When to Remove or Replace Insulation in Crawl Spaces and Attics

In this video, Michael discusses when to remove, replace, or keep crawl space and attic insulation. Need a quote? crawlspaceninja.com/free-asse...
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0:00 Introduction
0:35 Reasons to Remove Insulation
1:08 #1 Critters Nesting in Insulation
2:17 #2 Mold Problems
3:36 #3 If Insulation Gets Wet
4:24 Don't Reuse Insulation
5:33 Insulate Subfloor or Foundation Wall
6:35 Air Sealing & Insulating Attics
#CrawlSpaceNinja

[@B0redom13]

Buying a house in rockwood, your videos will be a life saver

[@sadgearmy]

Thank you very much for all the amazing videos! They allowed me to start fixing my crawlspace in Alaska.

[@CrawlSpaceNinja]

Glad to help, Thank you for watching and have a blessed day.

[@RG-hf4et]

Good information!

[@MiguelinaAriasMIA]

I was going to try to do this myself and then hearing your video has confirmed I will be hiring someone.

[@CrawlSpaceNinja]

Thanks for sharing, I hope you find a great contractor in your area to do this.

[@ic3p1k]

Obviously pay special attention near chimneys in the attic. When I pulled the insulation away there was an infestation of Asian lady beetles. When I say infestation I mean you couldn’t see anything but bugs in the entire joist cavity. It was fascinating.

[@CrawlSpaceNinja]

In spite of their ability to weed out garden pests, Asian lady beetles can become a nuisance when they invade your home or garden in large numbers. Winter is a time when Asian lady beetles gather in protected indoor locations. There will likely be many others following where one lands. Asian lady beetles emit foul-smelling, yellowish fluid when disturbed, especially if swatted or squashed. Essentially, it is the blood of the insect, and it can permanently stain carpets, curtains, and walls. The secretion is harmless to humans, despite its irritating nature. Humans may also be bitten by Asian lady beetles, causing allergic reactions. Itchy noses, eyes, asthma, welts, and swelling can occur despite these insects being generally passive and biting only when they seek moisture or food. In the garden, Asian lady beetles eat aphids as well as other beneficial insects. Additionally, they carry a microsporidian parasite that kills native ladybugs. A large number of them can also damage crops.

[@ambilaevus7607]

I want badly to rockwool the northern half of my crawlspace (bedrooms). What's the best way to attach to the joist? If I caulk/glue them it'd be hard to inspect for issues. I was debating running foam board opposite direction as the joist (to hold up the rockwool)since I have 4 panels of it laying around. I also think the foam board would also be easy to see critter breaches as it's almost white. I'm a bit south of Souix City. Are my ideas good, neutral or bad?

[@CrawlSpaceNinja]

Ambil - A bag of 12 bats fits a typical 2x4" stud bay with 16" studs on center and comes with 12 bats in a bag. It's as simple as picking up one and shoving it into the wall. No staples or adhesives are needed because they fit snugly in place. You can then move on to the next one by gently pushing them in. Thanks for watching. Please let us know if you have any other questions. We hope you have a happy and blessed day!

[@sidallen685]

I removed the floor insulation when I found out I had a problem with moisture in my crawl space, I sealed the ground blocked the vents and installed a power vent to exhaust any gases that form and installed a dehumidifier, I did not reinstall the insulation as I live in the South, that was five years ago and cannot see any difference in cooling or heating bills.

[@CrawlSpaceNinja]

We'd recommend installing foam board insulation on the walls. Insulation is required by building code so it may become an issue with home inspection if you decide to sell your home in the future. Glad to hear you were able to take care of the moisture problems!

[@MiguelinaAriasMIA]

anyone randomly knows of someone in the Poconos area? I know I can Google but begin on this video would put a bit more confidence in looking for someone for the job

[@CrawlSpaceNinja]

I do not but hopefully one of our viewers knows someone.

[@i_amronburgundy]

I have a fully encapsulated crawlspace with foamboard on the walls and a dehumidifier, I notice that the space is normally around 75-78 degrees F. Is this higher temp going to transfer through the floor and heat the living area, and if so, would it now be a good time to re-install insulation between the joists?

[@CrawlSpaceNinja]

It could, do you have a fan drawing out small amounts of air? Sometimes that can help. If it doesn't then a thermal break between crawls pace and living space may be needed.

[@partyboatcaptain]

My attic has some type of lose fill wool insulation on the floor. I was told they can rake it to one side, air seal then do the other side. After air sealing they would spread it back out and blow new cellulose over it. The current insulation is from the early 60’s. Does that sound right? Two companies have told me the same thing.

[@CrawlSpaceNinja]

Many insulation companies will do that to salvage the old insulation and it can be effective. It can fluff it back up and give it R value. Just make sure there's no evidence of rodent infestation in the current insulation. If so, you may want to have that removed.

[@1215DayTrading]

What would happen if you have a sealed and encapsulated crawl space with a dehumidifier but the fiberglass insulation is up against the floor board? Any specific damage it could cause? Is it absolute necessary to remove it and put foam board on the walls instead?

[@CrawlSpaceNinja]

The damage that could be caused is that Fiberglass is not a sealed insulation so moisture may get trapped within your subfloor.

[@1215DayTrading]

@@CrawlSpaceNinja even if there is a dehumidifier in the space?

[@cvinny82]

Hello. My crawl space is so tight I can't even get to my air handler and the duct work nearly touches from ground to ceiling. It's just sand, would it be okay for me to dig it out to add a foot or so of more height ? Thanks for your videos

[@CrawlSpaceNinja]

Hey Chad, we don't normally recommend digging out the crawl space as it can cause structural and water intrusion problems in the future if too much is displaced. It may be better if you tackled your crawl space from above if possible. Here is a playlist of some videos we've done discussing solutions for low crawl spaces if you're interested: kzbin.info/aero/PLxsYiAum9ovxQWkKm65TMwgLSGngg4fOv

[@cvinny82]

@@CrawlSpaceNinja thanks, I'll check it out.

