insulate my attic.

IN the case of insulating my attic and installing some flooring, I understand you need to be careful with the flooring. The joists need to be measured and if meet the requirments you can add plywood flooring. If they don’t meet requirement, you need to add “Sister Joists” directly to the current joists for the added support before putting in flooring. I do not want to make a room, just more storage and walking about space without feet coming through the ceiling if you know what I mean.
This project is still in the planning stages.
James.

Hello Everyone out there in “Do-it-yourself” land. One night bent over my bath sink brushing my teeth before bed, it begins to rain lightly with the raindrops falling on the back of my neck. I was kind of sleepy when all of a sudden I woke up and realized it is not supposed to rain inside your house! When I looked up, I was dismayed to find water dripping through the sheet rocked ceiling. I then climbed into the attic and found that a 1/2 inch galvanized water line had pitted and corroded through causing a pin hole leak. I was able to clamp this and stop the leak and did some further investigating. My neighbors told me that this subdivision was built 30 years ago and the contractor used an inferior galvanized pipe for the water lines. Now they are rusted at the threads and the entire system looks as if it can go anytime now. There is bad water pressure in different parts of the house which is also an indicatation that there is serious mineral deposit buildup in the lines.
I had three plumbers give me estimates.$7000.00 for copper, $5000.00 for CPVC and $3500.00 for some oddly named system called “Pex Al Pex”. This type of plumbing system is very successful in Europe. Intrigued, I called my father in New York, who is a plumber by trade and told me more about Pex. He said if I hired a plumber to install PEX, I would kick myself in the pants after watching them install it, because is is supposedly so easy to do-it-yourself.
The photo is of a Vanguard Manabloc system for PEX installation. Think of it like your main electrical box for electrical connections to the house and you will understand the concept. Once the water supply is connected to the Manabloc, you run PEX lines to each fixture of the house. The beauty of this system is multi fold. First, it is very, very inexpensive. I found great prices online. For instance the Manabloc pictured on my entry cost about $150.00. The rest of the materials, crimps, lines etc are also inexpensive perhaps a litte more for brass fitings. The plumber who quoted me $3500.00 for PEX installation is charging mainly for labor. I can most likely bring this in for the entire house for under $800.00. Excited, I did more research and found confidence in the fact that I can do this myself. Another benefit is the fact that these PEX lines running to each fixture of the house are independent and unlike your typical “Trunk and Branch” plumbing system, each fixture line can be turned off at the Manabloc without shutting down the water supply to your entire house! There is a valve on the Manabloc for each hot and cold water line port and you can install a local valve on each fixture if you’d like.
Unlike “Trunk and Branch” systems, this PEX stuff bends easily to a radius of 5” reducing if not eliminating altogether the need for “Tees” “Elbows” etc. In my case I may need a couple of elbows to run down to the fixtures as I would have some pretty long runs of lines to the kitchen fixtures. This system I intend to install is called a “Home Run”.
Later I will add a water softening system. I can be installed between the main water supply and the Manablock easily enough.
Another advantage is the fact that the water pressure for the entire house will remain constant. PEX, not being a corrosive metal, eliminates the mineral and deposit buildup causing decreasing diameter of pipes decreasing water flow. Especially for the typical horizontal water lines now running over the joists in the attic of my home. Water sits in these galvanized lines when there is no flow causing the rust and pits and leaks. For hard water cases, like mine, simply install a water softener.
Also, the hot water “wait time” to the fixture is quick saving you perhaps hundreds of gallons of water over the years! You know, when you turn on the hot water to the shower and you have to wait for what seems like an eternity to jump in the shower!
Lastly, NO WATER PIPE HAMMERING. You know that clanging when you turn on the hot water somewhere in the house. You can also install a PEX hammer eliminator for added peace and quiet.

There are challenges though.

1. Knowing how bad my galvanized water lines are now, I intend to install the Manabloc, run the lines to all the fixtures before even thinking of touching the rusted galvanized pipes.If I try to do this in sections, movement of any kind in one area of the old pipe could turn into a nightmare in another area. Once the entire PEX system is ready to be connected to all of your fixtures, only THEN go ahead connect the fixtures and THEN feed your water supply to the newly installed PEX system. Then test the system. If you find you have a leak in one of the lines, (because of improper crimping method) simply shut that particular line down at the manifold and make the repair.

2. I studied the water supply to my house and found that there are special couplings you can connect to utilize a PEX system. The water supply “main” runs through brick and up through the wood frame to the attic in my home. I am thinking of replacing this section with a new section of quality galvnized pipe up to the attic and then add the connection for PEX to new pipe.

3. I need to undertand completely how to make the connections from the PEX lines to the fixtures themselves. Some of these like the shower and tub connections are buried inside the walls . For access I know I will have to cut into my walls to expose the fixture fittings for replacement. I found that you can purchase PEX 12” and 36” inch risers for these type of installation applications. So I need some help with this.

