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Type of insulation to install?

2K views 2 replies 3 participants last post by  Randell Tarin 
#1 ·
Hello All,

I have a 1950's brick home. I was just in the attic and noticed that all i have is about 2-3 inches of loose insulation in between the attic floor joists.

Should I put more loose insulation over top of this or should I take it all out and put new stuff in or should I lay rolled insulation over the existing?

THanks,

Matt
 
#3 ·
I used to install insulation many years ago.

You can either blow additional insulation on top of what you have or add batts.

Either one you can do yourself. Most Home Depots will rent the necessary equipment to blow the insulation. Cellulose insulation is usually cheaper than the loose fiberglass. It's a two person job. One person has to fill the hopper while a second is in the attic blowing the material in.

If you decide to use batts, then make sure you get the rolled fiberglass without the paper vapor barrier. The great thing is that they now make R30, which will take some of the guesswork out of how much you need to lay down. Since you already have some insulation in your attic, I would recommend laying the batts perpendicular to the ceiling joist. I don't know what part of the country you live in, but if you need to add more insulation to that, then lay the batts perpendicular to the first layer of batts and parellel with the ceiling joist. After a certain point you CAN put too much insulation in the attic.

Whichever kind of insulation you choose, work your way into the farthest corner of the attic that you can reach. For this reason, blowing insulation might work best. You can "shoot" the insulation in place. Unless your agile, getting insulation to the edges of the roofline can be difficult.

If you have any recessed lighting fixtures, unvented fans or anything that generates heat in the attic, make sure they are rated for insulation contact. If not, you'll want to create some sort of baffle to keep the insulation off of them.

Something I did, and it has made a world of difference in our heating and cooling bills, is use a new kind of metallic paint that you paint to the underside of your roof decking. I live in Texas where we have really hot summers and it kept us cool all season. I bought mine at Sherwin Williams, but I've seen it at Lowes and Home Depot as well. You could roll this on, put I'd have it sprayed on by a professional.

Most heat loss is through windows and doors. This is where you need to make sure you have adequate weather stripping and or caulking.

Hope this helps.
 
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