Get a N95 dust mask or N100, especially if the attic is poorly ventilated. You said four things that registered. question on double-stud walls This would be nasty work since I already have fiberglass batts in the attic, and the work space out at the edge is not high, so I would be scrunching down on my knees amidst the fiberglass. ...is a purely theoretical fire risk for poor twisted wiring connections becoming hot enough to ignite wood (or celulose insulation) from the resistance if buried inside a layer of thermal insulation. As far as fiberglass dense packing goes I would just google Intec and then call them and see what they say. Not yet, but we may do that. Are Blower-Door Regulations Too Big a Burden. Concerning the need for a top-side air barrier: In theory, you could install Tyvek on top of your attic cellulose. super satisfying, huh? I recommend 3.7 pounds per cubic foot for a 12-inch cavity or 4 pounds per cubic feet for an 18-inch cavity. This won't delete the articles you've saved, just the list. Swivel Blowing or Vacuum Hose Connector, 6 in. To begin, we review your weatherization plan developed at your previous no-cost Home Energy Assessment & the services we provide to gain the desired result. Be aware of the ventilation design of your attic. Concerning the big-box stories: If every rental tool outfit tried to anticipate all the stupidity out there, the rental guys would have to set up a classroom and spend two hours with every idiot before a tool could go out the door. Become a GBA Prime member and get full access to GBA articles, enyclopedia, videos, CAD library, and more. It's 750 cfm 50. All insulation can be shipped to you at home. 5-Bags per Box. In your case, you have mushroom vents; although these meet code, they are not the preferred method for ventilating an attic. It can also be used for wall spray applications, seal and insulate projects and other energy upgrades. I heard scuttlebut to the effect that when a fire investigator cannot pin down a cause, "electrical fire" is a default conclusion. The best tool for transforming attic contents (Barbies, plastic Christmas ornaments, and children's rocking chairs) into shredded insulation is a brush chipper. That way you would only have 3.5 feet of insulation bearing down and compressing the lower part. For more information on these issues, see All About Attic Venting. Through the Home MVP Program, DOER offers incentives for customized home energy improvements, including traditional energy efficiency measures like air sealing and insulation … Im going to be doing some wall dense pack cellulose insulation with the Krendl 425 blower from menards does anyone have any tips for me and is it really nessary to reduce the hose size from 2 1/2" to 1 1/2 ". This is the unit that can be rented at the local lumberyard and I have gotten mixed messages about what densities it is capable of. What are a few brands that you carry in blown-in insulation? There was blocking in place to prevent the cellulose that was initially installed from clogging up the vent and prevent air from entering the attic. Deeper cavities require more experienced installers, since multiple hose passes are required.”. You're not the first person who has been frustrated by the stickiness of canned spray foam. I noticed that GreenFiber now sells an "premium All Borate" version of their cellulose. On units similar to this that I have rented, the controller for the machine is on a very long power cord. The floor of the school’s attic had a thin layer of fiberglass insulation, so I made sure that the retrofit specs called for the installation of a layer of thick cellulose on top of the fiberglass. You need to add to the blocking before adding more cellulose or the new stuff is going to spill over the old blocking and cover the vents. Thanks very much for your helpful comments. What is the top-selling insulation blowing machine & parts product? Actually, you CAN dense pack with the machine you are showing in the picture, it looks like the Cyclone. Tristan, This summer, my brothers and sons finished drywalling the ceiling and walls of the second floor, so the next step was to blow cellulose in the attic. x 25 ft. Urethane Flex Blowing Hose, 3 in. I no longer worry, except convincing any future buyer that it's OK. We just bought a house in Coos County NH the entire attic is knob and tube wiring. In some attics, this area is blocked by insulation. Random layers of webbing...somewhat see through. If you are going to air seal with foam and need more than a couple cans, get a pro gun via the local real lumberyard or mail order. Eric, construction details. Yes, it is super satisfying. I'm about to tackle this same project this winter in the unfinished attic of my 1871 CT home, Martin. There are far more fires caused by decrepit many decades old BX wiring, which unlike insulation knob & tube, has myriad documented real world fires. Special equipment and safety measures are required to ensure long-term performance. The two tricks to getting that density was closing the slide gate way down and belly out the netting and then