08-24-11, 10:00 AM | #11 |
You Ain't Me
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Northampton MA
Posts: 662
Thanks: 6
Thanked 71 Times in 58 Posts
|
Get a pressure tester so you can verify for yourself that it can push out 3.5 Lbs. Make a test box. Build a 16" O.C. box out of 2x4's. Cover the back with OSB or something and mesh off the front. Make it tall enough to give you a sense of how filling it all up works. I'll be easier to tear the cellulose out of a bad test box than an entire cavity.
|
The Following User Says Thank You to S-F For This Useful Post: | AC_Hacker (08-24-11) |
09-09-11, 09:10 AM | #12 |
Apprentice EcoRenovator
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 142
Thanks: 0
Thanked 11 Times in 11 Posts
|
I just did this last weekend in my kitchen project. I'm not sure if my job is up to dense pack standards, but with my open hand, I can not push into the cellulose at a test hole. I think it worked very well.
Here's what I did. I rented the basic machine from Lowes. Set the adjustable plate at the output to about 25% open. Bought a 1 7/8" diameter universal vacuum hose and taped the included adapter to the end of the long 3" diameter hose that came with the blower. Then I pulled the hard adapter out of the flexible vacuum hose at the very end. This was so it would flex enough to pull out of the wall while blowing. I used a 3" hole saw to drill a single hole at a time in the inside of the wall to be insulated. I did not want cellulose to blow out empty holes nearby. I drilled these holes about 6 foot high as the vacuum hose was 6 foot long. The thin vacuum hose slid down the wall easily and I wrapped a towel around the hose to seal the hole. with the machine running I could hear when it bogged down. When this happened I pulled a few inches of hose out of the wall. When the hose got close to the hole I quickly turned it and pushed it up into the top of the wall, two feet above. I did drill a few test holes to check the results and as I said above. I could not push my open hand into the cellulose. To finish up I sprayed "Great Stuff" foam in the holes and pushed the plugs from the hole saw back in. As the foam cured I adjusted the plugs to be flush with the wall surface. A note on prior steps: I had these walls open the week before and sealed everything with 2 -3" of spray foam from "Tiger Foam". I also made sure there were no barriers to keep the cellulose from filling the cavity. The end results, I estimate an R-value of 39.5 where at best I had R16 before, and nearly a complete air seal. |
09-09-11, 10:04 AM | #13 |
Administrator
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Germantown, WI
Posts: 5,525
Thanks: 1,162
Thanked 374 Times in 305 Posts
|
How thick are your walls?
__________________
Current project - To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. & To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. |
09-09-11, 11:14 AM | #14 |
You Ain't Me
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Northampton MA
Posts: 662
Thanks: 6
Thanked 71 Times in 58 Posts
|
I was at Lowes the other day and saw their cellulose machine sitting out and I don't have the slightest bit of faith that it would be able to achieve a dense pack that wouldn't settle or wouldn't leave big holes. I think that calling rental centers to find a Force 1 or 2 would be what you'd have to do.
|
09-10-11, 06:46 AM | #15 |
Apprentice EcoRenovator
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 142
Thanks: 0
Thanked 11 Times in 11 Posts
|
|
09-10-11, 06:51 AM | #16 | |
Apprentice EcoRenovator
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 142
Thanks: 0
Thanked 11 Times in 11 Posts
|
Quote:
|
|
09-10-11, 09:35 AM | #17 | |
You Ain't Me
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Northampton MA
Posts: 662
Thanks: 6
Thanked 71 Times in 58 Posts
|
Quote:
|
|
Tags |
blower, cellulose, dense pack, diy, insulation |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|