Insulation Removal

With the costs associated with heating these days, why would anyone want to remove insulation from a building? Basically, there are three reasons that old insulation might need to be removed (a process known as abatement) from your attic or floor area.:

• Too much insulation
  
  Yes, you can have too much insulation. Putting a 20 foot deep layer of insulation in your attic may place too much stress on rafters without a significant reduction of heating and cooling costs, when compared to 12 inches of insulation.
  
  We do not run into problems that are caused by too much insulation, but rather too little. At the very minimum, insulation should meet recommendations of the Department of Energy, but adding more is usually beneficial. Properly insulated buildings are cheaper to heat and cool.

• Damage
  
  Contamination due to animal infestation smoke, water, dust, or mold may necessitate removal and replacement. Critters find their way in your attic and tear holes in the insulation. And, no one wants an attic full of animal droppings and urine-soaked insulation! We use special equipment to protect us from any health hazards that might be related to contaminated insulation.

  Perhaps the roof leaks or other events severely damage and contaminate your insulation. Regardless of the cause, the insulation system is not longer as effective as it once was.

• Remodeling and Upgrading
  
  If remodeling, and you are planning to put in new wiring, plumbing, or air conditioning, we recommend considering replacement of any old insulation from floors, walls, or attic.The insulation of today is far superior to the insulation that was sold 15 to 20 years ago. In many cases, you will see a dramatic reduction in heating costs simply from upgrading the type of insulation in your attic.

If re-doing your attic, there are two basic types of insulation One is blanket style fiberglass, either rolled-in or batt insulation. This is probably the type used when your house or business was constructed. The second type is blown-in insulation, usually installed after the building was constructed. New homes may have only the blown-in type, but it is more common to find both fiberglass and blown-in insulations, with the latter spread over the former.

Regardless of insulation type, abatement is essentially the same. With fiberglass batts, we pull and bag the insulation. We then clean the area of loose fibers and debris, such as animal droppings. If blown-in insulation is present, we will vacuum, using a large hose attached to our truck and state-of-the-art equipment. Again, we will leave a clean attic area ready for the installation of the new insulation system.

Floor insulation removal is relatively simple. The insulation is removed from the floor joists, along with any fasteners that held it in place. The insulation is bagged and removed for proper disposal.

After the abatement process is completed, a new insulation system can be installed, either at that time or later, if you wish to have time to consider options or examine the attic or floor, e.g., seal areas of animal entry. You may also decide to put in new insulation yourself, a project that can save money, assuming you know what insulation is most appropriate for your particular needs and you have the skill to install it properly.

Our team has considerable experience in removing and replacing insulation. Before you tackle that old insulation on your own, give us a call. We will answer all of your questions and give you a free, onsite estimate.