They can do a wet installation of cellulose. It makes it sticky so you can spray wall cavities. Using it on an attic floor should prevent it from settling provided nobody walks on it. It sets up firm but not hard enough to support anything. It also has almost no dust associated with it.
I sprayed cellulose right over the fiberglass in my attic. The dust almost killed me. The result was the upstairs went from 6* hotter to within 2* of downstairs. That and installing an insulation cap on the pull down stairs made upstairs much more comfortable.
@@RatedCfm-cz8ff I have since got certified in Home Performance and insulation services which I have added to my HVAC business. You most definitely can put cellulose over the top, in fact, it’s like barrier. So we stopped removing it but don’t really count it in the R-value calculation when an attic has none or small amounts. It’s too laborious to try and spread it around. We just mark all the electrical and gas locations and drop 24” evenly after a vapor barrier and batt insulation are placed in between the trusses. Amazing what cellulose on top Of fiberglass can do for sound and insulating factors.
I blew in about 16” of cellulose in my attic - im really happy with the results, as I only had 4” before. The challenge was getting the larger air chutes in place on a 4:12 pitch roof. It gets tight. Nice video.
Nice video Mike I feel cellulose is a great solution Just make sure you air seal the fan vents or the ceiling so cellulose dust doesn’t get inside the house.
We chose cellulose with borate from our local home depot store and the machine was free to use if you buy the bags of insulation from them. It was very easy to install and the house feels warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. it's just ground-up newspaper that is chemically treated as you can see letters and some printing. At the time it seemed like a much cheaper install than fiberglass with the added insect protection of the borate. I just hope someday they don't find out something bad and have to clean all that out in the attic. That would be a nightmare and a major lawsuit.
I just did this in my house. House is 30 years old with really crappy fiberglass in the attic, I put a ton of cellulose in and air sealed it as best as I could, house is much warmer in the winter.
Its way cheaper too if you are DIYing, even with the settling factor. Around $17 for a 30kb bag vs $55 for a 30lb bag if fiberglass. Ive read the cellulose can awttle up to 20% but even atill it would be cheaper
All good points, I prefer cellulose over fiberglass. Jesus is it a mess to do. Only thing that scares me with it, is it will hold moisture like a sponge and will collapse a ceiling before you realize you have an issue.
@@CrawlSpaceNinja So far I do. Sealed one room up (hottest), but then I noticed I need the spot between the wall and sheet rock (don't remember what that's called). Makes me seriously respect what guys like you do. Now I have a bit of creep happening, and want to also reinforce the joists to put up storage. Happy quarantine!
A little thought of consideration against fibre glass is how it makes any later work in the space thoroughly unpleasant. Unfortunately, Squirrels have entered our roof and are busy trying to gnaw their way the new soffits and fascia's. Our loft is a low pitch and the layers of ancient fibreglass reach up to the rafters at the edge where I now need access to investigate and block holes etc. After a day in the loft I'm scratching like I've got lice and I've still not found the little buggers point of entry yet. I hate the fibre glass with a vengeance!
Being itchy sucks but cellulose is also a disgusting product; especially when it’s old and dusty. Down here and Florida the humidity ravages cellulose and it basically becomes powder
20 something percent if cellulose is not even cellulose. Cellulose has 2 good advantage over loose fill fiberglass. Cellulose settles and becomes more airtight over time. And doesn't blow around in an attic because it's 3 times heavier. Fiberglass loose fill needs a couple extra precautions in parts of attics where wind will move. And porch soffits need to be blocked off with vents all the way to the rafters to avoid too much wind entering the attic at 1 time. Fiberglass loose fill is also not itchy. Fiberglass Batts are itchy. Cellulose is also gross as heck unless you get Cellulose made from cardboard instead of newspaper or cellulose made from fresh wood. Newspaper cellulose is trash and in dense pack applications hard to achieve 3.5 lbs per cubic foot. I'm convinced mostly 95% of cellulose dense packers don't actually achieve proper density or don't blow it in wet to avoid future moisture from causing settling. Fiberglass loose fill or dense pack will never settle. What you got now is what you'll have when you die. And it's 100x less dusty than newspapers. You also don't need vapor barriers for dense fiberglass as it doesn't suck in vapor readily. Cellulose you need a vapor barrier because it will sponge up all moisture and distribute it. Wich is what causes it to settle in the first place. Only time fiberglass shouldn't be used as main insulation is in areas where temperatures stay below 0 for a good portion of the winter, like the Midwest. But cellulose has lower r values. It's all about pros and cons and installers need pro knowledge of what they are putting in. There's no such thing as bad insulation, only bad applications, for example, either installed wrong, or wrong material used in a place where another would be more beneficial
In 1979 when I bought my first house we lived close to an airport. Our electric company had an insulation program to help you reduce your electric bill. They put new insulation into the crawl space and the attic. The attic had R30 for noise suppression. Now mind you, I live in Nashville TN and it doesn't get that cold but the house was great for noise suppression and I didn't get cold. I did have one issue that the inspector caught the insulation company on though. They for some reason decided to leave 1 million giblets of vapor barrier all over the crawl space floor. Thank heaven for the NES insulation inspector.
