While I was messing around in the attic over the garage a few months ago, I
pulled out a long strip of fiberglass insulation.
Replacing it yesterday, I wasn't sure whether to push it back in in paper
side up or down. At the time, I decided that fiberglass fibers down would
make it safer since much of this part of the attic is only sloppily covered
with a few loose boards, and fiberglass is known to be "nasty" stuff.
After browsing the Internet a bit, I realize now that paper side down is
probably "correct". I don't want to incur unnecessary ceiling damage due to
moisture. Is it worth flipping it around for the sake of this concern, or
isn't it likely to make any difference either way? The width of the piece
was much narrower than the space between the joists (so I"m not sure how
good a job it could be doing--but it largely filled the space). Between
adjacent joists there is loose-fill insualation, so someone probably just
included this piece as an afterthought or something.
Most of the attic is frosted with loose-fill insulation, uncovered (probably
wool, but I should investigate further...).
For those who are tempted to be critical, everytime I go up there I try to
make it a little bit better (safer!). There Were some 10d nails
hazardoutsly sticking out (which I have removed), and a 110v duplex cover
half broken off leaving exposed terminals and being a risk in itself! I
bought a new cover today--with rubber corners! Being slashed by the cover
that is there is an ER visit I don't need. I'd be further along if the
ladder worked better. As it is, one can go up, but will need help with the
ladder when it is time to come down. Based on some reading, I'm going to
try WD-40 on the hinges. Was thinking about replacing the ladder, but the
opening is only 23.5" and most of the ones I've seen indicate they require a
24" wide opening.
Sorry for making such a boring post.
Bill
On Sat, 1 May 2010 22:24:10 -0700, " Rumple Stiltskin"
<[email protected]> wrote:
>"Bill" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]...
>> To ease anyone's mind...
>>
>> -The 8 foot piece of insulation glot flipped.
>>
>> -I bought a lantern flashlight for $5, and turned off a circuit-breaker to
>> replace a (dangerously) broken duplex cover plate.
>> I think this was "overkill", and i was going to do the replacement relying
>> on Duct Tape as a safety mechanism, but I thought I would
>> try to demonstate good discipline for myself and especially for the sake
>> of the many who have demonstrated concern in the past about my wiring
>> prowess! : )
>>
>> -Removed another dangerous 14d nail and installed it, basically in the
>> dark, where it might be some good. If you've never hammered nails in the
>> dark, you have to try it at least once! In this case the location was
>> down near the edge of the roof and my face was basically on the attic
>> floor (and I was wearing both a safety helmet and an dust mask). I bent
>> the last half inch over for good measure and covered the sharp part of the
>> exposed head of the nail with two pieces of duct tape!
>
>May I suggest one of the LED strap on the head flashlights? I've got the
>'eyeglass' kind, but they slip off all the time. if you are wearing goggles,
>you can get clip on LED flashlights. Have one I use when wearing goggles.
>
>The older I get, the darker things seem!
I've got a dandy that clips to the visor of a ball-=cap - which also
helps keep the dust out of my eyes.
In article <[email protected]>,
Bill <[email protected]> wrote:
> -Removed another dangerous 14d nail and installed it, basically in the
> dark, where it might be some good. If you've never hammered nails in
> the dark, you have to try it at least once! In this case the location
> was down near the edge of the roof and my face was basically on the
> attic floor (and I was wearing both a safety helmet and an dust mask).
> I bent the last half inch over for good measure and covered the sharp
> part of the exposed head of the nail with two pieces of duct tape!
Tell me about it!
I've just been up in our loft installing more insulation. The pitch of the
roof is quite shallow and there are criss-crossing timbers linking the
joists supporting the ceiling below and the rafters above. Apart from the
fibreglass "needles" I've got all sorts of scrapes on my skin and
splinters everywhere.
Once the weekend is over I've got to go up and finish off :-(
"Bill" <[email protected]> wrote
>
> I forget, it was bothering me for some reason (most likely it bothered me
> that the fiberglass was exposed). I thought I was going to add more, but
> since then I learned it's not supposed to go all of the way to the end (to
> the overhangs).
