Cellulose Vs Fiberglass Blown In Attic

Dry blown cellulose will characteristically settle and sag in place reducing its r value.

Cellulose vs fiberglass blown in attic.

Or 7 inches of cellulose. As a recycled paper product cellulose is prone to absorb moisture that can cause wood rot and mould. Cellulose insulation blown in attic r 3 6 r3 7 cellulose insulation blown in wall r 3 8 r3 9 both fiberglass and cellulose insulation can be installed to completely fill the space inside of wall floor or ceiling cavity. Compared to fiberglass cellulose is a superb air blocker.

Rather than trying to meticulously lay fiberglass insulation over the attic homeowners and builders can simply blow cellulose insulation throughout the attic. Assuming your current attic insulation is made from fiberglass and has a value of r 13 you d have to add roughly 10 inches of additional fiberglass to hit r 38. Blown fiberglass on the other hand is made up of very fine strands of glass and these tiny fibers are a carcinogen that can easily be inhaled into your lungs. In extreme situations such as the upper midwest this reduction in r value approaches 50 percent.

Cellulose attic insulation read more. Loose fill blown fiberglass insulation has another slight problem. Wet blown cellulose is also subject to similar contamination too. Loose fill or blown cellulose insulation is manufactured primarily from recycled newspapers a very benign product so it poses virtually no ongoing health risk.

This phenomena seems to occur as a result of thermal convection. When using cellulose blown in dry insulation it requires a machine to achieve its purpose and a training session from wherever you rent the blower from. Cellulose has an r value of 3 5 3 7 per inch where fiberglass has around 2 1 2 7 r per inch. When comparing blown in insulation both fiberglass and cellulose are nearly identical in price both costing around 0 70 to 0 80 per square foot for 6 inches of insulation.

Higher r value per inch. As the temperature difference between the living space and attic increases the r value of blown fiberglass diminishes. Blown in cellulose homeowner benefits. Cellulose retains more of its r value through a wider range of temperatures compared to fiberglass.

Since cellulose is blown in it fills all the gaps crevices nooks and crannies in your attic unlike batts that can leave gaps. Air moving through a vented attic deposits dirt and dust into fiberglass batts. Blown cellulose is typically the preferred choice of insulation for attics. This is called wind washing.