compressing it with a roller. Yeah, I wouldn't trust it for a double stud wall and not have it slump in the future. When I spoke to Bill Hulstrunk (an expert on cellulose insulation) on this issue, here's what he said: "We have never seen a sagging issue due to the weight of the cellulose installed above a ceiling. Ammonium Sulfate costs less than Borate. If you want to do construction work, do your homework. Other mistakes can kill your clients. Loose-fill is also easier to install because you don’t have to move around and navigate attic joists as much as when installing roll insulation – and The Home Depot … This machine is ideal for installation of loose fill cellulose insulation throughout any area of the home. I would just consider putting in fireblocks at 3.5 foot intervals. I'm glad that my article arrived at the right time. Response to Nathan Spriegel You've done a good job explaining how you did it. I'd put off blowing this attic until I found someone to help and this morning, after reading the post, I decided to do it myself. Martin, Can you get the All Borate version at big box stores? So if a dam or break is needed, any tips on the easiest way to do it? Response to Dan Kolbert (Comment #25) Satin Nickel Reinforced Rubber Door Sweep. A foot of 40 ga copper has a 1 ohm resistance. And one more piece of advice - don't do it in August. Vacuum only - required accessories (Hose, hose sleeves and band clamps) sold separately. Or a combination? 3. Misleading Energy Reports Used to Sell Spray Foam, http://celbar.com/wp-content/themes/celbar/assets/pdf/Ammonium%20Sulfate.pdf, Saving Sustainably: Air Sealing and Insulation, Installing Insulation With the X-Floc Ventilated Dry Injection System. If you can, avoid trying to air seal with loose insulation in the immediate vicinity. Response to Andrew C. (Comment #15) A typical machine can blow in up to 35 bags of cellulose in one hour! Give them a call. Response to Keith H Greenfiber® is a blow-in cellulose insulation that perfectly fills gaps and … Response to Bill Rose (Comment #16) x 50 ft. MARK ll Clear Blowing Hose, This powerful, multi-purpose industrial vacuum. If you need to install these baffles, you’ll also need to install insulation dams from the top plates of your exterior walls to the underside of the ventilation baffles."). There is no simple answer to your question. Keith, Can I just blow the insulation into the edges with wild abandon? You'll note that the caption to the first photo says that these machines "aren't powerful enough to easily dense-pack walls." There was fiberglass batt with loose fiberglass blown on top (but not much). Rob, It will clump. The blower machine consists of a hopper (for dumping in bags of loose insulation), engine, the blower … The top-selling insulation blowing machine & parts product is the Vortec Beast 6 in. I found that when I did the attic, taping a broom handle to the end made even distribution far easier, especially when hanging off the rafters with my other hand. Researchers have learned that adding a little more cellulose (increasing the depth of the cellulose) has the same positive effects that a top-side air barrier would have, at a lower cost and for less hassle. I'd rather avoid having to rent a truck (& again to return it) & rent the blower (6 bags is below the store's minimum for a free blower rental). Anybody have any experience with actual benchtop setups that would replicate burning cellulose with copper resistance? Most ceilings have a lot of air leaks, but your ceiling may be one of the rare ones that is relatively airtight. Insulating your attic probably comes somewhere below cleaning gutters or washing windows on the list of things you’d like to do. Each bag is 6 ft. x 4 ft. and holds estimated 75 CF. Thanks for your comments. Rhino 3.0 Bags have 180% greater tensile strength then white insulation vacuum bags. Since GBA tries to do better than the average big-box store, I have added a warning about knob-and-tube wiring to my article. Ideally it would be a loose spiral splice that would enlarge with heat, but even so the contact resistance seems to be in milliohms. If you've ever looked at the backside of typar house wrap, it looks just like it. 5. This was an easy one-day job, and there were three willing workers…. Box store blowers and Spider fg for walls? Yes, typar will leak air like They don't all have slide gates and the ones that do not I know aren't suitable. A. The machine has wheels for easier maneuverability and transport and comes with 100 feet of hose … What are a few brands that you carry in insulation blowing machine & … While these insulation blowers aren't powerful … I slightly worried for a year or so but then started to think about the physics of it all. As a side note, I did a blower door test on this house before any air sealing or insulating in 1988 and had a 2000 cfm 50 value. I think of storage as providing some thermal resistance, and have wondered what is the R-value of a 16" thickness of Barbie dolls. We have blown very high R-values, up to R-100, and never had any issues with the ceiling sagging.".