? make your own cellulose insulation?

[EddieWalker]

I've found that it is VERY hard to make something yourself that is readily available at a store for less money. Especially when you factor in the time it takes and use $10 an hour for what your time is worth.

Now the real question is, What are you going to do with all that paper product?

Eddie

 

[BHD]

Now the real question is, What are you going to do with all that paper product?

Eddie

I have no idea,

 

[RadarTech]

firestarter? put it on craigslist and say $10 a pickup load-- you load?
if it is not lead based of course....



Jim

 

[Scotty370]

I'm with the "Sell the newsprint at a scrap-yard, and buy proper material at the Home Depot, Lowes, etc." crowd! ~S

 

[humcidax]

I would be concerned about mold and mildew. I think it might be carrying diy a little too far. DIY the project but buy the insulation.

And take the old newspaper and cardboard to someplace that recycles it. The savings for making it was not enough in my opinion and you have no quality control or testing and research on your own ability to uniformly make it fireproof and vermin resistant.

I understand that Mother did some fire testing but I would not bet my life on it or my own ability to get it right in order to save a couple of hundred dollars.

And it might not consume enough old newspapers to eliminate the disposal need anyway.

but methods of installing the blown in is much improved from the early days,
at one time they just drilled a 2" or 3" hole at the top of the wall cavity and blew until it stopped, there was little or no compaction an possibly even a void at the bottom of the wall cavity with that method,

 

[Pops15]

Lowes has their cellulose insulation on sale for less than half price.

About 20 years ago we built a house for an insulating contractor. 2X6 walls, the best windows available at the time, etc. The customer bought a blower and New Wool (cellulose) insulation. This was before New Wool sold franchises. In existing construction you drill holes and blow the insulation in. In new construction water is mixed with it and its sprayed, then a rotary brush is used to shave the insulation flush with the studs. Anyway, his natural gas usage was so low for a 5500 SF house that the gas company dug parallel to the main for over 400' looking for an illegal tap. There was none. His biggest gas bill the first several years was under $120 a month.

 

[joeleitz]

If you like the thought of using a blown type of insulation, why don't you think about getting a kit and doing it that way. Sprayfoamdirect sells a spray foam insulation kit that you could use to insulate it yourself and it would probably still give you a cost savings. Also, it would still be a green option and you wouldn't have to deal with that nasty pink fiberglass stuff. Just a thought.

Just for the information, I have basically given up on the idea,
watched some videos on how it is manufactured, and it is not that I really do not have the equipment to do it but, after doing some cost estimates, of the chemicals, (shipping is as much the potential problem as the cost of the product in smaller amounts.

 

[BHD]

thanks for the info,

 

[clemsonfor]

but disposal of the old paper and boxes will be a job, and probably have a cost to it as well,
not really trying to save on buying insulation, (but money is tight) but trying to use what is avaiable to make the best use of resources, there is one building that is nearly 3 foot deep in news papers on the place about 15' x15', and that is not counting the house and some of the other buildings, and the card board boxes reach the ceilings in some rooms, and most are full of some type of paper products,

I have not decided to do or try the idea, or not to do as of yet, but thank you all for your input,

Sounds like you bought a hording house. :confused2:

 

[BHD]

my DD and her Husband, have been hard at work for a few months now and you can see the floors, there is still a good U haul truck full of boxes and books to go through,
DD said they found junk mail in boxes, it is a lot of fun if one has the time, a 1938 booklet on what is Insulation, and there was a leaflet gun catalog interesting looking at it and the prices, they can see the light at the end of the tunnel.