insulation question, Or am I nuts

Oldhouseowner

Hi there People,

Whilst in the mid of freeing my attic of blown in insulation to strenthen the joists I had a thought - just thought I bounce it off you guys to check if It's possible or if I am I just insane. By the way what a crappy job that is- I am about 1/3 of the way there.

The Insulation is the blown in stuff - not vermiculite - so disposing it at the local landfill is not a problem. It is a pain to bag up of course but hey, no pain no gain. However as I was packing it it occurred to me that this is 'good' insulation that has no vermin attack etc so can't I use it somewhere? Of course I don't mean using it to fill my pillowcases but if I can access some wall cavities I could use it there to insulate them. Admittedly It'll be messy but what isn't? Is this just wasting my time or should I explore this option a bit more.

Big Bob

is there a reason you aren't moving a few bays of insul, sister your joists , then return the insul... repeat until complete?

RippySkippy

Big Bob has a good idea, alternatively when you finish your project and re-insulate, while you have the blower on site blow the stuff you're harvesting back into the attic. If you land fill it...your tossing a perfectly good resource out the window. I wouldn't toss it by any means. There are companies out there who do blown insulation removal/recovery.

joasis

Unless there is a problem with the product, we recycle cellulose insulation.

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Bondo

Ayuh,.....

Why not Reinstall it was it Was,..??..??....

Oldhouseowner

Hi Guys,

Sorry I should have been more clear right from the start but I am building out my attic into living space. As far as I know you wouldn't insulate in between floors but good point I can take some of the insulation and move it to the unfinished part of the attic as long as I don't block the venting of my attic that should be ok.

So for the blown in stuff I will have left over is it ok to use in a wall or is there something I need to consider first.

Thanks again for the quick replies so far. Much appreciated.

RippySkippy

Use it just like new. One thought...I helped my neighbor with his house that had an old masonry chimney taken down...and the insulation around it had a boat load of mortar mixed in with the insulation...if you have something like that skip the recycling of the cruddy stuff and only use what appears to be relatively clean.

Big Bob

Blown FG in walls will settle.. But it is better than nothing. It is ok to insulate between story's (sound and hvac zones) Have fun...

RippySkippy

Joasis, Big Bob talks about cellulose settling and I've witnessed that in remodeling jobs...what's your take on dense pack cellulose in walls? Is your wall spray the wet cellulose product? Does/will that settle?

joasis

Dense pack is what it means, dense and will not settle....wet blown is only used in new construction or remodels where the wall cavities are open. Wet blown cellulose, when applied correctly will not settle.

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Oldhouseowner

Big Bob, it sound like you just made my day. So it's ok to insulate between stories? Any major disadvantages that you can think of?

If that would work I could move the insulation around, sister the joists and put the blown in stuff back in and then insulate the walls when I have the cash and time to do it properly.

Would love to hear yours and everyone else's opinion. Thanks guys.

newgarage

Insulation between interior floors helps with sound control, just don't use a vapor barrier.

bjbatlanta

On the plus side, sound transmission will be reduced and may help with the HVAC. On the negative side, if you have to do any drywall repairs to the downstairs ceiling, be prepared for the "fallout". Probably a small price to pay and you'll know it's coming......

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gma2rjc

Is there a mesh he could put up there to hold the insulation in just in case he does have to do any repairs? It wouldn't act as a vapor barrier, but would still hold it all in.

Nestor_Kelebay

The problem is in cutting through the damaged ceiling drywall or plaster to replace it WITHOUT also cutting through whatever is holding the insulation up BESIDES the drywall or plaster. Solve that one and you'll be a rich gma2rjc.

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