Insulation, Radiant and Vapor Barriers - Removing old insulation

My son bought a 1948 home that needs more insulation in the attic floor. The insulation that is there is the original blown in something (the inspector did not identify it as asbestos) and not much of it. There also have been rats living up there so there is lots of rat poop in the insulation. My advise to him was to see if they would remove the old before putting in new insulation. Do they do that as a general rule? I'm sure you have to pay extra but just didn't know if you had to get someone other than the people who put in insulation to remove the old and is this good advice to him to have it removed?

Hi,

I don't know if I'd pay for this or DIY...Our house also had blown in- cellulose, I think. We didn't know how to get rid of it, but it was dusty and difficult to breathe when we had to work in the attic.

It took us a while, because we only worked on a section at a time, but we bagged it in contractor bags and replaced with fiberglass batts. Any time we had work to do, like running electrical, we'd do another section.

Took a long time, but we didn't have the money to spend for a contractor.

SO, having said all that, yes, you can have it removed and I definitely would because the rat droppings are a health hazard. AND, if you (or he) can afford to pay, I definitely would because it's a messy, dusty job.

Connie

Removing the old insulation would stir up the rat feces, creating an airborne hazard where none currently exists. Removing the old insulation would be a cost to remove insulation that you have to replace. It makes a great deal of sense to simply install the new insulation over the old.

O-h-h-h-h Chris! Think about living with that over your head! Ugh! Besides, it's a pain to search for wires that get buried under that cellulose.:)

If there's a wife or mother involved here, I bet practical goes right out the window!

Yes, Connie, I'm the mother and I am the type to never cover over the crud but remove it and start fresh-I think it is a female thing:=)... No one else might know the crud is there but I always will. What Chris is saying is that it is like asbestos however-disturb it and it is harmful to breath in. I was hoping that insulation people had equipment to suck it up safely. There really isn't a whole lot left in the rafters after 60 years of being there. Guess he will just have to get an estimate. If I lived there, it would have to be removed just for my peace of mind...but cost may be prohibited for him.

I just removed a lot of celluolose from the attic above a room I gutted the other day. Thank god that the rest of the attic is rolls of fiberglass! Like Connie said, the stuff is dusty and a pain to deal with. I totally hate the stuff!!!!