How To Add Extra Insulation To The Attic

How to add extra insulation to an attic.

How to add extra insulation to the attic.

Measure how much insulation you already have. Install fiberglass batts over existing batt insulation. Inspect the exterior walls by using an electrical outlet. Remove the outlet cover and shine a flashlight into the crack around the outlet box.

Move across the attic until you ve hit your desired height at every point. Put on goggles and gloves to protect yourself while handling. Fill all cracks between the living area and the attic with caulk or expanding foam. Turn off the power to the outlet.

Blow in insulation until the hopper is empty. When adding additional insulation you do not have to use the same type of insulation that currently exists in your attic. See below for a shopping list and tools subscribe to this old house. A tightly sealed house is just as important as insulation.

It s safer to build a small enclosure with hardware cloth or plywood to keep loose insulation away from lights and exhaust fans. It needs to be unfaced. Check the depth using a tape measure. For the center areas hold the hose level and blow in insulation evenly until you ve reached your level lines photo 6.

If you use fiberglass over loose fill make sure the fiberglass batt has no paper or foil backing. Plan to pull up the flooring and layer new insulation on top of the old. But if the floor is covered in plywood you can t stuff enough insulation beneath it to do the job sufficiently not even in warm climates. Then pivot in place and do the same thing to the other side.

Any existing batt or roll insulation in the attic should have the facing against the attic drywall floor or no facing at all. Cost effective way to save energy with this old house general contractor tom silva. An adequately insulated attic reduces your home s energy costs by keeping warm air in during the winter and hot air out during the summer. Batt or rolled insulation or blown loose fill insulation fiberglass or cellulose can be installed on top of old insulation.

Pull out a small amount of insulation if needed to help. Because the simplest and cheapest way to insulate an attic is to add material to the floor. Use cardboard or rigid foam baffles to keep soffit vents open. Insulation should be rolled out perpendicular to the joists and unfaced rolls should be used.