1. First thing’s first, so you should start by removing any objects from the attic that might interfere with the actual insulating material. After you’re done with this, you’re ready to move onto the next step in our attic blown in insulation installment guide.
2. Stapling vent chutes is the second step you should make in order to ensure proper ventilation. Ventilation is very important in small places as well as in bigger and spacier places. It would a be good idea to also read on attic stair insulation because they’re one of the most overlooked areas in an attic when insulating.
3. Remember when I told you in the previous article how to mentally perform a simple calculus before starting the actual attic blown in insulation process ? If you don’t go back and re-read the previous article but if you do, here’s what you’ve got to do. Place one or more attic rulers in each quadrant of the attic space. This will help you know when you have achieved the correct depth of insulation. After you’re done with this, you’re ready to move on to the next step.
4. Start loading the blowing machine hopper with insulation and make sure to keep it almost full at any time so the insulation flow is smooth and even at any given time.
5. Hold the hose parallel to the floor with the insulation falling 10 – 12 feet away. Begin at the far wall and work toward the center. Always blow in the direction of the joists. Be careful to step only on floor joists, or else you might accidentally put your foot through the finished ceiling below.Fill three or four joist cavities by moving the hose to the right and left. Where possible, back away from the work to avoid packing the insulation. Be sure to get insulation to the top of the walls and low places. Don’t cover eave vents.Avoid using your hand as a baffle to direct the insulation as it exits the hose. Do this only when necessary to avoid packing.Keep the hose close to the floor where insulation must go under obstructions like cross bracing and wiring. Insulation must be blown on both sides of these kinds of obstructions. If an obstruction has caused a low spot to occur, fill in the area.
6. Check the thickness of the insulation and make sure it ensures you the R-value you’re looking for. If not, move on to next step – else you’re done, congratulations.
7. If you still feel you haven’t achieved the desired R-value or haven’t properly covered the cavities, drops or scuttles from your first insulating attempt you can do so now by using batts. ( refer to this guide on how to install additional attic batt insulation )

I hope you’ve enjoyed this short and simple guide.

Usually, the best mental calculation you can do is divide the space you want to insulate into four quadrants an divide the number of bags to the number of quadruants. Say, if you have 32 bags of attic blown in insulation then it would be 8 bags / quadruant. Whilst this isn’t nowhere as close to being an exact calculus, it’s a good starting point.

This type of insulation, the attic blown in insulation is an insulating material that comes very compressed in the bag so to make it fluffy and compact as you’re used to seeing it requires usage of specialized spray foam insulation equipment that takes it in its compact form, flufs it and afterwards blows it out on the other end.

That’s mostly all there is to know about attic blown in insulation, but if you’re looking for a simple guide on how to install attic blown in insulation check this link – How to install attic blown in insulation.

Attic insulation necessary equipment

When working with batt insulation, some form of protection equipment is necessary because of possible attic insulation dangers and because taking extra safety measures is always recommended. So, what you’ll need in this case are a long sleeved shirt, gloves, some form of eye protection and a dust mask – that’s it. Attic insulation doesn’t require too much protection but it is recommended you wear some, even if it comes in its basic form.

How much more insulation do I need ?

I’ve provided you with two simple to read graphics below, one is a state map and the other is a chart containing the recommended R-values for each zone ( marked with 1-6 on the map ).

Below you can see the chart for the recommended R-values for each zone.

Using some simple math we’re able to immediately calculate how much more insulation we’ll be needing, using this simple formula ( take into consideration this formula only works for batt insulation ).

Let’s say we’d like to achieve an R-value of 49 using only batt insulation ( which has an average R-value of 3.2 ), the way I’d do it would be like this:

49 / 3.2 = 15,31 ( the average thickness in centimeters of batt insulation )

15,31 / 2.5 = 6,1 inches. ( average thickness transformed into inches )

The result – we’ll need a thickness of 6.1″ to be able to achieve an R-49 using only batt insulation. Now, taking into consideration we’ll be using batt insulation over our existing insulation ( average R-value is 19 ) we’ll only need …

49-19 = 30; ( the difference between the two R-values )

30/3.2 = 9,375; ( dividing the difference with the average R-value of batt insulation )

9,375 / 2.5 = 3.75″. ( transforming it into inches )

So we’ll be needing an additional 3.75″ of batt insulation over our existing insulation – I hope this was pretty clear to everyone.