>
>
>
>>>
>>> Replacing it yesterday, I wasn't sure whether to push it back in in
>>> paper side up or down.
>>
>> So, you didn't note the position when you pulled it? Is the garage
>> heated?
>
> Garage is attached, but not heated. I noted the position when I pulled it
> out, but that was about 6 months ago : ) I remember after I grabbed it
> being quite surprised that it was 8 feet long.
>
> Bill
>
>
The paper goes to the heated side. If not heated, insulation makes little
difference, but it may block some hot air from the roof in summer from
coming down, or is ther a room above the garage that is heated. . Frankly,
under the circumstances if no room above I'd probably leave a single strip
the way it happens to be now. If it was a heated living space, I'd be sure
to have it the right way.
"Bill" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> While I was messing around in the attic over the garage a few months ago,
> I pulled out a long strip of fiberglass insulation.
Why?
>
> Replacing it yesterday, I wasn't sure whether to push it back in in paper
> side up or down.
So, you didn't note the position when you pulled it? Is the garage heated?
" Rumple Stiltskin" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "Bill" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>>
>> While I was messing around in the attic over the garage a few months ago,
>> I pulled out a long strip of fiberglass insulation.
>
> Why?
I forget, it was bothering me for some reason (most likely it bothered me
that the fiberglass was exposed). I thought I was going to add more, but
since then I learned it's not supposed to go all of the way to the end (to
the overhangs).
>>
>> Replacing it yesterday, I wasn't sure whether to push it back in in paper
>> side up or down.
>
> So, you didn't note the position when you pulled it? Is the garage heated?
Garage is attached, but not heated. I noted the position when I pulled it
out, but that was about 6 months ago : ) I remember after I grabbed it
being quite surprised that it was 8 feet long.
Bill
"Ed Pawlowski" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> The paper goes to the heated side. If not heated, insulation makes little
> difference, but it may block some hot air from the roof in summer from
> coming down, or is ther a room above the garage that is heated. .
> Frankly, under the circumstances if no room above I'd probably leave a
> single strip the way it happens to be now. If it was a heated living
> space, I'd be sure to have it the right way.
Thank you! Your explanation is very helpful.
I was concerned that the exposed fiberglass might pose a "health threat"
(though it's not
a living space, just a storage space).
The garage is attached, so there is no separation between the attic of the
garage
and that of the house, so I presume some heat/cooling may be lost through
the garage ceiling.
Probably both of these concerns are negligible. But I'll probably go up and
flip the strip
upside down! Time spent up there is not wasted--there is a lot of wiring I
would
like to understand better. I would like to add protection for some of it
too. It's like the
previous owner's didn't even care! ; ) Probably hasn't been swept out
since it was built
40 years ago. For most of the readers here, an annual attic inspection is
probably
the minimum level of care and attention given! : )
Bill
"Bill" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> " Rumple Stiltskin" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> "Bill" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> news:[email protected]...
>>>
>>> While I was messing around in the attic over the garage a few months
>>> ago, I pulled out a long strip of fiberglass insulation.
>>
>> Why?
>
> I forget, it was bothering me for some reason (most likely it bothered me
> that the fiberglass was exposed). I thought I was going to add more, but
> since then I learned it's not supposed to go all of the way to the end (to
> the overhangs).
>
>
>
>>>
>>> Replacing it yesterday, I wasn't sure whether to push it back in in
>>> paper side up or down.
>>
>> So, you didn't note the position when you pulled it? Is the garage
>> heated?
>
> Garage is attached, but not heated. I noted the position when I pulled it
> out, but that was about 6 months ago : ) I remember after I grabbed it
> being quite surprised that it was 8 feet long.
>
> Bill
>
>
Paper down. And it's only a hazard if you are Working with it on a daily
basis. I'd wear a mask if installing the entire ceiling.
On 4/30/2010 12:55 PM, Bill wrote:
> "Ed Pawlowski"<[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>
>> The paper goes to the heated side. If not heated, insulation makes little
>> difference, but it may block some hot air from the roof in summer from
>> coming down, or is ther a room above the garage that is heated. .
>> Frankly, under the circumstances if no room above I'd probably leave a
>> single strip the way it happens to be now. If it was a heated living
>> space, I'd be sure to have it the right way.