Not sure what giblets of vapor barrier are, but it sounds like you had a really well insulated house to not be bothered by the airport! Thanks for sharing.
hey buddy, you can buy a 3" misting collar for your insulation blwoing machine when you install cellulose and hook it up to the hose bib. it eliminates the dust and helps with conditioning
@@CrawlSpaceNinja forgot To mention if you do this you have to buy a certain type of cellulose. We use Applegate Stabilized and Cellulose because If you use the regular Loose fill formula It will Off gas ammonia which is very very very very very very very unpleasant for your customers. Use the Applegate Stabilized Applegate All borate
Fiberglass gives me the heebie jeebies just thinking about it! It itches me in every nook and cranny of my body. I helped my son in law blow cellulose in his attic and we didn't itch a bit. We both wore filter masks to protect our lungs, but didn't have to take 5 showers to get the fibers off of us
cellulose also continues to offer insulation below sub-zero temperatures. FG loses HALF of its R-value below 20'f. This has been proven in a bunch of recent studies. So for me, I just did R-70 worth of cellulose, and I was told, it would slowly compress, and drop to ~R-40'ish in about 20 years. For $3k, and it adds mass that helps reduce noise, it was a no-brainer. Also, as for the dust problem, your supposed to spray the cellulose with water when blowing it in (a fine mist is all that is needed).
Nice Job! Thank you! I wish you had discussed if mixing those two would be ok? For example, if an attic already has fiberglass in it, can we top that with cellulose? Or is it better to stick with what's already in place?
Also the itchy stuff mislabeled "insulation" fails to stop AIR FLOW (convection) thru cracks and gaps (like around cieling mounted lights etc.)that is the most likely single reason your house lost heat!
Former cellulose installer here. Actually fiberglass Is the racket, not cellulose. Fiberglass is the worst performing insulator on the market. It’s just cheap. Fiberglass is a decent air filter but a poor insulator. It’s just backed by big pink advertising money. Unfortunately since the newspaper industry is going away, There is less raw newsprint to recycle into cellulose.
Very true! We did not cover how much moisture each will hold. Luckily most of the time attics are fairly dry, unless you happen to have a roof leak or live in an extremely humid climate. Thanks for pointing that out!
Hi, well explained video.Thumb up! questions to you if you don’t mind, is there any brand or type of cellulose that I could buy in homedepot? Also, do you recommend to fix it ourselves or to hire a contractor in NJ to install the insulation and roughly how much for a 2400sqft house?How long does the cellulose last before it needs to refill the insulation? Does it to cover up with a board to enclosed the insulation? Thanks!
Chunyan, GreenFiber, Insulmax, Applegate, and Nu-Wool are some of the best producers of cellulose insulation. It is always better to hire a contractor because they will have a lot more experience in insulation. W would suggest using cellulose insulation that has an R-rating of at least R49-R60. Cellulose insulation can start to degrade as early as 15 years. Your amount of cellulose insulation to buy will be around $2,900 or so. A typical average for hiring the contractor to spray it will be about $,1500. You're looking around $4,500 in costs (estimate only). Please let us know if you have any other questions.
@@My-jj8tk Hi, I don't recommend one over the other nor have I seen it degrade in 15 years, as mentioned in comments I have read, but I believe it certainly can. Also, I have seen fiberglass over many years of being installed sink below the rafters and it have to be removed as mentioned about cellulose. I am not sure either will maintain its R value over time. I chose to install cellulose based on the meter I showed in the video and I wanted some pest control in my attic but that's the only reasons. I probably would install fiberglass if I had to do it over simply based on the dust factor I experienced. I was trying to share pros and cons of each and my apologies if I leaned heavier on cellulose.
I don't like the cellulose at all. It just ruins an attic. I removed it all from my home. I then air sealed the attic. I installed R30 fiberglass and then plywood over that in my attic. It looks beautiful up there now. No more air leaks, it's quiet. I also installed an access ladder in my hallway to get up to the attic instead the dumb hatch that was there previously. Now I can go up in my attic and inspect when I want without having to balandce myself on joists or crawl around on a catwalk. That cellulose made my attic look horrible. It attracts insects. Gets very smelly with time and just creates tons and tons of dust. Be very carfeul with cellulose. If it's done wrong it will cause your ceilings to collapse.
I wouldn’t do either. I’ve always used mineral wool. Naturally water resistant, can’t catch fire, doesn’t compress over time and has a higher r value than fiberglass. Once I air seal everything I’ll put r 15 between the rafters, then cover that crossways with r23 or r30 rockwool. I’ve done this same instillation I’m my last two houses. I’ve had energy audits at both. The difference was astounding. Oh, the comparison video with the heat lamp? It’s completely wrong. You’re not getting better insulating value with cellulose based on that test. What you’re seeing is infrared heat as fiberglass lets the light shine through. It’s really a misleading and pointless test as you have a roof covering and will not be getting that heat source in an attic. Try the same test with Rockwool which is much denser and doesn’t let the light shine through it. Then look at the results. Basic science refutes that test completely but it is good for show.
I'm finding that the biggest reason to get cellulose is the last part, how much it insulates. I don't care how Rvalues is calculated, I care about ACTUAL home results. I added another 12 inches to my original 12, I'm still getting 85+ on 100+ days with fiberglass. The only 2 downsides, and they might not be too bad at all, is dust and smell of cellulose. Can you really smell it and can you really manage it so that it doesn't leak out? Depends on how well you air seal I guess.
I own a cellulose business in South Louisiana the beginning talking about dust I do it stabilized and only reason I’m commenting because it’s very negative people here dust like that and not hear nothing else Applegate stabilized cellulose
Thanks for this video. Does it matter where in the US you live - to help make the decision between cellulose vs. fiberglass? Is one better than another in a humid or arid climate? Or better for northern states (where winter temps are often under 0) vs. southern states (where winter is closer to 30 degrees?) Thanks
Hey crawl space Ninja ive been watching your show for little. i got question. I live in norther ontario canada -40c weather. I currently have 3mm vapor barrier and R18-20 fiberglass blow insulation. i have no reason too believe i have any wet spots or issues with 3mm barrier. Should pull out all my insulation now upgrade too 6mm or just go too R60 blow on top ?
