How to Blow in Cellulose Insulation

To save money on the cost of insulating your home, blow in cellulose insulation. With some help from friends, save the cost of labor and just pay for the materials and insulation blower machine. The project normally takes a few days, depending on the size of the home.

Things You'll Need

• Ladder
• Drill
• Core drill bit
• Blower machine
• Insulation
• Wall plugs

Instructions

1. Measure your coverage area by width and length to determine how many square feet you need to cover. If your area is 100 feet wide and 175 feet long, multiply 100 x 175 to get the square footage.

2. Buy the insulation from a distributor and rent the blower machine used to blow the insulation into the walls. Buy wall plugs to fit the holes that you'll drill in the walls where you will insert the blower machine hose.

3. Use the core drill bit to drill holes in the side of walls. Start at the top of the wall and drill the hole. Each story is done separately. For a two-story home, drill a hole at the top of the wall on the second story and one hole at the start of the first floor at the top. Drill a hole every two feet so that insulation will be distributed between all wall studs.

4. Set up the blower machine and attach the hose. Pour two bags of cellulose insulation in the hopper and take the hose to the first hole. Insert the end of the hose in the hole and hold firmly. Have someone hold your ladder and someone monitor the hopper to keep it filled.

5. Turn on the hopper and let the insulation blow into the wall space. Turn off the hopper power and pull the hose out to see if the insulation has reached the top of the hole. If it has, insert the wall plug and move to the next hole. If not, insert the hose and turn on the hopper to continue filling the hole.

Tips & Warnings

• When filling the space between wall studs, make sure the hose is not twisted.

• Always have someone at the bottom of the ladder to hold the ladder and help maneuver the hose.

References

• Blowing in Cellulose Insulation