Blown in insulation DIY

[tomstin]

Has anyone use the blown in insulation machines that Home Depot has when you buy the bags of insulation? I have roughly 400 sq ft of attic that only has about 6 inches of insulation that is 20 years old. Was considering using the machine from HD. Any tips or tricks? Experience?

 

[unslow1]

Take your time and make sure you get helpers. I also wore mask, gloves, goggles and flannels that I intended to throw away upon completion.

 

[58Yeoman]

I used one from Menard's a few years ago, to do the attic/walk space in my previous house. I had drilled holes in the top plates of the walls to fit the nozzle (the house was built in '36, and had no insulation in the walls). I ran the hose through an attic window and filled the walls, then did the floors. My brother was outside putting the bales into the machine. Wear a dust mask. It went very well.

 

[todd_fuller]

Make sure you don't do this solo... if you can have 2 helpers, that would be ideal. The machine needs constant feeding. Feeding the machine isn't that easy as you need to kind of break up the compacted insulation to fit through the grate. The 2nd helper takes some of the load off the feeder so they don't have to heft around the bales.

For blowing the insulation, I'd tape the hose to the end of a broom stick. Makes it a lot easier to get into corners as well as keep you from having to move around all over to get good coverage.

 

[Macgyver_ga]

It's pretty easy with two people.

I insulated my garage ceiling and blew in more insulation in the rest of the attic at my old house. I plan on doing my new house pretty soon.

My buddy loaded the hopper down in the garage and I was up in the attic in coveralls and a dust mask manning the hose.

A little tip for shooting insulation down by the soffits, aim the hose at the underside of the roof sheathing and bounce it off the sheathing. it'll fall right into place and not drop into the soffit area. You'll get the hang of it pretty quick.

Winter time is the best time to do it haha.

 

[AldeanFan]

I did it with a friend a few years ago.

He fed the machine while i was in my attic blowing. get a good mask and goggles.
We put the machine on the porch which kept alot of mess out of my house. Feeding the machine was alot of work, had to break up the insulation with a stick.

Guy at the rental place said not to buy insulation from home depot as it sits around and gets compacted and clogs the machine, they recommended to buy from a smaller local place.

I attached 20" 1x2's throughout the attic so I could see the depth I had reached.

That insulation paid for its self in 3 months from lower heating bills!

 

[DC73]

I've blown cellulose using machines from both Lowes and Home Depot. Those machines generally work but are not always returned clean and ready to go. I had to disassemble and clean one machine before I could get it to work. It had so much insulation clogging up the motor that it kept shutting off on thermal overload.

Two person job. One to load the machine and one to blow the insulation.

If you choose to blow fiberglass, get enough protective gear that you can cover yourself from head to toe and especially protect your eyes and lungs. Those fibers can get everywhere although I'm told the current stuff produces much less fiber in the air than the stuff from previous years.

Blowing cellulose can be a messy job but I prefer it to fiberglass. It's easy to clean up later and there are no itchy fibers to deal with. Plus, it blocks the movement of air much better than does fiberglass.

DC

 

[Hcooperrn]

Just did the attic and sidewalls of my garage with the Lowe's cellulose brand. Super easy to do with the above advice, I used a full-on respirator style mask and glad I did.

I drilled holes at the top of the stud cavities and filled the walls as well. It made one heck of a mess. I ended up opening all the garage doors and using a leaf blower inside to get the mess out.

Huge difference noticeable right away. The temps dropped to near 0, which used to mean my garage would dip below freezing. Now, with a 220 electric fan heater running about 5-10 minutes every hour, it keeps it around 50.

 

[TLCObsession]

I have done cellulose several times. Last spring I did 1600 sq/ft with my 10 year old feeding the machine. Kept the machine in my pickup and stacked the bales all around it. I only had to come out of the attic 3 times - and I needed a break anyway. A good mask, no contacts, couple of flashlights and a radio are handy. A 3M half mask with P100 filters makes life much nicer.

 

[finn]

My wife and I have used both the cellulose and fiberglass machines.

