mike wrote:
On 5/3/2015 10:49 PM, Uncle Monster wrote:
On Monday, May 4, 2015 at 12:32:31 AM UTC-5, mike wrote:
On 5/3/2015 7:43 PM, Uncle Monster wrote:
On Sunday, May 3, 2015 at 8:23:03 PM UTC-5, Stormin Mormon wrote:
On 5/3/2015 6:19 PM, Uncle Monster wrote:
My brother is in a house where roof damage from falling trees caused
leaks that got the blown in cellulose insulation in the attic wet.
This in turn damaged the sheetrock ceiling causing a lot of it to
collapse making quite a mess. The sheet rock has been replaced but
the attic needs to be reinsulated.
Does anyone out there have experience with blown in cellulose
insulation and any tips I can pass on to my brother. It's a smallish
2 bedroom house and the attic hatch seems to be large enough to get
a man and blower hose up there but neither of us has experience with
installing blow in insulation. It's my understanding that the big
box stores will loan or rent the equipment with a purchase of bags
of the insulation. I'd appreciate any input. 8-]

[8~{} Uncle Attic Monster


I've worked with blown cellulose, twice. The lessons
hard learned include

1) dust mask and good lighting are a good thing
also eye goggles are good.
2) keep the air opening on the machine wide open.
Trying to blow too rich a pattern clogs the hose.
It takes longer to dispense the cellulose, but
the tube doesn't clog as much, and you have less
down time and cussing time.

On the other kind of machine, keep the cellulose
fed about 1/4 open, you want lots of air and not
much cellose.

3) two inch PVC vent pipe left over from a HVAC
job extends the tube, use lots of duct tape.

4) My 2 9/16 inch holesaw makes a nice notch on
end of two by four, so the guy holding up the PVC
doesn't keep having the two by slipping off the
PVC tube.
5) start at the far end of the job, and work
back towards the attic hatch.
6) Your working space needs a way to let out the
air, you'll be blowing in a LOT of air
7) If it starts to rain, and the machine gets
wet, the store is not pleased with you.
8) At your friend's house, make sure he goes up
there and has someone clear out all the furniture
cause the last owners were pack rats.
9) It is not totally needed to use the machine.
You can carry bags up, and break up the grey stuff
by hand, if you really want to.

I'll think of more items, tomorrow.

--
It's my brother's home and it's a small 2 bedroom house. I can't get
on a ladder and I doubt Dufas can get up in the attic but we have helpers whom
we could direct to do the work. I can use a video camera to watch and
walkie talkie to communicate with a helper. I was just thinking that
the house may be small enough that a blower may not be needed and a
helper could get up in the attic with the bags and a rake to push the
insulation around. Perhaps something like a small concrete float could
be used to push the insulation around? 8-]

[8~{} Uncle Attic Monster

I wouldn't even try. You need Volume. You have to fluff it.

That's why I'm asking for advice. I don't know how far one of the
blowers will shoot it but if can shoot it 15 feet, it could reach the
farthest point from the attic hatch. Dang, I haven't even looked for
YouTube videos of the process yet. Silly me. o_O

[8~{} Uncle Silly Monster

I didn't watch for long because I didn't have proper breathing protection.
As I recall, the guy didn't try to shoot it more than 10 feet or so.
You need a straight shot to every nook and cranny, or you'll leave
gaps.
This with a huge blower on a truck with 100 feet of hose.
He applied it thicker than the nominal dimensions because it settles some
over time.
I'm sure it's all quite simple the THIRD time you do it.
How much is it gonna cost if you do it wrong...or fall thru
the ceiling? Or if you mess up your lungs.
Compare that to the cost of having it done by someone who knows
what he's doing.
I like to do everything myself. But, I draw the line at home
improvements where rookie mistakes can cost huge bucks in the future.
I did my own flooring, but my own roof would be too risky.

Nice to have a separate breathing air line. Need flashlight, frs radio.

Greg