Cellulose Insulation

Aug 10 2021

How Long Does It Take to Install Blown-In Cellulose Insulation?

If you need new insulation installed for your home, you’re probably wondering how long the process will take. Well, the amount of time it takes to install blown-in cellulose insulation varies from project to project due to the following factors:

The size of the house or area
Where the insulation is installed
If your old insulation needs to be removed

At Valley Insulation, we want to make sure you fully understand the installation process so you know what to expect. Let’s take a closer look at each of these factors below.

The size of the house or area

Generally, the larger the space, the longer the installation will take.

For example, if you’re having blown-in cellulose insulation installed in a 1,000-square-foot attic, the project is likely to only take a few hours. On the other hand, if our crew is installing insulation all over your home, you can expect it to take significantly longer. We’ll need to get into wall cavities and maybe even your crawlspace to fully insulate a home.

Where the insulation is installed

Depending on the area of your home, certain projects may require different prep work, which will add to the total time of installation.

Depending on where the blown-in cellulose insulation is being installed, our crew may also need to:

Remove exterior singing or drill into drywall with a small hole
Install vents
Seal walls
Prep soffits
Apply weather stripping
Insulate the access door (if insulating an attic)

Certain tasks like these may be necessary to ensure that your insulation is as effective as possible. But, they will take some additional time to complete. Before you hire a crew to begin a project, you should make sure to ask what type of prep work or additional work will be required to complete it.

If your old insulation needs to be removed

Before the space can be filled with blown-in insulation, our crew may need to remove the old insulation.

Insulation can become damaged over time. In some instances, our crew can install blown-in cellulose insulation directly over the top of old fiberglass insulation. But in other cases, the old insulation may be too damaged or may be a health hazard due to insect or rodent infestation, flooding, or fire.

If your old insulation needs to be removed, this will tack on a significant amount of time onto the overall project, but one of our technicians can give you an accurate estimate of how long it will take depending on the scope of the project.

Have more questions about blown-in cellulose insulation? Contact Valley Insulation

The best way to find out exactly how long an insulation installation project will take is to get a quote from our crew. Contact us online or call (513) 353-4100 today to get started.

Jun 24 2021

How Deep Should Cellulose Insulation Be in Your Attic?

Properly insulating your attic can prevent many unnecessary headaches and hassles. Having the correct amount of insulation not only reduces your energy costs but also ensures that your home remains at a comfortable temperature all year long. Proper insulation prevents erosion from water vapors and cuts back on heat buildup in your attic (which can make the shingles on your roof crack).

So now that you know why insulation in your attic is so essential, the next logical question is: How much cellulose insulation should be in your attic? Valley Insulation will answer this question in today’s blog.

Factors That Determine How Deep Your Insulation Should Be

Cellulose and fiberglass insulation are both common types of insulation used in homes. The preferred amount of cellulose insulation in your attic will vary depending on the following factors:

Where you live: Depending on where you live in the United States, you may need a higher or lower R-value of insulation. (R-value is a measure of thermal resistance or resistance to the flow of heat. The higher the R-value, the greater the insulation’s effectiveness.) Cincinnati has warm and humid summers and frigid winters, so a higher R-value is preferred.
How old your home is: If your house is more than ten years old, you’ll likely need to add more insulation to your attic. How much you need to add will depend on the current condition of your existing insulation. An experienced insulation contractor can assess your attic insulation and provide trustworthy recommendations.

How Deep Should Cellulose Insulation Be In a Cincinnati-Area Attic?

According to Energystar.gov, most attics’ recommended cellulose insulation level is to insulate to R-38 (about 10 to 14 inches). However, homeowners in the Cincinnati area should take into consideration the climate and adjust accordingly. The U.S. Department of Energy recommends that attics in Cincinnati-area homes are insulated to an R-value of 38-60. For cellulose insulation, that’s about 13 to 16 inches deep.