4. PEX being a flexible as it is, I need to understand how you would secure these lines once attached to fixtures. Being flexible also means that when water is supplied to these PEX lines, they can “flop around”. So they must be secured. I know how to accomplish this with the lines running throughout the attic, but now sure how to accomplish this at the fixtures. I do know that the “Garden Spout” fixtures (the valves outside house for hoses) require “Drop Earred” elbows that attach to the frame, but what to do about the fixtures inside the house? Would that be the same “Dropped Ear” type of securing the line to the fixture?

So this is going to be a big challenge and I would like anyone out there who has experience with this, please contact me for advice. As I begin the installation of this system in my home, I will return here to write updates on the project and attach as many photos as I can. Like the rest of you out there, I like to work with my hands. I like to SAVE MONEY. I like walking about my home proud in knowing I fixed it and did not pay through the nose to do it!

Thanks,
James

What a mess. When I bought the house in 2006, I ventured up to the attic and saw what I think is “blown in” pink insulation. However it is missing in almost 35% of the space area. I am considering putting in flooring, but know I must insulate first. The flooring is mainly for ease of walking around the attic and not to add living space. I have to step carefully on the joist beams being cautious as to not put my foot through the ceiling below. I am also considering “Batt” or “Rolled” insulation. The width of space between the joists are not “standard” and vary depending on the area of the attic. Has anyone had to install “Batts” with these kind of conditions? I would like to stay away from blown in insulation. Can batts be cut and fit into the joist areas? I reviewed some insulation and Owens Corning seems to be the way to go here. They offer a foil backing type of batt and I am assuming that this foil backing is installed to ceiling with fiberglass facing up. I understand also that before laying the insulation, you must first fill in holes and air gaps between walls, around recessed lighting, hatches etc.

as I type this entry. The guy has just taken the wrapping out to his van. And this is my 43rd goal completed here.

arrived today and it’s a reasonable price, so I’ve decided to accept it. Now to arrange a time…

Yesterday I had someone come around to look at what was required and also give some advice on other ways I can save energy. They will send a quote in the next few days.

This past weekend I re-insulated the attic of my house, and boy am I sore. My legs – especially the quads – feel like they’re on fire.

The job was much harder and more physically-demanding than I thought it would be, but I’m still glad I did it.

The unifinished attic had mostly blown-in fluffy-white insulation (with a bit of fiberglass batting). The roof doesn’t have much of a pitch, and at 6-feet tall I was only able to stand straight up in one place. When you work in an attic, you have to walk on the joists, not on the ceiling itself (or else you’ll fall through). But the existing insulation made it very hard to know where the joists were.

I’d bought 20 rolls of formaldehyde-free fiberglass insulation (rated R-11 for you insulation geeks out there). I used 14 of them. This should bring us to over R-50.

When I first got up into the attic and realized how hard it was going to be to move around and work, I got really discouraged and almost gave up. But I said a little prayer and asked my late Dad (a carpenter and builder) for some inspiration. And he came through for me, as he often does when I’m faced with a carpentry/construction problem. I realized I needed a long stick to lift/push the fiberglass batts into place under the low eaves. And it worked. Thanks, Dad!

Because I was working with insulation, I wore one of those white coverall suits, a hood, respirator, goggles and heavy gloves. My wife took a picture, which I may post later. The suit is part plastic, so I sweated like crazy. At the end of the first three hours, I was drenched in sweat. It felt like I’d sweated off a couple of pounds. I was about two-thirds done.

Saturday morning I woke up very sore – especially my legs. All the crawling and balancing on joists really worked me out – and let me know I’m out of shape. I went back up for another hour to finish the job. Not so bad this time because I was working in the areas with more headroom.

I had 6 rolls left over, which I took back on Sunday for a refund.

Looking back, re-insulating my attic was a hard job – one I maybe should have left to the professionals. But I’m glad I did it. My wife said she already feels warmer.

Stopped at the industrial supply store today and picked up one of those white coverall disposable suits and some heavy duty gloves to work with the fiberglass insulation. I already have the goggles and respirator.

Amazing to think that when I was a kid, I once laid down on a big piece of that pink insulations without a shirt on.

Didn’t make that mistake twice.

and stacked them in my garage.

Sadly, all that insulation didn’t make the garage any warmer. ;-)

Borrowed a co-worker’s ladder to get into the attic today.

Next weekend I’ll be insulating.

... not counting interior painting.

Menards has formaldehyde-free insulation on sale, so we’re buying about 1,000 square feet to add some to the attic.

Specs for the house said it has R40 insulation. When I stuck my head up in the attic, I found a lot of blown-in insulation, not very well distributed.

I’m going to lay unfaced R11 bats perpendicular to the joists next weekend (I’ve got three days off in a row). I hope it won’t take that long.