[@nothankyou2.0]

Ninja! - Looking for some info on - When you close in an attic, when/why do you need to remove the attic floor insulation? Take the insulation out of the floor and then move it to the roof decking... There is a lot of ninjas crawling around in the attic

[@CrawlSpaceNinja]

We usually remove attic floor insulation to give us the ability to air seal top plates and other penetrations between living space and attic. Is that what you are referring to? If one could seal from the soffit to the gable of the roof deck, I don't think air sealing the attic floor would be necessary. Has anyone done that before and local codes be ok with it?

[@svddwd]

Thanks. Do we need crawl space insulation in California.

[@CrawlSpaceNinja]

We say yes! Would love to have a Franchise out west!

[@chrispalmer9802]

Looking to buy a house with a metal roof and the inspector said the fiberglass roll insulation is rolled out into the soffits. Is this as simple as getting up there and pulling the insulation back a little to restore the air flow?

[@chipfornaris]

I am a home inspector and yes, as long as that restores the airflow just make sure the Soffit vents are not clogged

[@CrawlSpaceNinja]

Thanks for sharing. Yes I agree

[@ocilanealexis97]

If it gets wet can i take it down wait a couple of days and install new installation?

[@CrawlSpaceNinja]

Good Morning, Ocilane. Thanks for the question. You will have to remove the wet insulation and make sure the environment is rid of excess moisture and mold. Michael did a great video on why you shouldn't reuse old insulation: kzbin.info/www/bejne/f561g3x3bLyBqpY. Please let us know if you have any other questions. We appreciate you watching and hope you have a happy and blessed weekend.

[@mere_cat]

I’ve heard that you shouldn’t blow in insulation over fiberglass. Is that correct? Should we just put more fiberglass on top?

[@patrickturner270]

You can blow fiberglass or cellulose over existing fiberglass as long as the existing insulation is in good condition.

[@CrawlSpaceNinja]

We typically use Foam Board Insulation. For more insight submit a Ask a Ninja form - crawlspaceninja.com/ask-a-ninja/

[@nathanreynolds5102]

What is involved in “air sealing”

[@CrawlSpaceNinja]

Hey Nathan, Check out this blog crawlspaceninja.com/crawl-space-repair/air-seal-crawl-space/ And This video kzbin.info/www/bejne/paWxdKuBpsqtbs0 Thanks for watching and have a great day!

[@donniesmith8779]

Question.. Average prices for barrier, insulation removed and new installed plus dehumidifier installed in crawl space for 1550 Sq foot? Just asking

[@CrawlSpaceNinja]

Hi Donnie, here is our most recent video on avarage costs for encapsulation. Hope this helps! kzbin.info/www/bejne/goWlnJmqd8SCbZI

[@donniesmith8779]

@@CrawlSpaceNinja Thank You for your reply. The video helped alot. I was quoted 9K for the above and 14k for encapsualtion. Do you service Raleigh, NC area or Garner area in NC?

[@CrawlSpaceNinja]

@@donniesmith8779 Yes! We have a location in the Raleigh, NC area. You can learn more about them here: crawlspaceninja.com/north-carolina/raleigh-west-nc/

[@donniesmith8779]

@@CrawlSpaceNinja Thanks for your reply. However, I have already signed with someone else before you answered my question..

[@CrawlSpaceNinja]

@donniesmith8779 ok

[@chipfornaris]

My subfloor insulation is starting to fall, I have batts covered with 4x8 sheets. Can I just remove the fallen pieces and roll out 30 lb felt on the ground to prevent the moisture from coming up from the ground. The joists are a good 3 feet off the ground and there is plenty of ventilation with lattice on 3 sides…thoughts?

[@CrawlSpaceNinja]

Great question, I got this off InterNACHI (nachi.org) website: Felt underlayment is water-resistant, but not waterproof. It's available in two thicknesses: 15-pound and 30-pound. I am thinking it would not pass code either since most require a Class 1 vapor retarder. Hope that helps. From Atlas roofing: Number 15 felt is rated at 6 perms and #30 felt is rated at 5 perms. To put those measurements into perspective: a perm rating of 0.1 is considered impervious to vapor. A rating between . 01 and 1 is a Class II semi-permeable vapor retarder, and anything between 1.0 and 10 is a Class III permeable vapor retarder.

[@user-bv1rv2oy2f]

We need help. Bottom line is there any regulations on removal of insulation in a home? We can't find it in the California code. Can you help? A supplier made a disaster of the cellulose removal process. We don't trust them anymore and don't want them to continue with the project which would be installing insulation and installing ducts. We believe they used old vacuum and the pipe leaked and blew the cellulose all over the neighborhood and our roof and yard because the workers were not watching they were all three in the attic and no one watched the machinery. We think that is against some California laws we just can't find those laws. And they also were supposed contain the cellulose in the house by creating a tunnel and encapcilate the area. They did not have the right material and the tape they put on the plastic to adhere to the walls blew off and the cellulose was blowing into the house. We think that is against some law. They should have had a structure that the asbestos removers had. This company did it cheaply even though we paid so much more for their services than all other suppliers thinking they were the best.Thank you !

[@CrawlSpaceNinja]

I am sorry, I am not familiar with California laws but you can contact local codes and ask them. Sorry you had that problem, it is a mess when that happens...don't ask me how I know. Luckily my hose slipped of for a few seconds in a utility closet but it still took an hour to clean up. It never happened again.