I'm sorry, I'm not familiar with what Canadian building codes require. You may want to check with a local contractor on the vapor barrier, because we do not typically put vapor barrier under attic insulation in our area, but having a higher R-value insulation would definitely be a big help with those cold temperatures!
Andre, have you noticed a difference with fiberglass? We are in Illinois (south of you) but its insanely cold here as well, and wondering between cellulose vs. fiberglass. Any anecdotal thoughts?
I used something like the Goodnature A24 Rat & Mouse Trap. I used it in the crawlspace and mounted a couple of them and checked it from time to time to remove the victims. After a few month my problems was eliminated. The ones I had was an AC power version this one is just a similar item. Best to read reviews and choose one that will work for your situation. I prefer to stay away from poisons and chemicals and reloading traps gets annoying so the auto reload option is why I tried it out.
@@jman4817 MouseX and RatX are good, too. They're a people and pet friendly poison that knly affects rodents. Expensive, but a good option if you want to put it where kids or pets can get to it.
Got some great suggestions from other users here. To add on to what they've said, we'd recommend looking into creating exclusions (search for rodent exclusions on Google) so help deter any more mice from getting into your area. This will seal up any large penetrations or vents (while still allowing air through) that rodents can come into your house through. The only thing we don't like about poisons is that if the mice die inside your attic you will have odors if you don't find them quick enough. Traps that you can check periodically would be a good option too.
Thanks for watching, Miriam. It does degrade over time, however, as it is primarily made of recycled materials. The lifespan is typically 20 to 30 years, but degradation begins as early as 15 years after installation.
@@CrawlSpaceNinja You will just add more of the newest product in 10-15 years for a very small price. I live in a dry climate and we do not have moisture in our attic, so I have not had any degradation over the years. But I have added another 5-6" to a few clients to fill in the spaces. The gritters do not like the TAP product found at Home Depot and that can be added right on top.
Use fiberglass! Overall life is… as long as the dwelling stands. Cellulose is well. 15 years and it’s no longer fire resistant. Plus the weight factor. Don’t want warping on my ceiling
I'm going with the Yetie cooler insulation ! they have grade A fire rating and the best true R value ! Yes it has a high up cost but a very low cost on furnace and A/C cost both fuel and size of equipment. So dew your home work.
What is your recommendation on replacing blown fiberglass with cellulose? My attic has blown fiberglass and after watching numerous videos looks like cellulose is the way to go.
John - Compared to fiberglass batts, blown-in cellulose has a 23% better R-value per inch at 3.5! A recent study at Oak Ridge National Laboratory found that fiberglass loses up to 50% of its R-value in very cold weather, making cellulose a better choice for homes in northern climates. Thanks for watching and we hope you have a happy & blessed weekend.
We recently had cellulose insulation put in the attic and it absolutely stinks throughout the house when will this go away? also some is coming through a vent in one of the bedrooms any ideas
Good question Kevin. Personal preferences vary around the office, but cellulose seems to be the preferred method. Foam can be very costly to install and is definitely not a DIY project.
I like both options and have installed both. Cellulose gives you the optional pest control so if you have pest issues that may be a good choice. It is extremely dusty though. I think fiberglass is great and may be a little less expensive. Both will work in Orlando.
Hi Chris, Cellulose insulation is much better for both keeping your home warm in winter and cool in summer. Fiberglass loses up to 50 percent of its R-value at temperatures below -20°F. Homeowners in cold climates might want to chose cellulose; its efficiency actually increases at lower temperatures.
Good video watched many of your videos. Been torn on which to add. I had about R38 of 25 year old insulation, but its been smashed down from me crawling all over the place air sealing. I'll try to fluff as much as possible before starting. So I'm guessing its closer to R25 or something now. Was leaning on just filling with fiberglass over the top up to R49, but am now leaning towards Cellulose. The hard part is figuring out how much to add? Obviously it will compress the fiberglass dropping it a bit further. So maybe guess I'm at R20 after adding Cellulose so add another R25 or so of Cellulose?
If you used fiberglass to fill in you would only need to go up from 20 or 25 to 38 again. It won’t press the other fiberglass down and it won’t be near as dusty. Most company’s will air seal for you before they blow in.
Attics should not have "faced" insulation installed over existing insulation. Over existing attic insulation, batts or rolls of insulation installed over batts or rolls should be devoid of vapor retarders (faces). Moisture can be trapped in vapor retarders over or between layers of insulation. In the attic, any current batts or rolls of insulation should have the facing facing the attic floor or no facing at all. In most cases, batt insulation or rolled insulation or loose-fill insulation (fiberglass and cellulose) can be installed on top of old insulation. Using unfaced rolls of insulation, the insulation should be laid perpendicular to the joists. It shouldn't be nailed or nailed down. Flattened or squashed insulation will have a lower R-value. Prior to installing insulation, you should air seal because air leaks can reduce the effectiveness of insulation and significantly affect the efficiency and comfort of your home. We hope this answers your question. Thanks for watching!
Your existing insulation should have the paper facing the attic. If it doesn’t remove it. If it does if you use roll insulation just make sure there is no paper on it. Actually your best bet is to blow cellulose or fiberglass right over the existing insulation in that case.
We like spray foam for air sealing the floor of the attic, but not to insulate the roof decking. It can hide leaks that you won't find until you go to replace your roof.
