Blowing In Cellulose Insulation

Project: Victorian Restoration, Episode 7, Part 1



A crew from Energy Guard is blowing in Green Fiber Cocoon cellulose insulation. Outside, Bob has a look at the new American Standard air conditioning condensers, before checking in with general contractor Charlie Tomaszewski and the workers who are building a "Romeo & Juliet"-style balcony on the second floor. Inside, Tim Woods from Internet Home Alliance explains more about the home's data and video wiring.
Part 1: Blowing In Cellulose Insulation
Bob joins Joe Sheridan (from Energy Guard) to learn more about the US Greenfiber Cocoon cellulose insulation application taking place in the barn. First, a mesh material is attached behind the wall cavities in order to hold the cellulose in place until the drywall is applied. The cellulose is ground-up newspaper treated during the manufacturing process with borates (to resist fungus growth).

The material is mixed with moisture and blown into the stud cavities. Any that falls onto the ground is vacuumed up and sucked back to the truck where it is remixed and blown back out again.

While one installer blows the insulation in, a second man follows with a stud scrubber, leveling the cellulose. The goal is to create a tight fit, eliminating air movement through the wall.

Upstairs in the attic, the Energy Guard crew is doing a dry application. The cellulose is blown in under pressure. The hose is fed down to the bottom of the cavity and pulled back as the cavity fills up. A proper vent in the ceiling is not necessary, because the insulation is so dense that air doesn't travel through the insulation, and moisture never gets out to the roof sheathing.
Part 2: Discussing the Air Conditioning System & Breezeway Design
Part 3: Structured Wiring Installation
Part 4: Blown-In Insulation
Located just five miles from downtown Boston, Bob's scouts discovered a Victorian-era house in a neighborhood of family homes on tree-lined streets that was past due for a full-scale renovation.

The home's new owners, a work-at-home family, have set goals to modernize the home's floor plan, update the building's mechanical and electrical systems, and add home office and work spaces for two busy professionals.

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