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05-06-2021, 05:13 PM
(This post was last modified: 05-06-2021, 05:14 PM by wing nut.)
Has anyone here blown in insulation, I have an unheated uninsulated garage I would like to insulate the walls. Does anyone have any experience doing this, i've seen lots of youtube videos, what's your experience and advice.
thanks
mike
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Its not hard, but I recommend calling in a contractor for it. Its surprisingly inexpensive.
Matt
If trees could scream, would we be so cavalier about cutting them down? We might, if they screamed all the time, for no good reason.
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A lot of it depends on what you are using as the insulating material. Each has its benefits, drawbacks and associated costs.
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You'll need help. A person feeding the machine (The hard job) and a person in the attic hosing it down. A voice activated two way radio was a must for me.
I blew in the cellulose which is my favorite. It helps stop infiltration, doesn't itch and packs down well.
The fluffy white or pink stuff is too fluffy in my opinion and lets hot and cold air easily infiltrate. I would blow in a foot deep then go around and pack it down some then blow in the rest. I've seen it so fluffy, I could see the sheetrock ceiling. Not good in my opinion.
I also have a lift on the truck, so I didn't have to lift the machine which is heavy. You'll need eye protection, cover your head and wear a mask and so on. I just wore a mask and got pretty dirty because I was sweating.
The second time around, when I upgraded from r19 to r38 and had the walls filled, I paid the guy to do both homes. Was worth it.
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I've only done attics, never tried walls. Attics are easy with 2 folks, and I also prefer the cellulose. Somewhere is a DOE study that shows fiberglass actually looses R value as the temps drop. the significant air space between the fibers allows warmer air trapped in the insulation rise (IIRC). The cellulose r value is calculated after the insulation has settled for a certain period of time. Regardless, I think for walls I might be more inclined to use a contractor.
I started with absolutely nothing. Now, thanks to years of hard work, careful planning, and perseverance, I find I still have most of it left.
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Tough part about walls was drilling a blow hole between studs. It was old plaster- lathe wall. Even being careful, you’ll end up with cellulose in the house and around the neighborhood. It was tiring to work the nozzle all day
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I remember in the 70's a local person contracted to have insulation blown into their walls. Contractor didn't know there was one wall that they had built in a bookcase between the studs. I guess that one "stud bay" took an awful lot of insulation. Someone happened to notice it looking into a window.
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(05-06-2021, 05:13 PM)wing nut Wrote: Has anyone here blown in insulation, I have an unheated uninsulated garage I would like to insulate the walls. Does anyone have any experience doing this, i've seen lots of youtube videos, what's your experience and advice.
thanks
mike
Blew in about 10-12" of cellulose in our house. Back when HD loaned the machine for free if you bought the insulation from them. Three man job really. One in the attic, one feeding the machine and the third as fill in when needed. Third person may rake in the attic or help feed. Not really difficult as long as the feeder does not allow large clumps(breaking up the fill well going into the hopper).
Only gotcha would be filling in over soffit vents(closing them off). Newer construction should have foam baffles stapled under the roof sheathing between trusses/roof joists to keep the vents open. Older construction may not have those.
Insulating an unheated/conditioned space only delays temperature changes inside as outside temps change. However, it would allow heating faster/maintaining heat in cold temps. For increased cooling properties in full sun, use a radiant heat barrier in the attic(be careful with asphalt shingles, however).