I only made a short video of my experience with both products czcams.com/video/ZPqMmZkOVhg/video.html. I obviously prefer installing fiberglass lol #sinnisjInsulator.
I was looking into cellulose, talked to a local contractor and he is recommending blown in fiberglass because it works better in Arizona heat. Is there anyone who has had fiber glass blown in and did it live up to the expectations?
I had fiberglass blown in my home when I used to live in Arizona (Surprise area) and I was happy with it. This was for a 3400 sq ft home and it clearly made a difference for us. Gl.
Good luck electricians Working with cellulose. You r dumping recycle material in ur attic plastic old clothes etc mix with adaptive not to cause a fire. Sounds to me that people create cellulose to get rid of plastic in the world along with other stuff that can’t be get rid of. And now u r dumping into peoples homes. Former home insulator. Btw make sure u add a lot of ventilation otherwise black mold is around the corner in ur attic.
Fender, some people do prefer jet stream insulation over cellulose insulation, but here are some things to think about before choosing one or the other: Dense pack cellulose can seal walls from air infiltration while limiting convection. The cellulose is very good at fitting around items in walls like pipes and wiring, leaving few air pockets that can lower the efficiency. With cellulose, the sound is reduced in three ways. The first is that cellulose fills the cavities completely, leaving few gaps for sound to travel through. The second is that the material is able to trap air. The major difference between cellulose and fiberglass is density. Cellulose is three times denser than fiberglass. This helps deaden sound through walls and between floor levels. Homeowners can save up to 50 percent on their energy bills by insulate with cellulose. Additionally, cellulose has the highest (Class I) fire safety rating due to the borate treatment. The cellulose industry commonly uses a blend of ammonium sulfate and borate. Ammonium sulfate is usually odorless, but may emit ammonia and cause an ammonia smell in some circumstances.
@@CrawlSpaceNinja neither make a noticeable difference in blocking sound. We have tested all the different types of insulation for sound. Rockwool which salesman will swear is much better than r13 for sound in bedroom/bathroom walls. When its not. We had a builder in Huntsville who has been building for 30 years say insulation for sound is dumb. If you flush a toilet you will hear it regardless. Which he is right. We packed 1000s of walls with both and you can hear the cars outside just as easy with empty walls vs full ones. One is just user friendly an less dirty than the other. Thats why bibs are the new thing an are rated way better than spraying cellulose . And is why we ain’t touched it in years . Only dense pack. If the home owners request it which is rare. Also it degrades faster and mold grows on it. Not to mention the chemicals in it.
How dusty would cellulose be if I plan to install it in the attic above my garage (rest of the house is already blown in) and it's quite a long walk across the attic from the hatch door to the garage?
They can do a wet installation of cellulose. It makes it sticky so you can spray wall cavities. Using it on an attic floor should prevent it from settling provided nobody walks on it. It sets up firm but not hard enough to support anything. It also has almost no dust associated with it.
I sprayed cellulose right over the fiberglass in my attic. The dust almost killed me. The result was the upstairs went from 6* hotter to within 2* of downstairs. That and installing an insulation cap on the pull down stairs made upstairs much more comfortable.
You shouldn't blow cellulose over fiberglass.
@@shawnd567 What reason do you have for not blowing over fiberglass? ACCA states that Cellulose over fiberglass can actually have a higher R rating.
@@shawnd567 I’m curious too. Why not?
@@Balticblue93
There is no reason why you can't blow cellulose over fiberglass.
That is completely incorrect.
@@RatedCfm-cz8ff I have since got certified in Home Performance and insulation services which I have added to my HVAC business. You most definitely can put cellulose over the top, in fact, it’s like barrier. So we stopped removing it but don’t really count it in the R-value calculation when an attic has none or small amounts. It’s too laborious to try and spread it around. We just mark all the electrical and gas locations and drop 24” evenly after a vapor barrier and batt insulation are placed in between the trusses. Amazing what cellulose on top
Of fiberglass can do for sound and insulating factors.
I blew in about 16” of cellulose in my attic - im really happy with the results, as I only had 4” before. The challenge was getting the larger air chutes in place on a 4:12 pitch roof. It gets tight. Nice video.
We've been really happy with the results from cellulose too. Thanks for sharing!
I bet it does. I also saw these videos #sinnisjainsulator. Would the 2ft clearance above the cross braces about how your attic looks?
I want to do the same thickness. 16 inches on the attic. Whould you consider 16" inches of cellulose better than 12 cm of polistiren?
Nice video Mike
I feel cellulose is a great solution
Just make sure you air seal the fan vents or the ceiling so cellulose dust doesn’t get inside the house.
Good tip! Thanks for watching
We chose cellulose with borate from our local home depot store and the machine was free to use if you buy the bags of insulation from them. It was very easy to install and the house feels warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. it's just ground-up newspaper that is chemically treated as you can see letters and some printing. At the time it seemed like a much cheaper install than fiberglass with the added insect protection of the borate. I just hope someday they don't find out something bad and have to clean all that out in the attic. That would be a nightmare and a major lawsuit.
I just did this in my house. House is 30 years old with really crappy fiberglass in the attic, I put a ton of cellulose in and air sealed it as best as I could, house is much warmer in the winter.
Its way cheaper too if you are DIYing, even with the settling factor. Around $17 for a 30kb bag vs $55 for a 30lb bag if fiberglass. Ive read the cellulose can awttle up to 20% but even atill it would be cheaper
DIY is a great alternative!
All good points, I prefer cellulose over fiberglass. Jesus is it a mess to do. Only thing that scares me with it, is it will hold moisture like a sponge and will collapse a ceiling before you realize you have an issue.
