Blown-In Insulation Kansas City

Settling Is Normal, and It Is Priced In or It Is Not

Loose-fill material compacts over time. Cellulose settles more than blown fiberglass, which is why it is installed above the target depth rather than level with it, so that the settled depth is the rated depth. A contractor who fills to the finished number on day one is selling an attic that will be under specification within a couple of seasons. It is also why an attic insulated years ago can measure short today without anyone having done anything wrong at the time.

Air Sealing Comes First, Every Time

Blown-in material sits on the ceiling plane and does nothing to stop air passing through it. If the ceiling below leaks at recessed lights, top plates, plumbing penetrations and the attic hatch, conditioned air moves straight through the fibres regardless of depth. Sealing those paths before the material goes down is what makes the depth meaningful.

Cellulose or Blown Fiberglass Here

Cellulose is denser, treated for fire resistance and resists air movement better, but it absorbs and holds water more readily. Blown fiberglass is lighter, handles damp with less risk and adds almost no load to a weak ceiling. In a climate with this much summer humidity and this much winter swing, the moisture history of the attic usually decides it.

When Blown-In Is the Wrong Answer

If ductwork or an air handler sits in the attic, material on the floor leaves that equipment in unconditioned space and foam at the roof line is usually the better spend. If the attic is partly finished or used for storage, a floor fill gets compressed and stops working. If the existing material is damp or contaminated, nothing should go on top of it until it has come out.