Attic Insulation – Do it Once and Do it Right

Older home or new, Racine Home Insulators, LLC wants to insulate your attic right!  Doing the job right means air sealing the attic before the insulation gets piled on.  Air sealing  is an inexpensive process where penetrations in the attic floor are sealed with expanding foam.  Want to learn more about air sealing?

Attic crawl spaces and knee-walls
If you have a 1.5 or two-story home with slanted ceiling chances are you have knee-wall spaces, also called crawls spaces.  As originally constructed these homes have huge areas of energy loss.  Read how we air seal and insulate knee-wall spaces.

Can I add new insulation on old?
Yes, but it is always best to have old insulation removed first. Doing so allows for a much easier time, and much better results from the air sealing methods that are essential to an energy efficient and comfortable home. Adding new insulation on top of the older fiberglass, rock wool, or cellulose is certainly acceptable and in many cases more cost effective in the short-run. What type of insulation should you add?  Read about the fiberglass vs cellulose debate.

What about insulating over vermiculite insulation?
We strongly advise against adding new insulation on top of vermiculite insulation. Vermiculite insulation is known to contain asbestos and as soon as additional insulation is added it becomes contaminated too. This will greatly increase the cost of removing the vermiculite, which is almost always required during a home sale. Read about asbestos containing vermiculite insulation.

How much insulation do I need?
In zone 6 the final attic R-value should be between R49 and R60.  Focus on Energy usually recoomends R50 in southeast Wisconsin, and this requires approximately 15 inches of cellulose, or 20 inches of fiberglass. You can view the full details at the US Energy Star web site: Recommended Levels of Insulation