Procedure for blowing in attic insulation

[Rusty Bumper]

I have never done this before. I plan on purchasing blown insulation from Menards and renting one of their blower machines.
Here is the part I am worried about....
I have 8' between the trusses on a 26x48 pole building with 14' sidewalls. The cieling will be metal. I really do not want to walk on the ceiling even though it is considered "structeral steel". I am 180 pounds.
Should I construct a couple of runs to walk on? I suppose I will have to though.
How far do you think the blower shoots out the insulation? Can I blow it 10 feet or do you think it just plops the insulation out right in front of you?
Also, at the sidewalls where the soffit lets in the air, I assume I need to leave a 4" air gap so the insulation does not touch the roof metal. this gap will allow air flow from the soffit to the peak, right?
I hope some of you can provide me some advise. Maybe I should search youtube for some videos.
Rusty

 

[bullnerd]

Check out my build in my sig, pics of the soffit baffles.

 

[kd3pc]

the distance you get is related to the power of the machine and how high you can hold the nozzle, most I use give you 6-8' easily....and that is holding it at hip level.

As to walking the ceiling....don't. rig two sets of rat lines, or do one side at a time, take a break, move the rat lines to the other side and then pick back up. Doing a building your size will be work.

For sure do the baffles, before you get going, ideally you would have done them before the ceiling was put in, easier that way, but now you will need to get to each area and install the baffle. I used staple gun, but most of my construction is 2x lumber. I would suggest some clips or really good duct tape to hold the baffles.

Best of luck, and you will need an assistant to load and fluff the insulation, and some form of communication to start/stop the machine unless menards has a switch on the nozzle.

Don't forget eye, ear and mouth safety gear, perhaps knee pads, if you are an old guy, and at least a cap on your head, you WILL find a screw or nail sometime during the installation. Gloves for sure when in the metal structure, again those screws will find you.

 

[fred d]

Good advice here
If you are doing the celulous material it is important that the machine never gets completely empty.
Have 1-2 helpers constantly loading the hopper. If you get a point where the machine gets empty while running, you will get a big **** of atomized insulation which makes it almost impossible to see because the air is filled with tiny bits of insulation.

 

[Rusty Bumper]

Thanks, I will install the baffles before the cieling goes up. Good idea.
There are rat runs up there, I might lay another to gige me more surface to walk on.
Nice baffle pictures Bullnerd.
I found some very nice informative videos on the manufactures web site.
Rusty

 

[brewchief]

Before you diy it get a couple of quotes, I've known guys to get a whole building done for only 100$ more then buying the material at a home center.

 

[Zeke]

I've always heard that insulation contractors buy the stuff so cheap that by the time you buy the stuff, rent the machine, transport, install, return... you would have an = amount invested as to what they charge.

And they will have planks etc. Plus, if they get hurt you will be safely on the ground. Remember, if you are not experienced, you will be walking the runs wrapped up in PPE and moving about a bulky hose. Easy to get distracted. At least get an estimate.

 

[larry_g]

Before you diy it get a couple of quotes, I've known guys to get a whole building done for only 100$ more then buying the material at a home center.

My experience also. If I remember correctly it was cheaper to have it done than I could have bought the materials for.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[Denwood]

Yep, just did spray foam on my garage ceiling. Cheaper from the contractor than DIY. I did my entire house (injection cellulose) and attic, and the procedure is very simple. In your attic, it will be incredibly dusty.

Make sure you force in air with an exit vent and have lighting (not hot lights!) so you can see what you're doing. Other than that, cellulose in an attic is maybe the easiest DIY you'll ever do. Just make sure 1 person is feeding the hopper at all times

 

[terry603]

if you do it yourself, make a mark on your trusses for how much insulation you are going to put it

 

[Cjk]

I just did my shop ceiling this summer. 500 bags of cellulose. I called a few guys for estimates but they were all quite a bit more than I thought a days work was worth. $1500-2000 above what I bought the material for at Menards on sale. We had the baffles installed before the ceiling was done. I had 2x12s laid across the trusses to walk on but they were too heavy to move around so we ended up using 2x6s. They bowed but didn't break. I had 2 friends help and it took about 10hrs to do 3600sf of r60. I cut bags open and fed the machine while one of them blew insulation and the other moved planks to move around on and the tripod light we had up there.

According to the manufacturer info, 360 bags should have been enough. Not sure if they were overly optimistic or our machine wasn't grinding and fluffing it properly bet we had to run and get another 140 to finish.

Marking the trusses is a good idea for depth control.

You will also need to build a wall around your hatch to keep the insulation from falling in it. We used 2" foam board scraps left over from the under slab insulation. Made 4 walls and a few sheets to lay on top of the hatch cover for extra r value.

It is messy. The sprayer will end up covered in dust so a mask is a must. The feeder will also get pretty dusty and I would recommend a mask.

 

[rburke65]

I have a 32'x56 13' plus walls and an attic. Figured my costs and got a quote and it was $100 more than my material costs. I wrote the check. They were in and out in 3 hours. A no brainer!

 

[Acuratechva]

Whatever you do, dont get the HD rental insulation blower. I had the hardest time keeping it from clogging up, plus cellulose in bricks does not fit at once and you have to manualy brake it up. Superior pain in the ***. I ended up paying someone to lay those itchy fiberglass sheets.

 

[6768rogues]

I have done it and it is easy.
First, get a 12 pack of beer but hide it in the fridge.
Install baffles so the insulation does not go where you don't want it to go.
Install some boards to use as a cat walk.
Install some paint sticks vertically with the top at the pre-settled insulation depth, or, as mentioned, mark the trusses. You need a reference for depth.
Get a good portable work light. It will be dusty and you need to see.
Put a 5 or 6 foot length of PVC pipe on the end of the hose. That will allow you to reach way over near the eaves to where you cannot fit your body.
Work from the far point to where you bring the hose in.
Have a buddy keep the insulation machine full.
Wear personal protective gear.
Have a good electrical supply planned. The machine I used was borrowed from a friend and needed 30 Amps at 220 Volts.
When you are done, share the 12 pack with your helper.
Note that I said to hide the beer. My buddy drank most of it while he was tending the machine, so I only got a couple.

 

[bodyguy16]

I helped my brother in law with an atti-cat owens corning insulation job at they're house, it was a breeze we got the insulation and machine from home depot did it all in one day. Reached a r-60 as we had a few extra bags and i must say ots much cleaner and less toxic than the average cellolose job.

Might wanna consider it over cellulose.

 

[Rusty Bumper]

Thank you guys. You are helping me plan. The inspector was here today and gave me a great idea for the baffles. He said to use scrap OSB or what ever I have that will stop the blown in insulation from going into my soffits. Run this from my top bookshelf board right up against the metal roof. The ribs in the metal will be plenty to get the air up.
Rusty

 

[Highbeam]

I just layed out two rows of 24" wide batts along the edge of the attic so that the blown in would be 4 feet away from the soffits. The batts were of the thickness that still allowed plenty of gap to the roof deck.

 

[Diesel Dan]

I have a 32'x56 13' plus walls and an attic. Figured my costs and got a quote and it was $100 more than my material costs. I wrote the check. They were in and out in 3 hours. A no brainer!

Sent you a PM