John. I'll check with the guys at Lowe's and see if they have a clue.
The folks at Lowe's didn't have a clue, of course. They were nice enough and tried to help, but no one knew what a restrictor plate was, much less where to find it.
Determined to make something work, I load up the Predator and a dozen bales of cells and head off on my way. Its only an 80 sq ft bath, so I figure I can find a way.
Here's a couple of shots of the walls with the InsulMesh in place:
I really try to buy from real yards and supply houses when I can, but sometimes the big blue box is just too convenient. For the items that I can walk in, grab off the shelf, hit the checkout and be out the door, its all good.
For the even slightly out of the ordinary, its hit or miss.
Here's another shot of the InsulMesh, ready to blow.
Edit: This is just a regular Regal wall, not a Mooney.
Edited 2/2/2008 11:39 pm ET by JohnTN
I made up a wand from 1 1/2" PVC, but without the restrictor plate, the cells would back up in the hose due to the restriction. I was also using a short 25' hose. I suspect using a longer hose would have helped, but the folks at Lowe's didn't know where that was either.
I would up cutting bigger holes in the mesh than I would have liked, and just crammed the 2 1/2" hose in and let it fly. I got a fairly good density in the stud cavities, and may have even over-filled a few. I may have to pull a few handfulls of cells back out and try to redistrubute a bit if it appears that the wallboard will be inpeded.
Here's a few shots after I blew the walls.
A few other odds and ends for those interested:
We'll be putting down natural stone flooring. To make sure the floor is plenty stiff, I've used two layers of 3/4" ACX ply. I installed cleats and dropped the first layer of ply between the joists to match the existing floor height.
Years of leaking tubs, sinks and toilets had taken its toll on some of the floor joists. One of the shots shows the new joists as well as the PEX manifold and some of the PEX home runs.
Also new to me is the GP DensArmor Plus paperless drywall. The glass mat surface sure looks rough. Finishing this oughta be interesting.
Wet areas will get Kerdi/Durock.
You can running a sander over the DAP and knock of some of the worse roughness, but still need "treatment".There are some high build primers that you can use, but most require an heavy duty airless.However, DW has some that you can roll on. IIRC it is Builders Soluntion, but not sure. Only comes in a 5 gallon bucket. If that is too much then skim coat it..
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A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
The folks at Lowe's didn't have a clue, of course. They were nice enough and tried to help, but no one knew what a restrictor plate was, much less where to find it.
Sounds like the same fine Lowes employees I ran into on my first visit. LOL, did you think you had a cellulose firehose when you fired that sucker up? IIRC, Steve at Regal said you didn't need the restrictor plate if you were blowing the Regal wall, but as you found out, a 2" wand would have been less prone to clog.
But looks like you got 'er done. Should be a nice, tight wall. I noticed on some of mine that the rooms seemed a lot quieter after the cell went in. less outside noise and less echo when talking or using tools in the room.
You're moving right along. What is your fan/light combo?jt8
"The unfortunate thing about this world is that good habits are so much easier to give up than bad ones." -- Somerset Maugham