The Aircat brand (I think) fiberglass machine was easier and cleaner to use by several orders of magnitude compared to the previous cellulose machines I used or even other fibergalss machines.

I would never consider blowing cellulose again. I was hacking that dust up for days and it really makes a mess. No problem with the fiberglass.

I was somewhat concerned that I would have a fiberglass itch, but the new glass is apparently processed such that the ends of the fiber don't stick into your skin. I suspect there is some type of high temp melting process to blunt the ends of the fiber to help handling the stuff.

 

[St-rider]

They have paper strips marked in inches to use as a guide to help keep the depth even through out the attic. Staple them to the trusses.

Also, get the tyvec coveralls.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Unbrande...rall-with-Hood-and-Boot-141232-12HD/203555521

 

[CKS1955]

I insulated my shop attic back in November. Was planning on renting the Menards insulation blower, but it was already out. So we used the Home Depot machine (free with 20 bundles), but you get what you pay for. The machine is slow and needs to watched closely for clogging. The Menards machine is more of a pro machine (Krendl). Stop by Home Depot, then go look at Menards machine, big difference. Definitely worth the rental price.

http://www.menards.com/main/krendl-...422651654-c-19169.htm?tid=4110366999241599269

http://www.homedepot.com/c/insulation_equipment_rental

Jay

 

[jevoy]

Install baffle vents and plug the cavity from the top plate to the bottom of your sheating with batt insulation to keep the blown in from filling your softit cavity.

 

[Tempest 455]

My son and I did mine last spring with the HD until. Huge difference in temp on the ceiling via temp gun.

 

[awdblazer]

atticat is the cats ***
take a bale cut it in half, feed bale plastic and all into unit and the unit cuts the plastic away and you pull it out
i blew in an r60 from a r12 in 1000sqft in less than a hour
i had picked up the blower and dropped it off within the hour!!!
i was fully covered with tyvek coveralls safety glasses and i wasnt itchy at all

My wife and I have used both the cellulose and fiberglass machines.

The Aircat brand (I think) fiberglass machine was easier and cleaner to use by several orders of magnitude compared to the previous cellulose machines I used or even other fibergalss machines.

I would never consider blowing cellulose again. I was hacking that dust up for days and it really makes a mess. No problem with the fiberglass.

I was somewhat concerned that I would have a fiberglass itch, but the new glass is apparently processed such that the ends of the fiber don't stick into your skin. I suspect there is some type of high temp melting process to blunt the ends of the fiber to help handling the stuff.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I've dug more of the **** out of attics than I have installed. I don't care for the stuff at all but to each his own.


Before you blow it in, make sure your electrical is up to snuff. If you have any electrical fixtures in the ceiling below you, mark their location on the underside of the roof decking right above them with some spray paint. Why ? If you ever had to find them, you'll be thank you did and so will the fire guys if that outlet has issues.

 

[finn]

atticat is the cats ***
take a bale cut it in half, feed bale plastic and all into unit and the unit cuts the plastic away and you pull it out
i blew in an r60 from a r12 in 1000sqft in less than a hour
i had picked up the blower and dropped it off within the hour!!!
i was fully covered with tyvek coveralls safety glasses and i wasnt itchy at all

That's the one:
Atticat.

Worked great.

Got it from my local building supply store.

 

[MushCreek]

I was going to do my new house, but hired a guy for less than the cost of materials. I don't know how he does it so cheap. I did have to call him back out, as they shorted me 6" over a large area, but they topped it up without complaint. I shot an elevation with my laser level and made marks all over the trusses so I would know what the depth was- that's how I discovered that they shorted me. I also built a raised catwalk down the center of the attic above the insulation level. Not about to wade through 18" of cellulose...

 

[boiler7904]

A couple of questions for the guys that have blown cellulose or fiberglass:

What type of insulation were you adding to? I currently have fiberglass batts in the attic over the house but nothing over my attached garage.