>
> Thank you! Your explanation is very helpful.
>
> I was concerned that the exposed fiberglass might pose a "health threat"
> (though it's not
> a living space, just a storage space).
>
> The garage is attached, so there is no separation between the attic of the
> garage
> and that of the house, so I presume some heat/cooling may be lost through
> the garage ceiling.
>
> Probably both of these concerns are negligible. But I'll probably go up and
> flip the strip
> upside down! Time spent up there is not wasted--there is a lot of wiring I
> would
> like to understand better. I would like to add protection for some of it
> too. It's like the
> previous owner's didn't even care! ; ) Probably hasn't been swept out
> since it was built
> 40 years ago. For most of the readers here, an annual attic inspection is
> probably
> the minimum level of care and attention given! : )
Fiberglass, unless it gets wet and moldy, is not a health threat. If a
kid gets in it he'll itch like crazy for a few days and if you tell him
that it's the fiberglass that did it he'll learn never to do that again.
To ease anyone's mind...
-The 8 foot piece of insulation glot flipped.
-I bought a lantern flashlight for $5, and turned off a circuit-breaker to
replace a (dangerously) broken duplex cover plate.
I think this was "overkill", and i was going to do the replacement relying
on Duct Tape as a safety mechanism, but I thought I would
try to demonstate good discipline for myself and especially for the sake of
the many who have demonstrated concern in the past about my wiring prowess!
: )
-Removed another dangerous 14d nail and installed it, basically in the dark,
where it might be some good. If you've never hammered nails in the dark, you
have to try it at least once! In this case the location was down near the
edge of the roof and my face was basically on the attic floor (and I was
wearing both a safety helmet and an dust mask). I bent the last half inch
over for good measure and covered the sharp part of the exposed head of the
nail with two pieces of duct tape!
- Oh, and I virtually fixed the attic ladder by putting a 2by4 under it's
feet at the base. Now I can come down it without someone at the bottom
straightening it out first!
Currently there is a regular old lamp plugged into the duplex outlet I
mentioned. Can I install some sort of light fixture in the attic and plug
it into the duplex outlet--and stay within NEC?
I'm reminded of Red Green's comment: If the women don't find you handsome,
may they at least find you handy! : )
Bill
"Bill" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> To ease anyone's mind...
>
> -The 8 foot piece of insulation glot flipped.
>
> -I bought a lantern flashlight for $5, and turned off a circuit-breaker to
> replace a (dangerously) broken duplex cover plate.
> I think this was "overkill", and i was going to do the replacement relying
> on Duct Tape as a safety mechanism, but I thought I would
> try to demonstate good discipline for myself and especially for the sake
> of the many who have demonstrated concern in the past about my wiring
> prowess! : )
>
> -Removed another dangerous 14d nail and installed it, basically in the
> dark, where it might be some good. If you've never hammered nails in the
> dark, you have to try it at least once! In this case the location was
> down near the edge of the roof and my face was basically on the attic
> floor (and I was wearing both a safety helmet and an dust mask). I bent
> the last half inch over for good measure and covered the sharp part of the
> exposed head of the nail with two pieces of duct tape!
May I suggest one of the LED strap on the head flashlights? I've got the
'eyeglass' kind, but they slip off all the time. if you are wearing goggles,
you can get clip on LED flashlights. Have one I use when wearing goggles.
The older I get, the darker things seem!
" Rumple Stiltskin" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> May I suggest one of the LED strap on the head flashlights?
Hmmm.. Long ago some of my friends and I used to have lights that strapped
to our foreheads that we used when looking for worms on the golf course (I
could get more than 20 dozen crawlers in a few hours by myself)..ah,
memories. They were probably brighter than LED. Some mechanism along those
lines may be handy for some of my current adventures, which are, admittedly,
less slimey...
Bill
"Bill" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> " Rumple Stiltskin" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>>
>> May I suggest one of the LED strap on the head flashlights?
