Cellulose Insulation without Machine

[Buck Turgidson]

I have a small area (about 8' wide) that needs insulation. It is drywall on furring strips on cinderblock. About half is below grade. Lowes wouldn't rent me the blower since I didn't buy 20 bags of the stuff, and I am not really keen on using it anyway, due to the mess.

Any ideas on how to install this stuff from the inside manually? I was thinking of just opening a couple of 2" holes in each stud cavity, and pouring it in with a funnel. Sounds time consuming, but it is a small area, and I have a TV in the room to occupy me

The cinder block is faced with tarpaper (circa 1961), so I am also a little concerned about there being some asbestos in there, which is another reason why I don't want to blow.

[bowgus]

When you say on furring strips, does that mean you have about a 3/4" deep space? If so forget that ... rip it all out and redo with 4" or 6" space. Use fiberglass batts, whatever ... with vapor barrier, drywall overtop. And I'd forget trying to pour cellulose ... imo not possible.

[Cliff Hartle]

The machine also fluffs it up. Coming out of the bag the stuff is super compressed. There is pourable insulation that could work, but as others have said 3/4" is not going to be easy to do and you might get an R factor of like less than 1.

[Jim Elbrecht]

You'd be wasting your time with cellulose. I love the stuff, but the machine is needed to first fluff it up, and second to get it into all the nooks and cranny's.

For 3/4 of an inch, I don't know if anything is worth your time-- but vermiculite might give you an extra 'r' or 2. If the wall needs to be insulated, I'd be trying to figure out how to get a real coat of insulation there.

Jim

[Buck Turgidson]

I am reluctant to tear out the drywall due to its age. It likely contains asbestos in the mud, and it is glued to the furring strips with a black mastic which likely contains asbestos. I think I'd stir up quite a bit when I demo it.

I think my only other alternative is to inject some foam in there, but that is much more expensive - about $300 or so. The cellulose is a fraction of the cost.

[Speedy Jim]

Well, if you are *determined* to add 3/4" of insulation, here is what I did:

Drill 1" holes top and bottom of each space.

Jury rig the outlet of electric leaf blower to the upper hole. Remove inlet screen on blower motor. Hand feed cellulose right into the blower!

It works!!

I was blowing 2 X 4 stud spaces this way because I only had a couple to do and getting the machine was silly. I was working from outside; you'll have to contend with dust inside the room, but if you work slowly it should be manageable. Jim

[Buck Turgidson]

Thanks. I can insulate the wall of a very cold room for less than it costs me to fill the tank of my Toyota. It sounds crazy but it seems like a no-brainer given the cost of heating.

[DT]

As others have pointed out, the 3/4" space you have is a real problem. I have hand poured cellulose, but you have to dump the compressed stuff in a room and kick it around with a broom for quite a while to fluff it up. It's a hell of a mess. And I was pouring it in a standard 3 1/2" space open at the top so it worked OK.

But for your situation, locate a insulation company that handles perlite. It is granular and pours extremely easily and runs down and seeks out the small spaces. We use it to insulate concrete block cavities. It has a pretty good R value also. You will have to make sure the bottoms of the cavities are sealed or it will pour out.

-- Dennis

[bowgus]

If you know there's asbestos, and if you ever sell, you're obliged (up here anyway) to declare it. I'd rip it out and do it right ,,, regardless.

[DIYDon]

replying to bowgus, DIYDon wrote: Hand fluffing and pouring is do-able and effective for a few stud cavities, but cellulose will not pour into a 3/4 inch gap due to friction. What will pour though are small (approx 1/8 inch diameter) styrofoam balls, often sold by fabric stores or on line projects like pillows. The R-value is not as high, but it will make a noticeable difference. Take a look at an energy loss vs R-value chart and you will see the huge effect when you are starting with very low R-values and adding to it.

[DIYDon]

replying to Jim Elbrecht, DIYDon wrote: From experience, a few bags can be very effectively full fluffed about one third of a bag at a time using a 50 gallon rubber trash can, a paint mixing paddle for

5 gal paint and a 3/8 drill. Will leave a fine coating of cellulose through the room, but chunk free and fluffed like a cloud in a barrel.