What did you do for airsealing of ceiling penetrations? Between ceiling boxes for lights and ceiling fans, exhaust fans in the bathrooms, and some recessed can lights, I have to imagine I'm losing a decent amount of conditioned air to the attic that needs to be corrected before adding insulation.

MushCreek mentioned building a raised catwalk to avoid wading through the insulation in the future. Anyone else do that? I would be interested to hear / see how you did it.

 

[sands35]

A couple of questions for the guys that have blown cellulose or fiberglass:

What type of insulation were you adding to? I currently have fiberglass batts in the attic over the house but nothing over my attached garage.

What did you do for airsealing of ceiling penetrations? Between ceiling boxes for lights and ceiling fans, exhaust fans in the bathrooms, and some recessed can lights, I have to imagine I'm losing a decent amount of conditioned air to the attic that needs to be corrected before adding insulation.

MushCreek mentioned building a raised catwalk to avoid wading through the insulation in the future. Anyone else do that? I would be interested to hear / see how you did it.

For recessed lights, you need to know if they are insulation contact and air tight or not. You can get cellulose caps to put over them or you can make caps with foil faced foam board (make sure it has a fire rating. Foam / tape them in. Apparently temperature rise inside can requires NM-B wire (higher temp rating than NM wire). Even better to replace the bulbs with retrofits (the ones where the LED bulb is integrated into a trim ring) to control temperatures inside the fixture.

My attic was lit up like a disco floor with the holes in the ceiling cans. Non IC, non AT cans, but they are plastered in, so I just capped them and put in retrofit LED bulbs for the lights.

Calk, foam and tape around the bath fans and ducts.

I build smaller boxes for ceiling fan boxes. Foamed over the boxes for fire alarms and foamed up holes in the top plates for wall penetrations.

 

[Duck tape Bill]

I just did this in my house last week over Christmas break. I did 15 inches over 1417sqft, so roughly 2500lbs (125 bags) of the stuff (cellulose). It took almost exactly 10 hours to blow that much in, so figure on about 10-12 bags an hour if you've never done it before. Also as sands35 mentioned, definitely check any recessed lights, and fix any air penetrations from the floor below.

You will need a respirator, not a dust mask or your t-shirt over your face, but the kind with the pink filters on the sides. I completely clogged mine up by the time it was over. Cellulose is VERY dusty, so use some plastic sheeting, or something similar, to cover whatever access hole you are using. As several people has said, it's a minimum two person job (3 is better).

Some other useful tips I learned:
1. if the hose isn't long enough (online it says you get 100ft, but all three HD's I went to only gave a single 50ft) you can stick the end of a normal shopvac hose into the end of the hose it comes with, and it works great (I added another 25ft shopvac hose to mine). And the strait sections of shopvac tubing work great to get out to the soffits.
2. you can tie a long stick to the hose to help reach the soffits (although I found my shopvac tubing worked better)
3. you need lots of light to see what you are doing. This stuff is dusty, so it can be hard to see sometimes.
4. a Tyvek suite is highly recommended.
5. use something to mark how high you want the insulation. I used 2"x15" pieces of cardboard stapled to my roof trusses, so I just had to fill until I didn't see the cardboard any more.

 

[MushCreek]

I did the same thing; built boxes for all my ceiling penetrations. Don't believe 'ICAT"; I could see plenty of light coming through those, too.

My attic is full of trusses, so I just screwed a piece of 2X4 across the webs about 20" up, then ran 2X6 lengthwise on top of them. Makes it nice for scurrying around up there, even before the insulation goes in.

<a href="http://s84.photobucket.com/user/flgargoyle/media/006-5.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k18/flgargoyle/006-5.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 006-5.jpg"/></a>

<a href="http://s84.photobucket.com/user/flgargoyle/media/392.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k18/flgargoyle/392.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 392.jpg"/></a>

 

[cyclopsblown34]

Oh boy, you guys sound like this is work and I hate work. I have an 1100sf shop and in the center length of the attic have an eight foot by full length walkway. Since I'm considering this late this winter or early next fall, what do you recommend for out by the soffits? I'm a car builder, not a contractor, so I need simple home improvement store terms for what to use. Thank you, Chip.

