Attic question?
Question:Not sure what to do. The house is about older, the insulation in the attic seems damp. The electric company already told us we need insulation. Do we need to get the old insulation up first? Or do we just blow "snow" on top of it. I thought I once heard that wet insulation is worse than no insulation. Why? How do we get old insulation out?
Thanks for your time.
Answers:
Get the damp insulation out - it's effectiveness is quite downgraded by now as far as the R factor. Since it is an older home it probably has a far lower R rating than newer insulation. You can remove it by waiting for a cool time of the day since heat travels upward and it can be quite miserable on a hot day! Dress in a long sleeve shirt or jump suit, wear gloves, hat and BE sure to have a respirator on because the insulation has bits of fiberglass that will if nothing else itch you to death (figural) for a day or two. Start from the top one pull down. There should be staples here and there to hold up the insulation but do not worry about them when removing - you can always take them out later or just hammer them in. Measure the width of the wood studs to find out the width, go to a local hardware store and purchase what you can afford hopefully at least a R-30 rating- Wait again for a cool day to re-install. If you have the various sizes written down, make your cuts on the back side of the new insulation outdoors - take up to the attic, kinda stuff in the locations, then with a staple gun - "tack" in into place. Be sure to look for the reason why it was wet in the first place - like the wood or roof leaks somewhere - you should be able to see daylight from the attic looking out. Be sure to bag and dispose of the old insulation properly. You are then done - after any necessary repairs you may see on the wood. Do all of this yourself - or hire somebody to do the job for a reasonable cost - Good Luck
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is it fiberglass that is already there and wet if so you dont want it to be wet because of the chance of mold growing. also if it gets wet enough it does not keep its thickness and air cant flow through it.
If it is blown in insulation u still want to keep it dry for chance of mildew. I dont know how it is in the house so i dont have any idea on how to get it out.
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