I had an in depth talk with the lead technician who makes Cel Pac, one of the cellulose insulation manufacturers. I was discussing with him the topic of dense packing cellulose so that it does not settle and leave air pockets in the top of the walls. They suggest packing it to 3.5 pounds per square foot which is the same as putting a 3.5 pound 12’x12′ tile over a square foot of it.
The professional blowers have enough air pressure to create that packing density. The problem is that the local rental places sell blowers that are only made to blow the stuff into attics where dense packing is not needed and thus the blowers do not need to have pressure. And also they are usually used and abused which lowers their pressure further.
Since I didn’t want to invest in a $8k professional machine yet I was asking him about ways around the problem.
I also wanted a way around buying the par pac netting that you attach to studs and use to hold the cellulose, which would be an extra cost and also add a lot on the install time.
So I asked him a question that I wasn’t sure if he was going to hang up on me or answer:
“What if I put the sheet rock onto both sides of the wall and leave a space at the top. Then I fill the space with cellulose and pack it down with a two by four! Would this be crazy or would I achieve the same effect as par pack netting and an $8k machine?”
To my happy amazement his answer was YES! I thought that was just wonderful. I had found a solution that was low tech, effective, and affordable. That for me is green!