Very true, we didn't cover how much moisture both hold. Thanks for pointing that out.
Underrated comment! That should be a real deal breaker against going with cellulose for the attic!
Ok
Definitely putting some cellulose over my fiberglass insulation. First I'm installing a radiant barrier and airsealing.
Sounds like a plan! You'll notice a difference once you get those things done.
@@CrawlSpaceNinja So far I do. Sealed one room up (hottest), but then I noticed I need the spot between the wall and sheet rock (don't remember what that's called).
Makes me seriously respect what guys like you do. Now I have a bit of creep happening, and want to also reinforce the joists to put up storage. Happy quarantine!
@@joseph78380 Thanks for sharing! Glad to hear you're already feeling a difference. No better time to tackle home projects than during quarantine!
A little thought of consideration against fibre glass is how it makes any later work in the space thoroughly unpleasant. Unfortunately, Squirrels have entered our roof and are busy trying to gnaw their way the new soffits and fascia's. Our loft is a low pitch and the layers of ancient fibreglass reach up to the rafters at the edge where I now need access to investigate and block holes etc. After a day in the loft I'm scratching like I've got lice and I've still not found the little buggers point of entry yet. I hate the fibre glass with a vengeance!
Being itchy sucks but cellulose is also a disgusting product; especially when it’s old and dusty. Down here and Florida the humidity ravages cellulose and it basically becomes powder
20 something percent if cellulose is not even cellulose. Cellulose has 2 good advantage over loose fill fiberglass. Cellulose settles and becomes more airtight over time. And doesn't blow around in an attic because it's 3 times heavier. Fiberglass loose fill needs a couple extra precautions in parts of attics where wind will move. And porch soffits need to be blocked off with vents all the way to the rafters to avoid too much wind entering the attic at 1 time. Fiberglass loose fill is also not itchy. Fiberglass Batts are itchy. Cellulose is also gross as heck unless you get Cellulose made from cardboard instead of newspaper or cellulose made from fresh wood. Newspaper cellulose is trash and in dense pack applications hard to achieve 3.5 lbs per cubic foot. I'm convinced mostly 95% of cellulose dense packers don't actually achieve proper density or don't blow it in wet to avoid future moisture from causing settling. Fiberglass loose fill or dense pack will never settle. What you got now is what you'll have when you die. And it's 100x less dusty than newspapers.
You also don't need vapor barriers for dense fiberglass as it doesn't suck in vapor readily. Cellulose you need a vapor barrier because it will sponge up all moisture and distribute it. Wich is what causes it to settle in the first place. Only time fiberglass shouldn't be used as main insulation is in areas where temperatures stay below 0 for a good portion of the winter, like the Midwest. But cellulose has lower r values. It's all about pros and cons and installers need pro knowledge of what they are putting in. There's no such thing as bad insulation, only bad applications, for example, either installed wrong, or wrong material used in a place where another would be more beneficial
In 1979 when I bought my first house we lived close to an airport. Our electric company had an insulation program to help you reduce your electric bill. They put new insulation into the crawl space and the attic. The attic had R30 for noise suppression. Now mind you, I live in Nashville TN and it doesn't get that cold but the house was great for noise suppression and I didn't get cold. I did have one issue that the inspector caught the insulation company on though. They for some reason decided to leave 1 million giblets of vapor barrier all over the crawl space floor. Thank heaven for the NES insulation inspector.
Not sure what giblets of vapor barrier are, but it sounds like you had a really well insulated house to not be bothered by the airport! Thanks for sharing.
hey buddy, you can buy a 3" misting collar for your insulation blwoing machine when you install cellulose and hook it up to the hose bib. it eliminates the dust and helps with conditioning
Thanks for the advice, thankudonny!
@@CrawlSpaceNinja forgot To mention if you do this you have to buy a certain type of cellulose. We use Applegate Stabilized and Cellulose because If you use the regular Loose fill formula It will Off gas ammonia which is very very very very very very very unpleasant for your customers. Use the Applegate Stabilized Applegate All borate
Fiberglass gives me the heebie jeebies just thinking about it! It itches me in every nook and cranny of my body. I helped my son in law blow cellulose in his attic and we didn't itch a bit. We both wore filter masks to protect our lungs, but didn't have to take 5 showers to get the fibers off of us
Thanks for sharing.
Dude! You are good! Thanks for the info and we'll definitely keep an eye on you! Best of luck!
cellulose also continues to offer insulation below sub-zero temperatures. FG loses HALF of its R-value below 20'f. This has been proven in a bunch of recent studies. So for me, I just did R-70 worth of cellulose, and I was told, it would slowly compress, and drop to ~R-40'ish in about 20 years. For $3k, and it adds mass that helps reduce noise, it was a no-brainer. Also, as for the dust problem, your supposed to spray the cellulose with water when blowing it in (a fine mist is all that is needed).
Thanks for sharing
I will have a happy and blessed day because of you - thank you.
So nice of you! We wish you luck!
Nice Job! Thank you! I wish you had discussed if mixing those two would be ok? For example, if an attic already has fiberglass in it, can we top that with cellulose? Or is it better to stick with what's already in place?
The only problem I am aware of is cellulose tends to be heavier which can compress fiberglass and that would cause it to lose its R value.
@@CrawlSpaceNinja Thanks, that makes sense.
I have fiberglass bat insulation can you blow cellulose over the bat insulation will this cause any problems thao
How bad is the dust factor of the cellulose once the installation is complete? Meaning, is there a residual dust factor while living in the house?