How do I install additional attic batt insulation ?

First make sure you’re going to use an unfaced batt ( one that comes without a foil layer ) so the insulation doesn’t trap even more moisture in the ceiling. Start laying the batts perpendicular to the joists and make sure they don’t compress the already existing insulation.

When laying the batts make sure not to cover can lights unless they are rated for contact with insulation and to use cardboard to keep soffit vents open. All the gaps and cracks between the living area and the attic should be filled using either caulk or expanding foam.

That’s it – it’s not rocket science. For any questions, feel free to contact me using the contact form at the top of the page.

Most of the homes built between the 1930 and the 1960 were insulated using fiberglass which was thought at that time to be the best type of insulation, boy they were wrong. One thing that’s actually weird is that fiberglass was never approved to be used as insulating material for the attic yet it was the most commonly encountered insulating material. Because of it’s nature fiberglass is actually being compared to asbestos to a certain level regarding the diseases it may cause.

Mold or fungus, the nasty greenish looking things that you commonly see in attics, so common yet so underestimated. Besides the fact that mold can damage the structural integrity of the building by eating away at the wood and drywall it can also cause severe breathing problems. Although insulated attics aren’t usually a good environment for fungus growth, in some circumstances where dust get trapped in the attic mold can occur. Dust alone isn’t the single contributing factor to the appearance of mold there are others as well, like a humid climate and moisture.

Asbestos has to be one of the worst insulating materials that exist on the market. Because of it’s structure, asbestos was considered at a certain point one of the best thermal insulation materials until they discovered the diseases it can cause.

Constructed of microscopic fibers, it can become airborne when disturbed and inhaled into the lungs. Once in the lungs they can cause numerous types of serious health problems including:

• Asbestosis is a serious, non-cancerous disease of the lungs that is caused by inhaling asbestos fibers. The lung tissue is irritated and scarring occurs, making it hard for oxygen to get into the blood. There is no effective treatment for asbestosis.
• Lung Cancer causes the most deaths related to asbestos exposure.
• Mesothelioma a rare form of cancer that is found in the membrane of the lung, chest, abdomen, and heart and, in almost all cases, is linked to exposure to asbestos.

The attic hatch serves as an attic access point for many houses, yet it’s one of the most inefficiently insulated attic access points in the house. This gap in our attic heat barrier increases heat loss during the winters and heat gain during the summer. Imagine this – a gap of only 1 inch wide can potentially leak almost the same amount of air that a typical bedroom heating duct can provide.

The pull-down stairs are yet another type of attic access that aren’t quite insulation friendly as they should be. The pull-down stairs roughly fit in a gap that leaves some extraneous space for the air to flow by and that’s a big no no for anyone that’s looking to save money on those heating bills.
If the gap is smallish (less than an inch), caulk could be used as a sealant. If a larger opening exists though non-expanding foam or a backer rod is what you should try in conjunction with caulk. Expanding foam could also be used but be extremely careful when using it as it might stop the stairs from opening properly.

The first thing you’ll want to do is to place some strips of plywood down the length of your attic, these pieces of plywood will serve as a walkway for later on. If you’re planning on leaving some spare space to use for storage remember to place some plywood there as well so you don’t accidentally step through the ceiling.

The second thing you should do is measure the length and width of the attic, the measurements will help you determine what thickness your cellulose insulation should be and how much you need to buy. Using the formula provided on the back of the insulation packages and some simple math calculations you’ll be able to tell how much cellulose insulation you need.

Next, we’ll have to purchase the insulation and some special protection equipment, like dust masks and goggles. After you’ve made all the necessary purchases, head on to a insulation blower rental place and make sure you understand how to use it before even thinking of trying it.

