Although insulation professionals will handle the installation for you here are some things to keep in mind about removing old insulation and installing new insulation over old insulation according to energy star.
Do you need to remove old attic insulation.
We need to think of spray foamed attics as conditioned attics.
Your attic will have been previously insulated with blown cellulose insulation or fiberglass batt insulation.
You will have one of two types of insulation in your attic sometimes both.
These can be purchased or.
Attic insulation damaged by an infestation of rodents or by water from a leaky roof requires removal to prevent further contamination in the home.
Here is a checklist of things to do when removing the insulation.
Make sure you have the right protective clothing goggles and a good mask or respirator before you start.
The vapor retarder on top of or between layers of insulation can.
Removal and replacement of attic insulation including sealing penetrations from below assuming you already have the standard vapor barrier on top of the topfloor ceiling drywall should run in the 1 2 sf range in a normally accessible attic if low headroom less than 5 feet or so down the middle or low headroom flat roof then closer to 3 sf.
Once you regulate the air in your attic this problem goes away with or without the insulation in the attic floor.
If you leave your insulation ignored for a long period it will damage your beams or wood frames where mould and rooting are likely to occur.
This is a confusing situation and you will probably question yourself if you need to remove the old insulation before you set in the new one.
To ensure that your structures are safe your old insulation needs to be removed and replaced as soon as possible.
Having old attic insulation can also affect the structure of your house.
Removing the old insulation for the attic floor will solve this problem.
On a side note.
In fact adding new insulation on top of old insulation will give you a better r value resistance to heat flow and save you money.
But most attics are not retro fitted by a a c company after spray foam is installed.
You will rarely have to remove your old insulation when setting up a new one.
Faced insulation should not be placed on top of existing insulation in the attic.
Any new roll or batt insulation installed over existing insulation in the attic needs to be without a vapor retarder face.
Wet insulation will mold which can spread to.
We recommend a specialized hepa filter rated high powered large capacity vacuum.
The answer is no.