No. It will just sit there when not disturbed.
If you live in Florida just do yourself a favor and go with fiberglass. The humidity is too much for the dusty paper stuff. Trust me
Also the itchy stuff mislabeled "insulation" fails to stop AIR FLOW (convection) thru cracks and gaps (like around cieling mounted lights etc.)that is the most likely single reason your house lost heat!
Yes! That is why we recommend air sealing!
Thanks for the info. I got celliose
Thank you. For the great content and videos
Glad you enjoy it! Thanks so much for watching.
Former cellulose installer here. Actually fiberglass Is the racket, not cellulose. Fiberglass is the worst performing insulator on the market. It’s just cheap. Fiberglass is a decent air filter but a poor insulator. It’s just backed by big pink advertising money. Unfortunately since the newspaper industry is going away, There is less raw newsprint to recycle into cellulose.
I didn't think about how recycled newspapers were used in making the cellulose, that's very true. Thank you so much for sharing.
what about recycling cardboard? everybody is getting online orders by mail these days, so perhaps it more than makes up for reduction in newspapers
China buys most recycled paper buy bulk
Do you recommend cellulose attic insulation over fiberglass in Orlando Florida?
I've noticed alot more brown to the cellulose these days. I'm thinking it's more brown cardboard type paper getting used now instead of newsprint.
Thanks for the info!
Thanks for watching, DriftinandDreamin!
Cellulose drawl back is it will hold and attract mold more so than fiberglass!
Very true! We did not cover how much moisture each will hold. Luckily most of the time attics are fairly dry, unless you happen to have a roof leak or live in an extremely humid climate. Thanks for pointing that out!
Hi, well explained video.Thumb up!
questions to you if you don’t mind, is there any brand or type of cellulose that I could buy in homedepot? Also, do you recommend to fix it ourselves or to hire a contractor in NJ to install the insulation and roughly how much for a 2400sqft house?How long does the cellulose last before it needs to refill the insulation? Does it to cover up with a board to enclosed the insulation? Thanks!
Chunyan, GreenFiber, Insulmax, Applegate, and Nu-Wool are some of the best producers of cellulose insulation. It is always better to hire a contractor because they will have a lot more experience in insulation. W would suggest using cellulose insulation that has an R-rating of at least R49-R60. Cellulose insulation can start to degrade as early as 15 years. Your amount of cellulose insulation to buy will be around $2,900 or so. A typical average for hiring the contractor to spray it will be about $,1500. You're looking around $4,500 in costs (estimate only). Please let us know if you have any other questions.
@@CrawlSpaceNinja if cellulose starts to degrade in 15 years, why do you recommend it?
@@My-jj8tk Hi, I don't recommend one over the other nor have I seen it degrade in 15 years, as mentioned in comments I have read, but I believe it certainly can. Also, I have seen fiberglass over many years of being installed sink below the rafters and it have to be removed as mentioned about cellulose. I am not sure either will maintain its R value over time. I chose to install cellulose based on the meter I showed in the video and I wanted some pest control in my attic but that's the only reasons. I probably would install fiberglass if I had to do it over simply based on the dust factor I experienced. I was trying to share pros and cons of each and my apologies if I leaned heavier on cellulose.
I don't like the cellulose at all. It just ruins an attic. I removed it all from my home. I then air sealed the attic. I installed R30 fiberglass and then plywood over that in my attic. It looks beautiful up there now. No more air leaks, it's quiet. I also installed an access ladder in my hallway to get up to the attic instead the dumb hatch that was there previously. Now I can go up in my attic and inspect when I want without having to balandce myself on joists or crawl around on a catwalk. That cellulose made my attic look horrible. It attracts insects. Gets very smelly with time and just creates tons and tons of dust. Be very carfeul with cellulose. If it's done wrong it will cause your ceilings to collapse.
thank you for sharing.
I wouldn’t do either. I’ve always used mineral wool. Naturally water resistant, can’t catch fire, doesn’t compress over time and has a higher r value than fiberglass. Once I air seal everything I’ll put r 15 between the rafters, then cover that crossways with r23 or r30 rockwool. I’ve done this same instillation I’m my last two houses. I’ve had energy audits at both. The difference was astounding. Oh, the comparison video with the heat lamp? It’s completely wrong. You’re not getting better insulating value with cellulose based on that test. What you’re seeing is infrared heat as fiberglass lets the light shine through. It’s really a misleading and pointless test as you have a roof covering and will not be getting that heat source in an attic. Try the same test with Rockwool which is much denser and doesn’t let the light shine through it. Then look at the results. Basic science refutes that test completely but it is good for show.
I had blown in fiber glass, I just pulled it and put down 7 inches of cellulose. House warmed up 5 degrees.
That's awesome! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks.
I'm finding that the biggest reason to get cellulose is the last part, how much it insulates. I don't care how Rvalues is calculated, I care about ACTUAL home results. I added another 12 inches to my original 12, I'm still getting 85+ on 100+ days with fiberglass.
The only 2 downsides, and they might not be too bad at all, is dust and smell of cellulose. Can you really smell it and can you really manage it so that it doesn't leak out? Depends on how well you air seal I guess.
So what you going to do 15 years from now? Because that’s the life of it being fire resistant. !
?
After 15 years.. we’ll spend another bundle of 💰
Very well explained, thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
I own a cellulose business in South Louisiana the beginning talking about dust I do it stabilized and only reason I’m commenting because it’s very negative people here dust like that and not hear nothing else Applegate stabilized cellulose
Interesting, I've never heard of that brand before. We will have to check it out! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for this video. Does it matter where in the US you live - to help make the decision between cellulose vs. fiberglass? Is one better than another in a humid or arid climate? Or better for northern states (where winter temps are often under 0) vs. southern states (where winter is closer to 30 degrees?) Thanks
InstaBlaster...