 

[sands35]

Need to get soffit vents.

These things:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/ADO-Prod...h-Built-In-Baffle-10-Ctn-UDVB234610/202389935

Ideally, they go in before the ceiling is up. That way, they can be sealed so outside air doesn't blow down the top surface of the ceiling drywall.

If not, then just slip them into the soffit gap and stable them to the bottom of the roof deck. If the roof pitch is so that you can get down to the where the roof deck meets the top plate, then foam them to seal it up.

The thing is that an order of magnitude more water vapor comes through air gaps then through wall board. It can create condensation problems you don't want to have. I don't know how much heat you loose, but in a big attic, I'll bet you would see an improvement in a heating bill with proper air sealing.

 

[Mitheral]

Before you rent the machine phone around to insulators for an installed price. When I did my shop I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I could get it installed for only $30 more than it would cost me for the insulation from the building supply borg. That was $30 very well spent.

 

[DC73]

A couple of questions for the guys that have blown cellulose or fiberglass:

What type of insulation were you adding to? I currently have fiberglass batts in the attic over the house but nothing over my attached garage.

What did you do for airsealing of ceiling penetrations?

I've blown cellulose directly over fiberglass batts and it worked out very well. I like that the cellulose helps prevent air movement through the fiberglass and I like that it covers the inevitable gaps in batt insulation.

I've done air sealing in the attic but I've also done it from down below. Attention to detail is required in either case.

For air sealing from inside the house: I pull down all vent grilles and caulk the gap between the grille boot and the drywall. I pull down all ceiling fixtures and caulk the gap between the junction box and the drywall. I then use a low expansion spray foam where the wire(s) exits or where there may be holes in the junction box. You don't need much to seal the hole and you shouldn't fill the junction box with foam (that would be a code violation). The goal is to simply get enough foam to stop the air from moving through the box. If you get too much, wait for it to dry, then cut it back (pulling chunks out with needle nose pliers works). One trick is to put the nozzle from the spray foam can through the hole to be sealed and spray a bit of foam outside the box while pulling the nozzle backwards through the hole. This minimizes foam inside the box. Be careful when working around electricity. Cut the power if needed or use insulated tools and heavy clean leather gloves.

I do the same air sealing to switch and outlet boxes on the walls. I also use spray foam or caulk to seal any plumbing penetrations under sinks, etc. You can use the foam gaskets under switch plates and outlet plates. They work fairly well but if you want to be sure, caulk and spray foam is a better option.

If you want to be extreme with air sealing, do it in both the attic and from down below while also pulling baseboards and sealing the bottom of the drywall and the bottom plate of the wall framing.

DC

 

[tomstin]

Thanks for all the tips. It's a small, 20+ year old town home with what appears to be maybe 6 inches of fiberglass. I recently replaced both the pot light and bath fan with IC fixtures and taped the edges with aluminum tape. I also added to the sofit vent guards that were there so I'll have plenty of height without blocking the vents.

I like the idea of marking the electrical boxes so if they do need service you know where to start. Also plan on marking along the wall and joists as a reference of how deep to go.

Better yet, probably worth a phone call or two to get a price on having it done...maybe worth not having to DIY.

Thanks to all!

 

[Falcon67]

A couple of questions for the guys that have blown cellulose or fiberglass:

What type of insulation were you adding to? I currently have fiberglass batts in the attic over the house but nothing over my attached garage.

What did you do for airsealing of ceiling penetrations? Between ceiling boxes for lights and ceiling fans, exhaust fans in the bathrooms, and some recessed can lights, I have to imagine I'm losing a decent amount of conditioned air to the attic that needs to be corrected before adding insulation.

MushCreek mentioned building a raised catwalk to avoid wading through the insulation in the future. Anyone else do that? I would be interested to hear / see how you did it.

Use duct sealer around vents, can light penetration, etc. Works for more than just inside of air ducts. Good for sealing anything to the surrounding drywall.

