Charlie: Michelle in Clear Lake has a question for us Tom.
Tom: Yes.
Charlie: She says, “I need to have blown insulation my house in Clear Lake. It was built in ’72. It’s been recommended to me that I should use formaldehyde-free fiber glass insulation-
Tom: Very good.
Charlie: “Do I ask for R30 or what? And also I have a cathedral ceiling in my family room. How do I insulate that? And, finally, the insulation has never been updated since the house was built. Does that mean the old insulation will have to be removed first?”
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Tom: Yeah, to start this answer, when you blow insulation in your home, make sure it goes in the attic. We don’t want it in the bedroom and the living room, okay?
Charlie: Fair enough.
Tom: I don’t want to fill the house up. But-
Charlie: You’d be itching all over the place.
Tom: Formaldehyde-free fiber glass is my choice. It’s what I had blown in my attic and I went up to an R30. It went on top of the old existing insulation. I even had some decking and stuff put in, so we did some work and that. But it’s exactly, just keep it simple. R30, formaldehyde-free fiber glass, add it to whatever you have there. If you’re dealing with someone good, they will extrapolate the numbers and know that with both of them together, that’s what you’re getting. And don’t block your vents.
Charlie: Leave the old stuff there, then?
Tom: It’s really hard to pull out. I wish they just had a big vacuum cleaner. And there are vacuum trucks and stuff, but unless you’re having an issue with cellulose or something, don’t bother.