Hey crawl space Ninja ive been watching your show for little. i got question.
I live in norther ontario canada -40c weather. I currently have 3mm vapor barrier and R18-20 fiberglass blow insulation. i have no reason too believe i have any wet spots or issues with 3mm barrier. Should pull out all my insulation now upgrade too 6mm or just go too R60 blow on top ?
I'm sorry, I'm not familiar with what Canadian building codes require. You may want to check with a local contractor on the vapor barrier, because we do not typically put vapor barrier under attic insulation in our area, but having a higher R-value insulation would definitely be a big help with those cold temperatures!
Andre, have you noticed a difference with fiberglass? We are in Illinois (south of you) but its insanely cold here as well, and wondering between cellulose vs. fiberglass. Any anecdotal thoughts?
Good stuff!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Just youtube the big burn and cellulose is the clear winner. Only video you need to watch
Do the make a good batt insulation that does not have the skin irritation that fiberglass has. I'm not interested in blowed in insulation. Thanks
Foam Board insulation is a great insulation!
What if the cellulose gets damp?
Just hope it doesn't. Both are useless once it gets damped. (Seal your attic so it doesn't)
Informative as always...but how do you get rid of pesky mammals like these cursed mice I have?!?
I used something like the Goodnature A24 Rat & Mouse Trap. I used it in the crawlspace and mounted a couple of them and checked it from time to time to remove the victims. After a few month my problems was eliminated. The ones I had was an AC power version this one is just a similar item. Best to read reviews and choose one that will work for your situation. I prefer to stay away from poisons and chemicals and reloading traps gets annoying so the auto reload option is why I tried it out.
@@corlan9767 thank you so much for the suggestion! I will definitely take a look at that!
J Man check our Shawn Woods CZcams channel for all rodent removal.
@@jman4817
MouseX and RatX are good, too. They're a people and pet friendly poison that knly affects rodents. Expensive, but a good option if you want to put it where kids or pets can get to it.
Got some great suggestions from other users here. To add on to what they've said, we'd recommend looking into creating exclusions (search for rodent exclusions on Google) so help deter any more mice from getting into your area. This will seal up any large penetrations or vents (while still allowing air through) that rodents can come into your house through. The only thing we don't like about poisons is that if the mice die inside your attic you will have odors if you don't find them quick enough. Traps that you can check periodically would be a good option too.
How long do you think before the cellulose settles and it needs replacement? Thank you for your video and explanation.
Thanks for watching, Miriam. It does degrade over time, however, as it is primarily made of recycled materials. The lifespan is typically 20 to 30 years, but degradation begins as early as 15 years after installation.
@@CrawlSpaceNinja You will just add more of the newest product in 10-15 years for a very small price. I live in a dry climate and we do not have moisture in our attic, so I have not had any degradation over the years. But I have added another 5-6" to a few clients to fill in the spaces. The gritters do not like the TAP product found at Home Depot and that can be added right on top.
@@Balticblue93 but in some cathedral ceilings etc. you don't have access to them after construction so adding more is not an option.
Use fiberglass! Overall life is… as long as the dwelling stands. Cellulose is well. 15 years and it’s no longer fire resistant.
Plus the weight factor. Don’t want warping on my ceiling
Thanks for the comment.
I'm going with the Yetie cooler insulation ! they have grade A fire rating and the best true R value ! Yes it has a high up cost but a very low cost on furnace and A/C cost both fuel and size of equipment. So dew your home work.
What is your recommendation on replacing blown fiberglass with cellulose? My attic has blown fiberglass and after watching numerous videos looks like cellulose is the way to go.
John - Compared to fiberglass batts, blown-in cellulose has a 23% better R-value per inch at 3.5! A recent study at Oak Ridge National Laboratory found that fiberglass loses up to 50% of its R-value in very cold weather, making cellulose a better choice for homes in northern climates. Thanks for watching and we hope you have a happy & blessed weekend.
Blow more fiberglass. Don't put cellulose over fiberglass.
We recently had cellulose insulation put in the attic and it absolutely stinks throughout the house when will this go away? also some is coming through a vent in one of the bedrooms any ideas
That is odd. Please fill out a Ask a Ninja form here - crawlspaceninja.com/ask-a-ninja/
how do both compare to foam? Which of the three do you prefer?
Good question Kevin. Personal preferences vary around the office, but cellulose seems to be the preferred method. Foam can be very costly to install and is definitely not a DIY project.
Do you recommend cellulose attic insulation over fiberglass in Orlando Florida?
I like both options and have installed both. Cellulose gives you the optional pest control so if you have pest issues that may be a good choice. It is extremely dusty though. I think fiberglass is great and may be a little less expensive. Both will work in Orlando.
@Crawl Space Ninja There is a big difference between KNauf,Owens Corning
and Jhons Manville
@@CrawlSpaceNinja Thank you very much.
If my main concern was actually keeping the house WARM in the WInter, vs Cool in the Summer (Cleveland) - would the solution still be Cellulouse?
Did you get an answer to your question?
@@hunzaahmad5152 I have the same question. I'm close to Cleveland, so I have the same concerns as Chris. I'm leaning toward fiberglass.
Hi Chris,
Cellulose insulation is much better for both keeping your home warm in winter and cool in summer.
Fiberglass loses up to 50 percent of its R-value at temperatures below -20°F. Homeowners in cold climates might want to chose cellulose; its efficiency actually increases at lower temperatures.