Need to Improve Your Attic Insulation? The Pros at Valley Insulation Can Help

Properly insulating your attic will make your home more comfortable and put money back in your wallet. Suppose you’d like to improve the existing insulation in your attic. In that case, a Valley Insulation professional can help you determine how much additional insulation is necessary and what type of insulation best fits your needs and budget. Contact us today at (513) 353-4100 to get a quote from one of our highly trained insulation installers.

Apr 18 2021

How Does Borate in Cellulose Insulation Prevent Pests?

Are insects in your home a major concern? There are ways to kill or repel them, and some of the solutions may surprise you — like your home insulation.

Borate or borax in cellulose insulation can either kill bugs or work to repel them, helping to keep your home free from pesky pests. In today’s blog post from Valley Insulation, we explore how borate in cellulose insulation repels insects in your home for pest prevention.

What Is Borax and Borate?

Borax (borate) is a naturally occurring substance first found around 700 B.C. in dried lake beds in Tibet. It wasn’t manufactured for widespread consumer use until the 1800s. Today, borax is typically found in white powder form, and it is most often used in laundry detergents and other household cleaning products. Borax is a mineral and salt combination derived from boric acid.

Borate is a colorless crystal or powder that dissolves in water. It’s typically used as an ingredient in insecticides, antiseptics, flame retardants, and neutron absorbers in nuclear reactors.

Why Cellulose Insulation?

Borate is added to cellulose insulation during the manufacturing process. Our teams primarily use cellulose insulation as loose fill to insulate attics, lofts, and wall cavities. Nu-Wool, the cellulose insulation used by Valley Insulation, is made up of 86 percent recycled content, with 68 percent of that coming from recycled newspapers. While this is an excellent way to reduce the carbon footprint, it has to be mixed with borate to increase flame resistance and combustion retardancy.

Aside from killing and repelling bugs, borate is recognized as an effective Class 1 flame retardant additive, eliminating smoldering combustion. Borate is also an anti-fungal, reducing the risk of mold and fungus growing in the damp, darker areas of the home where insulation is typically used.

Borate is not only colorless, but it is also odorless. Thus, it does not contribute to odors in the home.

How Borate Attacks Insects

Borate, when used as a repellent, will keep the home naturally insect-free. There are two ways to combat bugs in the home: repelling and exterminating. The borate used in the insulation manufacturing process can do both.

Borate, when added to cellulose insulation properly, can repel insects. However, if there’s a breach in the home and a bug does enter, they can be exterminated through contact with the borate.

Borate in powder form is present throughout cellulose insulation. The insect walks through the powder, which clings to the legs and body of the insect. The powder absorbs into the body, affecting the metabolism and exoskeleton. When the insect realizes the powder is on it, the bug will attempt to clean itself, ingesting the poison. Borate is only effective on bugs that groom themselves. This includes ants and cockroaches.

Borate, however, will not exterminate ticks, bed bugs, beetles, centipedes, flies, moths and hornets. You will need to contact a professional pest control company to eliminate those.

Safety

The professionals at Valley Insulation make safety a number one priority, not only for them, but for you as well. We adhere to the highest safety standards when installing and removing insulation, ensuring that you and your family are safe. If you’re seeing more insects than usual, or your home isn’t heating or cooling like it used to, contact us to see if your home needs new cellulose insulation.

Rely on Valley Insulation for Cellulose Insulation

Talk to the experts at Valley Insulation, serving the Greater Cincinnati area since 1977, for cellulose insulation installation. Contact us online or call 513.353.4100 for more details on what we offer.

Oct 20 2020

Why You Should Replace Spray Foam With Cellulose Insulation

Cellulose insulation is a state-of-the-art product that keeps your home cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. It’s not the only insulation product on the market, but it’s one of the most versatile and cost-effective. Today’s blog from Valley Insulation discusses several reasons why you should replace spray foam with cellulose insulation for an existing residence.