Also, I need to find some can covers - I just put in 8 can lights, all IC rated. Fluffed the white blown in junk in our attic around and piled it over the lights - stick my hand up in the cans and I can fee air moving. So whatever the builder used *****. There's not enough anyway so when I'm done we'll go get some bundles and use an Atticat. McCoys has one locally and just from looking at it, it's the way to go.

While you're looking for air penetrations, check all your door strikes. We were losing 10+ CFM through every door strike in the house.

 

[gnpenning]

In the past I always did this myself. This last home I got a bid. It was only $80 to have someone come in and do it. I had more pressing things to do on the house. Not sure they got in the corners as well as I would have. After 7 winters in this house and holding snow I can't complain.

Which every way you go you have some great advise. Sealing penetration and marking locations, and depth makers are always a good idea. Loved the rat runs Mushcreek. Not sure if you set the bottoms for the insulation height or not but way better than they most do it. I put switched lights with the switch down below and a couple outlets in the attic. Got to use the lights this summer when I had to check the thermostatic fan. Beats the heck out of a flashlight.

 

[speed bump]

I did my 768 sq ft garage attic by myself and all I have to say is beg, bribe or indenture your neighbor at gun point to help you. I don't think I have ever been as sore as doing it by myself made me.

Also check your local lumber yards. My do it best store was the cheapest by $0.25 a bale and I got 300 ft of hose.

 

[shadyluke]

Preparing my shop for a ceiling and blown in insulation. What kind of distance does the insulation reach from the end of the hose when blowing it in. I have a 30x40 with a low pitch roof and trusses on 4' centers. I will throw a couple boards down in the middle but trying to figure out how far out I will be able to reach from the middle.

 

[finn]

Preparing my shop for a ceiling and blown in insulation. What kind of distance does the insulation reach from the end of the hose when blowing it in. I have a 30x40 with a low pitch roof and trusses on 4' centers. I will throw a couple boards down in the middle but trying to figure out how far out I will be able to reach from the middle.

The blowers I've rented shot about 15'.

You can duct tape a length of PVC pipe to the end of the hose to increase the reach.

 

[Duck tape Bill]

Preparing my shop for a ceiling and blown in insulation. What kind of distance does the insulation reach from the end of the hose when blowing it in. I have a 30x40 with a low pitch roof and trusses on 4' centers. I will throw a couple boards down in the middle but trying to figure out how far out I will be able to reach from the middle.

The machine I had (green one from HD) would blow the cellulose about 4-5 feet from the hose it came with (depending on the angle/height off the floor). I ended up needing a little more hose length, so I just used my 25ft 2.25" shopvac hose to extend it (the one it comes with is 2.5") that little bit of restriction really speeds up the flow of air, and I found I could blow it 6-7ft with the smaller hose. Another trick I learned was to use the rigid tubes that go on the end of the shopvac hose, it allowed it to blow farther and I didn't have to lean out or climb closer to the soffits.

 

[shadyluke]

The blowers I've rented shot about 15'.

You can duct tape a length of PVC pipe to the end of the hose to increase the reach.

The machine I had (green one from HD) would blow the cellulose about 4-5 feet from the hose it came with (depending on the angle/height off the floor). I ended up needing a little more hose length, so I just used my 25ft 2.25" shopvac hose to extend it (the one it comes with is 2.5") that little bit of restriction really speeds up the flow of air, and I found I could blow it 6-7ft with the smaller hose. Another trick I learned was to use the rigid tubes that go on the end of the shopvac hose, it allowed it to blow farther and I didn't have to lean out or climb closer to the soffits.

Awesome. I did actually get a call back from Lowes to quote me for this and already got the run around that they aren't sure if they can do a pole barn. I seriously hate incompetence.

Now I just need to decide if I actually need a vapor barrier. It isn't heated full time. My house doesn't have a vapor barrier in the attic.

 

[ratdoggy]

I drilled holes at the top of the stud cavities and filled the walls as well. It made one heck of a mess. I ended up opening all the garage doors and using a leaf blower inside to get the mess out.

.

