# Help :) electricians moved insulation



## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

Hi and welcome.

They should have smoothed it back over, but from the looks of it, they probably did you a favor.
Now would be the ideal time to add 10 or 20 more bundles of cellulose up there.

DM


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## 1910NE (Sep 5, 2010)

Yes, you can put it back by hand. But DangerMouse is correct. You should really consider increasing your insulation there.


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## ober76 (Oct 3, 2011)

*thanks*

thanks for the replies so quickly.

So it will be ok to cover those wires with extra insulation?

As I understand I should stick to cellulose as well?

Finally I had to extra vents put in this summer so that I now have three in the roof, but I don't have soffits or any intake vents, will adding the extra layer of insulation be ok?

Thanks again guys


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## OhioHomeDoctor (Sep 27, 2011)

DangerMouse said:


> Hi and welcome.
> 
> They should have smoothed it back over, but from the looks of it, they probably did you a favor.
> Now would be the ideal time to add 10 or 20 more bundles of cellulose up there.
> ...


Or more. Go to hd they will let you use their machine for free.


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## 1910NE (Sep 5, 2010)

ober76 said:


> thanks for the replies so quickly.
> 
> 
> Finally I had to extra vents put in this summer so that I now have three in the roof, but I don't have soffits or any intake vents, will adding the extra layer of insulation be ok?
> ...


You do need soffit vents, or air intake, of some kind. try a search here (or google) about roof venting, cold roofs, etc... to give you an idea of how it should be done right.


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## Windows on Wash (Aug 30, 2011)

Time for increased ventilation and insulation.


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## Gary in WA (Mar 11, 2009)

Welcome to the forum!

They drilled holes too close to the top of ceiling joists, strengthen them first. http://arch.umd.edu/Tech/Structural...Wood_Products/Notching_&_Boring_Guide_A11.pdf

Your knee walls with the plaster/lath showing should be insulated and house-wrapped or foam board and covered with mineral wool batt for an ignition barrier. Also close off the space below the knee walls to stop cold air from entering there, chilling the room ceiling below. If you spray cellulose on top of the existing fiberglass, it will compress and negate it's value as well as leave pockets for wind washing or air paths. 

Air seal the attic first; http://www.finehomebuilding.com/PDF/Free/021105092.pdf

Add ventilation baffles at the soffit vents (depends on location), insulate walls and attic floor (R-value depends on location), cover with housewrap to prevent wind-washing, and insulate and air seal the attic access hatch.

Gary


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## ober76 (Oct 3, 2011)

*Oh boy*

Thanks folks, I knew things were not looking quite right up there.

I will make this a project. The only thing that I worry about is the intake vents/ soffits as this house is about 100 or so years old and I don't know if there is a place to put them in. Can intake vents be on the roof itself somehow? Right now I have three vents on the back roof (the square types). Someone mentioned that the round vents that spin are better but then I read that in climates like here (Toronto) they can get jammed in the winter.

Also I noticed a very small opening between the side of the house and the roof, I could see the sunlight coming through (photo attached) should I be using some kind of foam spray to seal that up?

I really appreciate your help, I have had some roofers in from different companies and it seems that either they don't know or are simply trying to squeeze as much cash out of you as humanly possible. Nobody from any of these companies gave me the details and info that I have received in the post so far.

cheers


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## ober76 (Oct 3, 2011)

*one more question*

Since I am already braced for bad news this morning  I have one more question.

I noticed on the walls whitish mold, not a lot but still. There is no moldy smell up there but I wanted a quick opinion. Again I asked roofers and an electrician and they said that it was nothing but. .


Please take a look.

Thanks again folks.


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## ober76 (Oct 3, 2011)

*last but not least*

Sorry to be a pain 

Is this the type of electric light slot that one can place insulation over, or should it be left open so that the heat from the lights wont heat the insulation?


I guess I really need to get moving and fix all of these issues before another winter. To be honest I wonder how all these old homes survived all of these years with so many issues... and how they could have been renovated so badly 

cheers


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## AGWhitehouse (Jul 1, 2011)

GBR in WA said:


> foam board and covered with fiberglass batt for an ignition barrier.


Fiberglass is not an approved ignition barrier. Mineral Fiber is.


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## MLMIB (Aug 12, 2010)

That doesn't look like a recessed light fixture so you should be fine. If it isn't a recessed light it should be venting most of it's heat into the room it's lighting.

And you can always change the light fixture to CFL or LED just to be safe


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## Gary in WA (Mar 11, 2009)

“Can intake vents be on the roof itself somehow?”---- Yes: http://www.dciproducts.com/html/smartvent.htm

Or: http://www.cor-a-vent.com/in-vent.cfm

Fascia vented: http://www.cor-a-vent.com/PDF/S4002P.pdf

“Also I noticed a very small opening between the side of the house and the roof, I could see the sunlight coming through (photo attached) should I be using some kind of foam spray to seal that up?” --- yes, canned foam or caulking on backer rod.

“Nobody from any of these companies gave me the details and info that I have received in the post so far.” ----- That’s why DIY Chatroom is the best place for help!

Good catch, AGW. Another thing I shouldn’t do late at night, answer in detail…..I corrected fiberglass to mineral wool in my original post, as per code. You can fire-block using fiberglass, not to get more confused. http://publicecodes.citation.com/icod/irc/2009/icod_irc_2009_3_sec002_par032.htm

That light box is fine to cover, only the unrated or older can lights.

The second picture appears to be white mold/mildew, maybe our resident mold expert will chime in- Maintenance6? 

Gary


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## AandPDan (Mar 27, 2011)

On your mold2.jpg, is that an insulator? Do you still have any active knob and tube wiring?

Halfway up the joist on the left.


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## ober76 (Oct 3, 2011)

AandPDan said:


> On your mold2.jpg, is that an insulator? Do you still have any active knob and tube wiring?
> 
> Halfway up the joist on the left.


No its left over from the old knob and tube that they replaced, again I don't know if they should have taken the things out, they are not active though


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## Gary in WA (Mar 11, 2009)

You'd be surprised how much money an electrician makes per year for copper wire at the recycling center.......

Gary


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