Smells

Spray foam emits noxious odors, even years after it’s been applied to walls, attics, and crawl spaces. Cellulose insulation lacks any smell whatsoever, except for a slight newspaper smell (because it’s made of recycled newspapers). But our techs install cellulose insulation in walls and then seal them up. You won’t smell it unless you go to your unfinished attic. When spray foam odors seep into your home, it’s not pleasant and it may persist.

Degradation Over Time

Spray foam degrades over time. Some spray foam manufacturers promise 25 years’ of insulating, but the reality is that commercial spray foam applications typically only last 15 years. Foam insulation degrades even worse when it’s applied in cold climates, which isn’t a problem for cellulose insulation installed in the winter.

Possible Health Hazards

Dust containing spray foam as it’s being applied may linger for years. Some substances in the foam, called isocyanates, can be hazardous to your lungs and health if inhaled. Chemicals may go airborne when exposed to heat, such as drilling, welding, sawing, or sanding near the spray foam. If you plan on doing any repairs or fix-it work, and there’s spray foam insulation nearby, you could be exposing yourself and your family to noxious fumes.

Cellulose insulation alleviates the health hazards associated with other insulation products. It’s an eco-friendly product, has fire-retardant properties, repels bugs, and can mitigate mold growth.

Insulation Removal by Valley Insulation

Valley Insulation can remove your old insulation before installing brand-new cellulose insulation. Talk to us about residential or commercial insulation. Contact us or call 513.353.4100 for more information.

Mar 24 2020

How Our Blown-In Insulation Machine Works

Valley Insulation specializes in high-quality Nu-Wool cellulose insulation. Our blown-in insulation fills your attic to the proper depth, and it completely fills your walls up to 3-½ inches thick. In today’s blog from Valley Insulation, we describe how our blown-in insulation machine works.

One Giant Vacuum in Reverse

Our blown-in insulation machine works a lot like a giant vacuum in reverse. Instead of sucking in air, it blows air out using a powerful motor. Like a vacuum, our machine uses hoses to deliver the material.

It’s Loud

A blown-in insulation machine gets loud once it’s turned on. Luckily, we keep our machine in the back of one of our heavy-duty trucks. The machine never enters your building. All we do is bring long hoses that run from the truck to any room in your building. This method saves us time so we can get the job done faster. Don’t worry, our lengths of hose are very secure and attached firmly to the machine. They’re also heavy-duty, so they don’t get holes or tears.

Blocks of Material

Nu-Wool premium cellulose insulation comes in rectangular blocks of 25 pounds, each wrapped in plastic. Our insulation experts unwrap each block and place them into a large open bin above the blower, referred to as the hopper. Churning rods in the hopper break up the cellulose insulation into small pieces that quickly move through the hose to the delivery point.

Blowing the Cellulose Insulation

In an attic, our team sweeps the hose back and forth as if we’re watering your lawn. The blown-in insulation piles up in even layers. We apply insulation that’s anywhere from 13 to 20 inches thick, which is more than enough to cover the rafters of your attic. Nu-Wool premium cellulose insulation has an R-value of 3.8 per inch, and the minimum R-value for your attic should be 49.

For walls, we handle blown-in insulation a bit differently. Existing buildings need carefully drilled holes towards the top of each wall cavity in between the wall studs. These holes give us a way to blow insulation into the wall. New construction allows us to blow insulation much faster, from bottom to top, and then we trim back any excess material to re-use for later. Every bit of every wall receives up to 3-½ inches of insulation that fills around pipes, electrical conduits, switches, and outlets before the drywall goes on.

Blown-In Insulation From Valley Insulation

Valley Insulation is a leading expert on blown-in insulation in and around Cincinnati, Ohio. We’ve been insulating the Ohio River Valley since 1977, nearly 40 years, and we’re proud to serve you in any way possible. Contact Valley Insulation or call (513) 353-4100 for more information.

Insulation experts since 1977