Adding Insulation To Walls

Turn off the power to the outlet.

Adding insulation to walls.

While fiberglass often comes in batts it does come in loose fill form as well making it easy to install without tearing open any walls. Adding extra insulation to the exterior walls of an older home when renovating or remodeling is a great way of improving a home s walls thermal performance and reducing energy use while reducing heating bills carbon footprint and improving a building s comfort level. Inspect the exterior walls by using an electrical outlet. On open walls a fabric sheath is attached to studs providing a type of cage that contains blown in fiberglass not cellulose insulation in pellets and other forms.

Seal the gap between the bottom plate of the wall and the floor with acoustical sealant or caulk. Roll or batt insulation. Dry bits of insulation that get blown into wall cavities through holes 1 to 2 inches wide. It either goes in from the interior walls which requires patching holes or from the exterior which requires prying up siding and drilling through the sheathing adding to the cost of professional installation.

If you were looking to add insulation inside the walls there are a few ways to go about this. The advantages of insulating interior walls. Fiberglass is a great way to insulate an existing wall. Most communities have building codes that require a minimum amount of insulation in a house s exterior walls and ceiling.

This type of insulation typically fiberglass or cellulose insulation can be added over existing insulation provided it s installed perpendicular to joists. You can remove the drywall or whatever interior sheathing you have and stuff the wall cavity with batten insulation pink fiberglass rock sol etc or you could do a spray foam. Remove the outlet cover and shine a flashlight into the crack around the outlet box. Use special airtight electrical boxes see photo tip 5 or seal the poly to the electrical box with acoustical sealant.

Fiberglass does have one weakness however. With a small hole and a pump you can insulate your existing walls with minimum fuss. Buy unfaced friction fit batts and seal the walls with a 4 mil poly vapor retarder. Blow in blanket system bibs is the trademarked name for a patented new construction method of insulating walls with blower injected insulation that can be used for either open or closed walls.

Do not tack down roll or batt insulation because compacting reduces its effectiveness or r value. You should be able to see if there is insulation in the wall. Insulating interior walls isn. Pull out a small amount of insulation if needed to help.

Blowing in insulation step by step 1 use a stud finder to locate studs in the wall.