Attic Insulation??

[tulsa_fan]

Any help would be most appreciative.  I need to add insuluation to my attic.  Two story house, built in late 70's.  Any recommendations?  Also, I met a guy on a plane and he talked about the reflective sheets he had installed, bought them online direct, had them delivered and then used a handyman to put them up, he talked about them like they were gold and simple to install.  He said it was amazing and instant the savings on electricity (no, he wasn't selling them  )

Anyway, I really want to get this done before end of year (tax credit, right?) Type of insulation and potential company to contact to do it.

Thanks!

[Conan71]

You can rent the equipment to do blow in insulation from Home Depot, I think as well as buying the material there.  I've been told blow-in is the way to go. 

[dbacks fan]

Here is what the guy on the plane was refering to.....

http://www.atticfoil.com/

[PonderInc]

We had insulation blown in a couple years ago.  You could immediately tell a difference.  Suddenly, the entire house had a more consistant temperature.  

Ironically, we had the insulation put in about a week before the ice storm took out our electricity for 10 days.  Definitely helped, b/c the house stayed comfortable for the first couple days, and after that, we were able to keep the house at around 55 degrees (occasionally using two portable propane heaters)...when some folks said their interior temps were in the 30's!

We had Burnett do the insulation.  They did a nice job, and were in and out pretty quickly.  Well worth the money to avoid having to crawl around in our tortuously low attic.

[Townsend]

We had blow in done after the ice storm.

Ours was easier than it would've been due to a large hole provided us by a kamikaze tree branch.

It's made a considerable difference.

[Conan71]

Here is what the guy on the plane was refering to.....

http://www.atticfoil.com/

I have no idea if this was just scare tactics by someone selling a different product or not, but I'd heard back in the late '80's that people were having problems with shingles peeling up after putting the foil barriers in due to too much retained heat between the barrier and the shingles during the summer.  I'm thinking blow in is better if you've got an attic simply for the fact that it will help retain heat closer to your ceiling instead of the roof.  I'm guessing the addition of both a barrier and blow in would be ideal.

I was under the impression they didn't insulate the Lortondale houses.  When I had some sheetrock replaced in my ceiling I was pleased to find roll-out fiberglass.  My utility bills have been amazingly low there, literally about like a 1 bedroom apartment.  I credit most of that to the thermal windows the previous owner installed.

[Steve]

I was under the impression they didn't insulate the Lortondale houses.  When I had some sheetrock replaced in my ceiling I was pleased to find roll-out fiberglass.  My utility bills have been amazingly low there, literally about like a 1 bedroom apartment.  I credit most of that to the thermal windows the previous owner installed.

Yes Conan, all original Lortondale home construction included 4" of "rock wool" or fiberglass insulation in the ceilings.  That was about it.

I rented a home at 4918 27th street before I bought my 26th street house in 1987, and it had blown in foam insulation in all the exterior walls, added by the owners.  That house was the warmest, most comfortable Lortondale house I have ever experienced.

[patric]

Yes Conan, all original Lortondale home construction included 4" of "rock wool" or fiberglass insulation in the ceilings. 

Blown white cellulose is the way to go.
If you have the old gray "rock wool" get an estimate on having it vacuumed out when they blow in the new insulation.
Reason is the rock wool is just a sponge for rodent excrement and choking dust.

Because cellulose is so efficient you want to be careful around anything that needs to shed heat.
Overloaded electrical circuits have been known to overheat because the insulation doesnt allow them to disperse heat, but that's more an electrical problem than an insulation one. 

[Conan71]

Blown white cellulose is the way to go.
If you have the old gray "rock wool" get an estimate on having it vacuumed out when they blow in the new insulation.
Reason is the rock wool is just a sponge for rodent excrement and choking dust.

Because cellulose is so efficient you want to be careful around anything that needs to shed heat.
Overloaded electrical circuits have been known to overheat because the insulation doesnt allow them to disperse heat, but that's more an electrical problem than an insulation one. 

We only have about a 6" joist space between sheetrock and roof decking on the MCM Lortondales, no attic, and minimal overhead wiring.  It would cost a fortune to remove all the old insulation and blow in new batting on one of these, unless someone had already planned to replace all sheetrock in the ceilings.  They rolled out new 'glass when I replaced portions of the sheet rock in mine.  In other words, we don't have dust issues in attics and so long as the eaves and fascias are maintained, no rodent issues either.

[TheArtist]

I dont think these old 50s ranch homes have insulation in the outside walls... Is there any way to get insulation in them that doesnt require tearing up the outside or inside walls?   

[guido911]

Insulation is sexy.

[patric]

I dont think these old 50s ranch homes have insulation in the outside walls... Is there any way to get insulation in them that doesnt require tearing up the outside or inside walls?   

Injected Polyurethane Foam.
They mix it up 5 gallons at a time and inject it in holes drilled in the wall.
It doesnt expand as much as the stuff you buy in the cans at Home Despot, but it will fill all the nooks and crannies.

[Red Arrow]

Some Tulsa homes were built when natural gas was cheaper than insulation.  At least that is what I've been told.

[Conan71]

Some Tulsa homes were built when natural gas was cheaper than insulation.  At least that is what I've been told.

And when 70% efficiency out of furnace equipment was considered outstanding.