Adding Fiberglass Batts To Attic Blown In Insulation

When blown into attics and wall spaces loose fill fiberglass offers an average r 2 5 thermal value per inch the higher the number the greater the insulating effect.

Adding fiberglass batts to attic blown in insulation.

Batts don t fit well in odd spaces. Insulate your attic with fiberglass batts when it comes to insulating your attic there are really only two types of insulation worth considering fiberglass batts or blown in insulation. Insulation should be rolled out perpendicular to the joists and unfaced rolls should be used. Cut fiberglass batts by scoring them with a utility knife.

Put on goggles and gloves to protect yourself while handling fiberglass insulation. Batts and blankets can leave gaps and voids. To install fiberglass batts over existing insulation lay the batts perpendicular to the joists so they do not compress the insulation below whether you live in a warm weather state as i do or in a cooler northern climate it s hard to stay comfortable and keep your energy bills in check if you don t have adequate insulation in the attic. The photo above shows an attic insulated with blown cellulose.

Place the batts into. This will lead to non uniform r values. Size each piece to fit snugly between the floor joists in your attic. Fiberglass is considered the best attic insulation for diy projects.

Because blown in insulation which is fiberglass generally can go on top of the existing insulation the negative thing about blown in insulation is that it makes the attic absolutely impassable when you re done and you need a lot more thickness of it because it has more air inside of it than you would if you used fiberglass bats. Blown in insulation consists of bags of fiberglass or cellulose that are chopped up and blown in to the attic or wall from a machine. Once installed and expanded to the uniform manufactured thickness batts offer a known r factor. You d need a thickness of.

Don t forget attic pipes. The material tends to compress over time. I don t know about that but it s a common insulation material that works much better in the blown form than in batts. Install fiberglass batts over existing batt insulation.

The r factor of blown in fiberglass is usually 2 3 to 2 8 per inch of material. Any existing batt or roll insulation in the attic should have the facing against the attic drywall floor or no facing at all. To keep the blown in insulation from falling through the attic hatch opening make a 2x12 dam around the hatch perimeter. Cut two layers of r 19 fiberglass batt insulation slightly larger than the hatch and staple duct tape to the hatch edges to secure it in place.

Working with fiberglass insulation requires wearing personal protection gear.