Can somebody post and tell me (show pictures) more about installing soffit baffles in my 1985 built rambler/ranch (4/12 roof). Would there not be some kind of baffles in place now.
I can see that I have blown in sulation now but how does one determine existing R value vs what I should have. I live in Western Wash state. Not that cold here but Id like to reduce my nat gas heating bill.
I plan to get contractor bids on the insulation
What about my 2 x ? floor joists (crawl space under house) only having R-19 fiberglas batt insulation. Might it be worth be adding R-11 unfaced onto the R-19 = R-30 ??????
You should have some type of insulation stop/baffle, should have been pretty popular by '85.
You'll have to figure out what kind of insulation you have. Try googling pictures to compare to whats in your attic if you don't know. Given the year of your house there's a small chance it could be vermiculite which in some cases(not all) is contaminated with asbestos. If it is vermiculite, get it tested by a lab to find out. Do not let anyone blow over vermiculite unless you are sure it is clean.
Anyways... Cellulose r-value is rated about 3.5 per inch. Fibreglass 4 per inch. Just measure the depth to find out what you're rated at.
Last question I can't answer without seeing your home. Depending on the size of the joist R-19 may be all that can be put in there.
i just got one quote for the insulation, 1700 dollars plus i would have to get a "roofing" guy in to put the baffles in, i guess he doesnt want the work
I don't recall the square footage, so I can't comment on the price, but I wouldn't be giving my business to a guy who thinks insulation stops are a roofers job.
If you already have fiberglass batt insulation in the walls, can they really blow in more cellulose without ripping out a bunch of drywall?
I ask because it seems like some exterior walls are not well insulated in our house and I'd love to address that if it wasn't a giant mess.
If you have fibreglass in your walls there isn't much you can do other then add a layer of styrofoam outside. Spraying in the walls like your thinking is commonly done for homes with wood shavings in the walls that have settled leaving no insulation at the top of the wall.
I want to hear more about these woodchips. Are they treated with some sort of fire retardant? You may want to think about taking those out before putting more insulation over the top of them.
Wood chips (and also newspapers) were common as insulation in old homes, think early 1900's when people made due with what they had. There is no fire rating. It's just better then nothing. It's possible that this was just the only option for insulation for many years.
Tell me more... I was thinking of getting rid of all the itchy fiberglass and getting cellulose in there under the impression that it's treated to be fireproof.
Unless you've got mold or some other damage to the insulation you'd only be causing yourself a lot of work and 'itch' by taking out fibreglass. There isn't anything wrong with fibreglass. Per inch it performs better then cellulose, if you have fibreglass and want more, I'd suggest fibreglass, cellulose is too heavy to be spraying on top.
Both fibreglass and cellulose are fire rated.
I am going to do this in my attice. The attic now was somewhat insulated by the previous owner with bat insulation. it also has some boards (Mostly MDF) laid down as a floor for storage. Would I leave the current insulation and boards in place, or would they have to be removed?
It would be a waste of energy to remove the old insulation. The boards are your call.