To help prevent the foam from drifting into the house we’ll need to use a cardboard wall around the access door. There isn’t a specific type of cardboard you should be using here any regular cardboard will do.

Attic insulations usually come pre-equipped with vapor barriers to keep the moisture out, however this doesn’t mean it’s fail proof and leakages can occur where the facings meet. One of the most problematic things with attic insulation and vapor barriers is how to properly combine them and leave out the moisture.

The phenomenon that usually occurs is that during the winters, you’re going to have a constant flow of hot air inside your house. The hot air will rise and it’s a good practice to let some of the moisture into your attic. As we know it hot air means moisture, moisture leads to rot and rot leads to faulty attic insulation which isn’t a really good thing.
Attic insulation and vapor barriers aren’t really necessary although useful in some cases – it mostly depends on the area you live in. If you’re living in an area with an average temperature of above 0 degrees Celsius the combination of attic insulation and vapor barriers isn’t necessary.

Currently there are only two types of attic insulation available to the public: blown-in or rolled-in insulation also called Batts or Blankets. Out of these two types of attic insulation at the time being there are only two viable and cost effective solutions and those are: fiberglass or cellulose insulation. Out of the two solutions for attic insulation only one of them is a safe bet and that one’s the cellulose insulation.

Fiberglass attic insulation

Despite the fact it’s not the best choice for attic insulation it is however very popular. Most houses are insulated with fiberglass and most of these have reported a relatively small or non-existent decrease in heating bills. This happened because fiberglass attic insulation is one of the types of attic insulation that looses it’s R-values over the winter season; so you might experience a gain from it for the first 2-3 winters but after that it’s pretty much gone.

Cellulose attic insulation

At the opposite pole we’ve got the cellulose insulation. Cellulose insulation comes in four meter blankets that are manually added on your attic’s floor as on opposite to the fiberglass insulation which is usually sprayed it.

One of the main advantages of cellulose insulation is the possibility to remove or replace it if the case requires it; besides that cellulose insulation also acts as a blanket and doesn’t loose R-value during the winter season.

I’m sure that by know you’ve figured out on your own which of the two types of attic insulation is the best and at the same time suitable for your house.

What you need to know about the basics of attic insulation

1. Attic insulation helps increase the comfort of your home, reduces energy bills and at the same time increases the overall value of your house.

2. There are two types of attic insulation: sprayed-in and rolled-in; the sprayed-in is the most popular choice whilst the other is the best solution.

3. If you’re serious about insulating, then acquiring the best spray foam insulation equipment is a must; for rolled-in foam insulation I suggest hiring a specialized contractor as it’s a bit trickier.

4. Attic insulation is your house’s first and cheapest line of defense against the ever changing temperatures of the nature.

5. There aren’t too many tips on basics of attic insulation that one should know, just remember to keep on the safe side using proper equipment and asking for advice at first.

There are many insulating contractors that will certainly give you a free custom tailored quota to suit your needs.

Most people don’t realize that home attic insulation is actually a sound investment for the future because it degrades very slow and it will make up for its costs in a couple of years. The main purpose of attic insulation is to act as a barrier between the outside and the inside, thus ensuring the best temperature is inside.

Home attic insulation is a cost effective insulation – sure you’ll be paying a few extra bucks now but when the winter / summer comes you’ll notice the difference on your heating bills. I’m sure that anyone that has lived in a house with a non-insulated attic experiences colder winters and hotter summers. Still, there are people that think that attic insulation isn’t necessary and that they can live with a sub-par or no insulation at all – I agree to a certain level but if you want what’s best for your house you’ll go with the best attic insulation contractors immediately.

Another advantage of home attic insulation is that it adds up to the overall value of the house. Having a valid proof of your reduced heating / cooling costs will surely convince any buyer that your house is worth the investment. Let’s not even mention the fact you’ll be enjoying a nicer and better experience when living in an insulated house.