Blown In Insulation

Blown in insulation describes both a way of installing insulation and an insulation type. It is made up of loose, usually recycled materials that contain cellulose, organic materials that ultimately derive from plants like newspapers, denim, and paper. It can also be made of inorganic materials like fiberglass. Some blown in insulation is also blown in wet. Cellulose blown in insulation is treated with chemicals to make it fire and moisture resistant. The method behind blown in insulation involves a special piece of equipment called a blower to blow in the insulation. 

One major advantage of blown in insulation is that it can solve the problem of increasing the level of insulation in a building without performing what could be major construction in removing and rebuilding walls. Typically, buildings are insulated with what are known as fiberglass batts, which are thick, blanket like layers of fiberglass that come in long strips. These batts are cut to fit in the space between wall studs and ceiling joists, they can be either stuffed into the space and held in place by the force of their own pressure against the studs or they can be attached using some kind of adhesive to improve fit. Because these strips of insulation need to be cut to fit the space they will occupy they inevitable leave gaps, what's more there is no way to seal the space between wall studs and floor joists for example. Compounding this problem, once the wall is sealed up with sheetrock, there is no way to improve upon the insulation installation using fiberglass batts short of removing and reinstalling the wall.

Blown in insulation is a solution to the problem of increasing the amount of insulation inside a wall without removing the sheet rock. The insulation itself is also generally less expensive than spray foam and other kinds of insulation. It does not take long to complete and does not require the home to be empty for at least 24 hours after installation like spray foam. Not having to remove drywall can save money because replacing finishing and repainting can be expensive. Blow in insulation does have it's downsides however, so it is important to carefully consider the pro and cons of choosing this kind of insulation. One of the downsides of blown in insulation is that it is usually made of cellulose. Cellulose ultimately derives from flammable materials and is itself high flammable with out treatment. The chemicals used to treat cellulose insulation can be considered toxic depending on what kinds of chemicals are used to treat it. Also cellulose insulation looses it's insulation properties when it gets wet. Keep the insulation dry can be mitigated by using a moisture barrier but that requires opening up the walls. There are other materials that can be used for blown in insulation. One of the most popular is fiberglass which is the same material used to make batts. Like cellulose it it also a relatively cheap insulation material. It is also naturally inflammable.