blown in cellulose tips / tricks

[Dr.Faustus]

I decided I really need to do something about my insulation. I want to do the blown in cellulose from home depot. If i buy 10 bags i get the machine for free. Next weekend I'm going to be attempting this and i've never done it before, however i'm really handy. I've gutted rooms, redesigned them and rebuilt them in the past. Are there any tips or tricks from some experienced people on making this work?
Im going to do my dining room first, since well it will be a test room. It's already closed off for the winter and easy to keep the dust contained and gain some experience.
I have some questions -
Will 10 bags of this stuff fit in 2 normal sedans or should i borrow my friends e350 van to get it home?

Will the machine fit in a normal sized sedan (subaru legacy)

I want to pre drill the holes before i rent the machine. how big should my hole saw be? online i saw people recommend everything from 1" to 3" inches with 1.5 inches seeming to be the most recommended.

Also there are existing batts in the wall. I know for a fact these are in horrible shape and doing absolutely nothing insulation wise. Can this project be completed with those batts there? will the hose be stopped trying to get through it? I know from a previous wall repair the batts are like swiss cheese now.

I plan on doing the attic soon as well. First the dining room this weekend, then the rest of the house, then the attic. I will have to hire help for the attic, at least to staple in the soffitt baffles, as im getting kind of old for that.

Thanks for any help.

 

[Highbeam]

So you're planning to drill holes from the inside and try to blow cellulose in, around, through the existing battswith vapor barrier?

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I hired somebody to blow insulation in my walls.

I do know you don't need to take all the bales at once. For small jobs I've bought the required amount, only taken a small amount, and then returned the rest after I was done.

 

[blades]

Walls need to be done dense packed - the machine at HD does not reach the required pressure for your purpose. The blower they rent is fine for attic installation but not for retro work on walls. Quite frankly retro work on walls should really be done by a company with a bunch of good referances ( ie experience) Job would included patching the installation holes afterwards if done from the inside, the only way to do it if all brick exterior. With siding it is done from the outside.

 

[semipro]

Even the pros have a hard time doing walls well with the best equipment. Wiring, fire blocking, etc. restricts hose entry and cellulose flow and creates voids. Tests showing this have been done with applications and then the walls disassembled for inspection. Thermal cameras also do a pretty good job of testing the installation.

Medium packed cellulose if possible with a big box machine. MPC is more prone to settling and won't air seal as well. Keep in mind that the hose has to enter the wall and should extend all the way to the bottom of the section you're filling, being drawn out slowly as the space fills. You can hear a change as the flow slows/stops. You don't just stick it in a hole in the wall and expect the cavity to fill. Also, since you're blowing air and cellulose in air needs a way to get out of the wall whether its the same hole your sticking the hose in or another.

Use good respiratory protection even for the person loading the hopper.

 

[Warm_in_NH]

I've done a couple of houses with a buddy, always from the outside.
We drilled 2" holes, as his machines nozzle fit nicely into it.
We drilled two holes per a bay, one half way up and one at the top. Filled the bottom first then the top, held a rag over one while we filled the other.
Takes two people, one to do the blowing one to feed the hopper and give it a shake every so often as it can get voids and stop blowing.
Check u tube for videos, they seem to have an instructional video for just about everything.

Borrow the truck, that stuff is bulky, dusty, and dirty.

 

[Highbeam]

Use good respiratory protection even for the person loading the hopper.

I did 1800 SF of attic 15" thick, it took 180(?) bales. I can't remember exactly but about 50% more than the company said it would. We both (loader and blower) wore the cartridge style respirators and chemistry class style goggles. Still had that dust in our ear holes and cracks. It gets everywhere. I had to go to the store after we ran out and buy another, 60 or so bales to make up the difference between advertising and reality. I accurately measured every foot with a depth stick. It just takes more than they say. Not fun to stop in the middle, hop in the truck and go buy more. Everybody had to stay messy or partially clean up and then do it again.

It works very well in the attic. I'm happy I used the HD blower but be sure to overbuy the bales.

 

[blades]

part of your coverage is directly related to the static pressure output setting of the blower.

 

[Highbeam]

part of your coverage is directly related to the static pressure output setting of the blower.

Sounds good for your blower but there is no pressure adjustments on the HD blower. Just follow directions to open the chute fully and blow.

 

[Dr.Faustus]

Ok gave it some careful thought after reading all the great feedback here. I gather i'm not to expect perfect results - and thats ok with me. I'm not looking to heat my house on 1 ton of pellets a year. I just want the house to retain heat a little better than it does now without a giant expense. I think i can meet those expectations doing it myself. I decided I am going to just do 1 room (the worst room draft and temperature wise) which is my dining room. I'll see if it makes a difference or not. currently we close this room off for the winter because it is so cold in there. We just use our eat in kitchen. If it doesnt seem to have helped at all, then i'll give up and hire a pro for the rest of the house. For the money and the weekend spent it is at least worth a shot.

I will however do the attic in the fall. I know a lot of heat leaks out that way too. If all this just gives me a moderate result i'd be happy. I'll let you know how it went after the weekend. I already have new windows in the room in question, and 1 of the 2 outside doors will need to be replaced. the other one is good. I'll be doing that too. lot of work this weekend. I put the holes in tonight after going to the box store to check out the machine. went well. not much wiring at all in there. The dining room used to be a garage and it was finished into a dining room by the people before me. they then built a 2 car separate garage on the other side of the house. I think this explains why the insulation is especially poor in there. A neighbor had told me it used to be a garage. I had no idea. I then went in the crawlspace and saw the old garage concrete slab still there, and the oil spot where the used to park the car!.

 

[woodsmaster]

See what size nozzle the machine comes with for walls, then drill holes so the nozzle just fits in. You want to drill holes every 3 or4 feet, not just one at the top of the cavity. you really should take the old batts out. if you cant remove them I'd hire someone to come in and do foam. Start at the bottom hole and blow insulation in until the machine is bogging down at the same time you don't want to plug the hose up either. then move up a hole. before you do the attic you want to remove the old insulation and air seal.Foam around wires, light fixtures, Etc. Any holes penetrating the ceiling and walls.
Edit: You can put the old insulation back and blow over it. Just need to move it to air seal.

 

[Dr.Faustus]

Well the project is done! It went pretty smooth, although i was covered in insulation. luckily it was the no itch stuff. I had a cartridge style respirator which i liked a whole lot better than the masks. Few surprises. I drilled the holes, and found most of the insulation was gone? The paper was still there, just no insulation attached to it. I was able to pull the paper out through the holes which was loose and crumbled in the cavity anyway. I do know this place had a mouse problem with the previous owner. It was the first thing i took care of when i bought it. Maybe the mice stole it? I have an inspection camera and took a peek in some of the bays. all clean of insulation. Not having the batts in place made it fairly easy. The machine never clogged on me, although my helper (wife, who btw im still shocked she agreed to do this) complained that the hopper paddles didnt always start up when she turned on the machine.
I cant tell if there is any decent results tonight. the stove is working overtime as i had everything opened up all day to keep good ventilation.

I would definitely air seal the attic first, i can do that with a few cans of foam. Then i would just hire help to staple in baffle vents and blow over the old attic insulation. Im guessing the attic would provide a good bang for your buck vs doing the walls in the rest of the house. the current plan is dining room, attic then wait a winter and see if anything else is needed.

Thanks for the advice. Much appreciated.