Blown In Insulation is Effective in Reaching Areas in Attics, Basements, Nooks, and Crannies

Blown In Insulation is a common and effective method for insulating your home against heat loss. The entire goal of insulation is to guard against the loss of heat through cracks, spaces, and any kind of opening. Heat loss can cause drafts across the floor and throughout the entire home or building. Because heat moves from a warmer surface to a colder surface, heat loss causes discomfort as the heat moves from the human body to cooler wall surfaces. It causes condensation on interior surfaces, which then creates mold, mildew, and rust. And maybe worst of all, in these economically troubled times, heat loss means higher heating costs.

Even the best made homes will unfortunately suffer from air leakage. This can be greatly reduced with the proper insulation in your roof, walls, and even floor. For walls, many people like to use blown in insulation.

The purpose of blown in insulation is to reach areas in attics, basements, nooks, crannies, and particularly for retrofit situations that cannot be reached with batts or rolls. A mechanical blower is used to install blown in insulation, most often by two people. One person holds the machine while the other one holds the hose that blows or sprays the particular material.

There are different material types of blown in insulation that people use to insulate their walls.

Cellulose: Blown In Cellulose Insulation is dry and it is recommended as an blown in attic insulation or in spaces where the dry fiber rests on the attic floor or in an enclosed wall cavity. There is also Sprayed Cellulose, which is dampened to a careful balance of water-to-fiber ratio. It is recommended for open wall cavities between the studs, next to the exterior sheathing in new construction.

Both dry and damp blown in cellulose insulation use basically the same cellulose fiber. It is recycled, shredded newsprint and it is very environmentally sound. It is chemically treated to resist fire, insects, and mold. The cellulose itself is non-toxic and will not corrode pipes or wires, but the chemicals added to cellulose to stop fires have been known to cause corrosion. Installation of blown in cellulose insulation is safe and the material has been approved by all building codes. Cellulose can provide an R-value, or thermal resistance, of up to R-4.0 per inch of thickness. Unfortunately, over time cellulose can settle, causing a great reduction in its R-value.

Fiberglass: Blown In Fiberglass Insulation is a Mineral Wool that basically describes itself. It is made up of very thin fibers of glass woven together to form a cushion. Among its many uses, it is installed in buildings to block air flow and prevent heat loss. The glass is basically the same material used for windows and all glass products. Blown in fiberglass (or Loose-Fill fiberglass) is installed dry. It will never settle, unlike cellulose which can settle significantly over time, so blown in fiberglass will maintain its R-value for the entire lifetime of the home, building, or structure. But you must be very careful when working with fiberglass. It is made of real glass, tiny shards and virtually invisible powder. It wants to stick to your skin and eyes. If it is breathed in it can cause severe damage to your lungs, and if it gets in your eyes it could be necessary to have an emergency examination with an eye specialist. For this, and many other reasons, we recommend that fiberglass be installed by a professional.

Rock Wool or Slag Wool: Rock Wool, like blown fiberglass insulation, is another Mineral Wool. It is a natural fiber, produced during volcanic eruptions formed by high winds on lava streams, that looks a lot like cut up pieces of white cotton. It is taken from a layer that forms on the surface of molten metal and other rock-like materials. It is a mixture of roughly 3/4 steel slag and 1/4 basalt rock. Rock Wool is extremely effective in insulating around electrical boxes, wires, and pipes. It leaves almost no holes even in the most difficult spaces. Its R-value in walls is R-4.1 per inch. Like blown fiberglass insulation, very little to no settling occurs which helps it to retain its R-value over a long period of time. Also like blown fiberglass insulation, you need to take great precautions when installing rock wool insulation. It can be very dangerous if inhaled, so please use a mask and any other protective equipment when installing rock wool. Again, it is recommended that a professional install rock wool.

There are multiple methods of installation for blown in insulation. Installation straight into the attic is considerably easier than into an open or enclosed cavity in a wall. Installation of blown in insulation requires at least two people to work the special equipment. One person feeds the insulation material into the machine (also called the Hopper) that leads to the blower, and the other person holds the hose that blows the material onto the desired location. For an attic, start at the far end. The insulation is blown or sprayed back and forth until there is an even distribution covering the entire area. The person holding the hose stays at the attic opening, usually on a ladder, and another person picks up and removes the slack of the hose so that the insulation is not disturbed.

Installation into a wall cavity requires a very different procedure. For an enclosed space it is best to use a dry insulation. Any blown in insulation can be installed dry. A hole is made in the outer wall and the hose from the blower is inserted into the enclosed space, usually about 1 to 2 inches wide. The hose is inserted into the cavity just a few inches from the bottom of the space. The dry insulation is blown until the blower blocks itself, then the hose is backed up a few inches and the blower continues to add the insulation. This process is continued until the enclosed space is packed very tightly with the fibers. The cavity is always overpacked to avoid settling, which prolongs the life of the R-value. A plug is installed and an adhesive is applied to the plug or else it could work itself out of its hole due to changes in temperature, moistures, or natural occurrences.

Installation of a dampened insulation, such as dampened blown in cellulose insulation or damp rock wool insulation, can be much trickier. Water and a small amount of adhesive are added to the mixture. Someone inexperienced might add too much water which could damage the balance making it a danger to the structure you are trying to insulate. But when a correctly moistened mixture is properly installed it can be an excellent insulator and air blocker. For example, a good mixture of damp cellulose should be wet but not wet enough to squeeze water out of a handful if you tried. As the fiber is sprayed from the hose another nozzle is attached to the hose that sprays water which dampens the surface of the wall and creates a sticky coating between the wall and the cellulose. The damp cellulose is sprayed until the wall cavity is filled to overflowing.

To remove the excess spray that protrudes past the width of the studs, you can "screed" the walls, or scrape them flat to match the thickness of the wall framing using a motorized roller called a scrubber. It takes at least a day to ensure that the dampened blown in insulation has dried completely. A professional will measure the Moisture Content (MC) using a moisture meter to assure that the moisture of the fiber has dropped below 25%. At this point the walls are finished with dry wall and the home or business owners can decorate how they please.

The entire process of spraying a damp blown in insulation can create a terrible mess. You definitely need to prepare the area with plastic sheeting and tape. And whether you are using dry or damp blown in cellulose insulation, you must wear a protective mask and goggles to guard against the fibers or pieces of glass which irritate the eyes and respiratory system.

Blown in insulation is very commonly used, but we would like to suggest Therma-Comfort as an excellent alternative to blown-in or loose-fill insulation. Therma-Comfort is a reflective insulation made of a unique design of materials made of layers of insulating, heat sealed air bubbles encased by a 99% pure aluminum foil outer surface. This unique combination delivers a high performance insulation product suitable for all construction and home renovating projects. Therma-Comfort is lightweight, easy to handle, clean, and non-toxic. It is easy to install and can be a simple do-it-yourself project for one person. Therma-Comfort does not settle so it will never lose its R-value, which can be as high as R-14.6 depending on the type of insulation and the direction of the heat flow. To install Therma-Comfort you need only a measuring device, scissors or a knife, and tape or staples. We recommend Therma-Comfort reflective foil tape to maximize the blockage radiant heat.

Therma-Comfort creates NO mess. It is not only easy to install, but once it is in place in a new home or in addition to already existing insulation, it will provide a comfortable, even temperature all year. This will also greatly reduce your monthly energy bills.

If you have any questions regarding loose-fill or blown in insulation we are happy to help. We would especially love to answer any questions you might have concerning Therma-Comfort reflective insulation and how it can benefit your home. Please call us at (951) 675-1207 and we can easily offer you a price quote or assist you in any insulation needs.