Good video watched many of your videos. Been torn on which to add. I had about R38 of 25 year old insulation, but its been smashed down from me crawling all over the place air sealing. I'll try to fluff as much as possible before starting. So I'm guessing its closer to R25 or something now. Was leaning on just filling with fiberglass over the top up to R49, but am now leaning towards Cellulose. The hard part is figuring out how much to add? Obviously it will compress the fiberglass dropping it a bit further. So maybe guess I'm at R20 after adding Cellulose so add another R25 or so of Cellulose?
If you used fiberglass to fill in you would only need to go up from 20 or 25 to 38 again. It won’t press the other fiberglass down and it won’t be near as dusty. Most company’s will air seal for you before they blow in.
Attics should not have "faced" insulation installed over existing insulation. Over existing attic insulation, batts or rolls of insulation installed over batts or rolls should be devoid of vapor retarders (faces). Moisture can be trapped in vapor retarders over or between layers of insulation. In the attic, any current batts or rolls of insulation should have the facing facing the attic floor or no facing at all. In most cases, batt insulation or rolled insulation or loose-fill insulation (fiberglass and cellulose) can be installed on top of old insulation. Using unfaced rolls of insulation, the insulation should be laid perpendicular to the joists. It shouldn't be nailed or nailed down. Flattened or squashed insulation will have a lower R-value. Prior to installing insulation, you should air seal because air leaks can reduce the effectiveness of insulation and significantly affect the efficiency and comfort of your home. We hope this answers your question. Thanks for watching!
Your existing insulation should have the paper facing the attic. If it doesn’t remove it. If it does if you use roll insulation just make sure there is no paper on it. Actually your best bet is to blow cellulose or fiberglass right over the existing insulation in that case.
How about Rockwool?
rockwool is nice for extreme fireproofing as well as a tiny bit better for sound deadening. But the cost is much more, and the return is not as high.
I agree with Monkey the Racoon. Thanks for watching.
What about closed cell spray foam?
We like spray foam for air sealing the floor of the attic, but not to insulate the roof decking. It can hide leaks that you won't find until you go to replace your roof.
I only made a short video of my experience with both products czcams.com/video/ZPqMmZkOVhg/video.html. I obviously prefer installing fiberglass lol #sinnisjInsulator.
I was looking into cellulose, talked to a local contractor and he is recommending blown in fiberglass because it works better in Arizona heat. Is there anyone who has had fiber glass blown in and did it live up to the expectations?
I had fiberglass blown in my home when I used to live in Arizona (Surprise area) and I was happy with it. This was for a 3400 sq ft home and it clearly made a difference for us. Gl.
you missed the fact that cellulose doesnt work in wet or humid places. houston or florida will turn cellulose into wet sadness
My apologies, great point. Thank you for sharing.
Good luck electricians Working with cellulose. You r dumping recycle material in ur attic plastic old clothes etc mix with adaptive not to cause a fire. Sounds to me that people create cellulose to get rid of plastic in the world along with other stuff that can’t be get rid of. And now u r dumping into peoples homes. Former home insulator. Btw make sure u add a lot of ventilation otherwise black mold is around the corner in ur attic.
Cellulose is garbage an just a dusty mess an looks horrible. Jet stream is the way to go.
Fender, some people do prefer jet stream insulation over cellulose insulation, but here are some things to think about before choosing one or the other: Dense pack cellulose can seal walls from air infiltration while limiting convection. The cellulose is very good at fitting around items in walls like pipes and wiring, leaving few air pockets that can lower the efficiency. With cellulose, the sound is reduced in three ways. The first is that cellulose fills the cavities completely, leaving few gaps for sound to travel through. The second is that the material is able to trap air. The major difference between cellulose and fiberglass is density. Cellulose is three times denser than fiberglass. This helps deaden sound through walls and between floor levels. Homeowners can save up to 50 percent on their energy bills by insulate with cellulose. Additionally, cellulose has the highest (Class I) fire safety rating due to the borate treatment. The cellulose industry commonly uses a blend of ammonium sulfate and borate. Ammonium sulfate is usually odorless, but may emit ammonia and cause an ammonia smell in some circumstances.
Wouldn't want your guests to see your unsightly cellulose Insulstion next time they crawl up into your attic 😅 seems like a non- issue.
@@CrawlSpaceNinja neither make a noticeable difference in blocking sound. We have tested all the different types of insulation for sound. Rockwool which salesman will swear is much better than r13 for sound in bedroom/bathroom walls. When its not. We had a builder in Huntsville who has been building for 30 years say insulation for sound is dumb. If you flush a toilet you will hear it regardless. Which he is right. We packed 1000s of walls with both and you can hear the cars outside just as easy with empty walls vs full ones. One is just user friendly an less dirty than the other. Thats why bibs are the new thing an are rated way better than spraying cellulose . And is why we ain’t touched it in years . Only dense pack. If the home owners request it which is rare. Also it degrades faster and mold grows on it. Not to mention the chemicals in it.
Dont ever use cellous your house will be dusty for life fiberglass only
Thank you for sharing and watching.
Anything "natural" is a better temperature insulator. Just look at animals!
sand is natural, which is what fiberglass is made of. Dont see your point here.
How dusty would cellulose be if I plan to install it in the attic above my garage (rest of the house is already blown in) and it's quite a long walk across the attic from the hatch door to the garage?
Hard to tell. If you may please submit a Ask a Ninja form -crawlspaceninja.com/ask-a-ninja/
Thanks for the great video!
Thanks for watching!