Is there a trick to knowing when the wall cavity is filled?
What about a vapor barrier for a garage? Do you need one for the walls and ceiling?

 

[Hcooperrn]

I have 10' side walls, and I knew there was a fireblock about 2' off the floor down the whole wall. I used a 6" recessed light hole saw at the top of each section, and drilled a few 1" holes in some random areas. The machine specifically said it was not designed to fill wall cavities -- I'm guessing that's because it was fairly low pressure, or it didn't have any kind of safety to prevent overfilling (and popping the drywall).

With that, it was pretty simple -- I stuck the hose in a few inches, my dad turned it on and started feeding it, I kept my hand over most of the gap, and when I started getting blasted in the face, it was full. When he shut it off, I used the last little bit it blew out to finish filling the hole. My spot holes all showed I was getting all the way down to the fireblock, and I didn't worry about that bottom two feet.

I'm sure it isn't the perfect density for optimal R-value, but it worked, and the garage is a lot warmer. The walls are wrapped on the outside from construction, so I wasn't worried about vapor barrier. I'm also lucky enough to live in the dry air of CO, which helps.

 

[Mitheral]

Now I just need to decide if I actually need a vapor barrier. It isn't heated full time. My house doesn't have a vapor barrier in the attic.

If you are in a heating climate you need a vapour barrier. The better the continuous seal the better. So boots around electrical boxes (or vapour boxes). Acoustical sealant on all joints. Seal all penetrations with the acoustical seal. Use the acoustical seal to seal the plastic to the edge of window and door rough framing. Then after the windows and doors are in fill the gaps with spray foam.

The better the vapour barrier the better your overall insulation value. It is also one of the steps needed to prevent wall cavity mould because it prevents warm moisture laden air from condensing out inside your insulation.

 

[amalik]

I've blown cellulose using machines from both Lowes and Home Depot. Those machines generally work but are not always returned clean and ready to go. I had to disassemble and clean one machine before I could get it to work. It had so much insulation clogging up the motor that it kept shutting off on thermal overload.

Two person job. One to load the machine and one to blow the insulation.

If you choose to blow fiberglass, get enough protective gear that you can cover yourself from head to toe and especially protect your eyes and lungs. Those fibers can get everywhere although I'm told the current stuff produces much less fiber in the air than the stuff from previous years.

Blowing cellulose can be a messy job but I prefer it to fiberglass. It's easy to clean up later and there are no itchy fibers to deal with. Plus, it blocks the movement of air much better than does fiberglass.

DC

Hi,

If I may ask you a few questions regarding this topic...

Do you have to blow cellulose /fiberglass in? I saw a youtube video (This Old House channel) where they tore a bag open, dumped it in a cavity, and raked it around -- and then did that through a huge section of the attic. I guess if your R-value needed is high (Like mine), that would take forever.

I'm in a situation with very poor attic insulation and I'm evaluating bids. Contemplating a DIY but it's a ton of work.

I need R-49 in the attic and have 1,400 sq ft. worth to do, on top of adding a few soffit vents (There aren't nearly enough out there) and doing the air sealing process in the attic prior to insulation.

Current situation is old fiberglass batts (not much at that), and no air sealing. The only good thing I have going for me is a ridge vent; which isn't that effective because of not having many soffit vents as I mentioned.

Crawl space is also in my bid but really may not be a DIY. Vapor barrier on the floor doesn't sound too bad, but the exterior-facing foundation walls need closed-cell foam sprayed on them and there is special machinery and processes for that stuff from what one of the bidders told me.

 

[rustyjames]

From what I've researched around me, you won't really save much money DIYing it. The insulation contractors are so competitive you can't even get the materials for what they'd do the job for. When you factor in the running around time, and pain, it doesn't seem worth it.

 

[Abeo]

I blew in fibreglass in my 24x26 attic. No way I could have done it without a helper, and he made a "pushing stick" because the bales didn't go in correctly. After we figured out the bale problem, it went smooth and easy.

I used a disposable suit and a respirator. I could have used more light, it got really dark once the insulation was flying.