Does My Attic Insulation Need To Be Removed?

You may have an older home built in the 60's, 70's, or even 80's with that beautiful original insulation still working away in your attic. You may have had a peek at it and been reminded of some landscape out of a bad dream... you may have even been able to see your studs popping above the insulation. As Phoenix home energy auditors, we often get asked, "does my attic insulation need to be removed before you install new insulation?" Well we are here to tell you that 95% of the time the answer is no, it does not need to be removed. Even though it may look like sand or have more dust in it than your old record collection, it still has its insulation properties, however diminished they may be. By simply adding the appropriate insulation type on top (or sometimes beneath) your existing insulation, our energy improvement technicians can get your attic super insulated and help make a more comfortable home.

So when would you need to have your attic insulation removed, or extracted as we say in the biz. There are times when removing that old insulation should be done and is recommended, and they are listed below.

1. When the insulation is water damaged from a roof or pipe leak and has become hard and crusty.
2. When the insulation has become rodent infested (yes I am thinking of you, out-lander or larger-than-an-acre-of-land homeowners). Rats and critters can make massive nests out of all types of insulation, cactus and twigs and multiply, multiply, multiply.  This is a potentially hazardous scenario in your attic and in the air you breathe inside your house, and should be immediately corrected.

Those are the only two reasons why your insulation should be extracted from your attic, however there are other arguments that merit mention here.

1. Insulation sensitivity and allergic reactions. if you are hyper sensitive to your insulation, we have had clients ask us to extract and replace their insulation with a more green, dust and chemical free insulation products.
2. You are preparing for a major remodel... raising the ceilings, adding features or opening up rooms in your home merit insulation removal as part of the prep work.
3. You just want a greener insulation product... although the removal and disposal of your existing insulation into a landfill is not so green.

Do you have any opinions on insulation removal or have you done it before?  Leave us your comments below to share your story.