>
> Hmmm.. Long ago some of my friends and I used to have lights that strapped
> to our foreheads that we used when looking for worms on the golf course (I
> could get more than 20 dozen crawlers in a few hours by myself)..ah,
> memories. They were probably brighter than LED. Some mechanism along
> those lines may be handy for some of my current adventures, which are,
> admittedly, less slimey...
>
> Bill
>
The LED flashlights are typically a cluster of 20-30 LEDs and pretty bright.
Look for 'LED head lamp' at Amazon. Cheapest in Sports, most expensive in
Tools.
We used to stob for night crawlers. Take a stick of wood, ash or hickory are
best, pound it a few inches into the ground. Now hold the top of the stick
with one hand and rub it with a length of automobile spring iron. The
vibration spreads through the ground and the worms come up to see what the
heck is going on! Works even in dry weather.
" Rumple Stiltskin" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "Bill" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>>
>> " Rumple Stiltskin" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> news:[email protected]...
>>>
>>> May I suggest one of the LED strap on the head flashlights?
>>
>> Hmmm.. Long ago some of my friends and I used to have lights that
>> strapped to our foreheads that we used when looking for worms on the golf
>> course (I could get more than 20 dozen crawlers in a few hours by
>> myself)..ah, memories. They were probably brighter than LED. Some
>> mechanism along those lines may be handy for some of my current
>> adventures, which are, admittedly, less slimey...
>>
>> Bill
>>
>
> The LED flashlights are typically a cluster of 20-30 LEDs and pretty
> bright. Look for 'LED head lamp' at Amazon. Cheapest in Sports, most
> expensive in Tools.
>
> We used to stob for night crawlers. Take a stick of wood, ash or hickory
> are best, pound it a few inches into the ground. Now hold the top of the
> stick with one hand and rub it with a length of automobile spring iron.
> The vibration spreads through the ground and the worms come up to see what
> the heck is going on! Works even in dry weather.
Interesting. We relied on the sprinkler systems, and had to answer enough
questions to security people as it was. The worms were right there for
the taking--you just had to sneak up on them Very quietly. Got about 75
cents a dozen
from two local tackle shops. I'll include more details if I ever write up
my memoirs! ; )
Bill
"Stuart" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> In article <[email protected]>,
> Bill <[email protected]> wrote:
>> -Removed another dangerous 14d nail and installed it, basically in the
>> dark, where it might be some good. If you've never hammered nails in
>> the dark, you have to try it at least once! In this case the location
>> was down near the edge of the roof and my face was basically on the
>> attic floor (and I was wearing both a safety helmet and an dust mask).
>> I bent the last half inch over for good measure and covered the sharp
>> part of the exposed head of the nail with two pieces of duct tape!
>
> Tell me about it!
>
> I've just been up in our loft installing more insulation. The pitch of the
> roof is quite shallow and there are criss-crossing timbers linking the
> joists supporting the ceiling below and the rafters above. Apart from the
> fibreglass "needles" I've got all sorts of scrapes on my skin and
> splinters everywhere.
Yes, indeed, there are lots of splinters to crawl around on...I was thinking
that vacuuming them has to be the easiest and smartest thing to take take of
next!
Congratulations on being almost finished with your insulation project!
Bill
Bill wrote:
> To ease anyone's mind...
>
> -The 8 foot piece of insulation glot flipped.
...
Which was a complete waste of time... :)
A loose section like that w/ no other vapor barrier in an unheated area
will have absolutely no effect whether the paper was there or not or if
it was/is, which side is up...there's nowhere to trap the moisture if
there were any.
--
"dpb" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Bill wrote:
>> To ease anyone's mind...
>>
>> -The 8 foot piece of insulation glot flipped.
> ...
> Which was a complete waste of time... :)
>
> A loose section like that w/ no other vapor barrier in an unheated area
> will have absolutely no effect whether the paper was there or not or if it
> was/is, which side is up...there's nowhere to trap the moisture if there
> were any.
>
>
Your comments are surely correct. But I learned something from this thread,
and
in the short time I've owned this attic, no trip to it has ever been a
complete waste of time!
There always seems to be another "life-threatening hazard" waiting to be
discovered!
Once I vacuum, it may even be able to go up there wearin' my
Sunday-Go-To-Meeting clothes! : )
Bill