Blown-In Pros and Cons
Insulation Varieties
Insulating your home is one of the big steps you can take in improving your home's heating and cooling efficiency. Using a blow-in type of insulation is not as expensive as you might think and blow-in insulation can be added to areas that would otherwise be inaccessible. Many building supply stores will even give you free rental of the equipment if you purchase a set amount of material. Many homeowners may find that this is a job they can tackle themselves and if so there are pluses and minuses of the project to keep in mind.
Benefits:
Blow-in insulation can fit anywhere, even inside wall gaps of only a couple of inches.
Blow-in blanket insulation is less messy than a foam spray.
Blow-in machines will come with an adapter for using in holes on finished walls.
Blow-in blanket fiberglass based insulation will not settle in walls. Cellulose insulation may over time requiring the addition of more insulation.
Blow-in blanket insulation is fire resistant. Cellulose insulation has a chemical added as a fire retardant.
Blow-in insulation will not only add significantly to the R value but also will provide some noise reduction.
Drawbacks:
Blow-in blanket insulation is made from fiberglass. It itches. Repeat, it itches. You will need proper gloves, safety glasses, mask and clothing to do the job yourself.
Things are going to get messy. Even if you hire someone else to do this project for you there will be bits and pieces of insulation everywhere.
To insulate between already finished walls you must drill holes for the material to be blown. This can be done on the inside or outside of the home, depending on the buildings materials but the holes will have to be patched after the project is completed. If the work is done on the inside the hole patches will probably also have to be painted.
You will need to rent or borrow the machine if you are doing the job yourself. You will need to transport the machine unless you pay extra to have it delivered. Rental will also mean that your work will be on a deadline.