Rewiring requires removing insulation

12 years ago

We plan to have our house rewired and the electrician said it would be necessary to have the attic insulation vacuumed out to remove the old rock wool and vermiculite. (The vermiculite, very common around here, was in place when we bought the house in '77, and we had the rock wool blown on top of it that year.) Then a spray process reinsulates and, if I understand correctly, seals any loose dust.

If anybody has had any experience with this kind of work I'd appreciate hearing about it. We're talking about a small house, just under 1200 square feet. Where would a person go for information about this kind of work?

Thanks.

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Comments (6)

Ron Natalie
12 years ago
As you were told in the other forum, if your insulation contains asbestos, you're going to have to mitigate it before the electrician starts digging into it. You appear to have gotten good advice int he remodeling forum. I don't think we have anything additional to offer on this side.
marknmt
Original Author
12 years ago
Ron, I didn't post on this subject elsewhere, but thanks for telling me about it. In searching the remodeling forum I found a longish thread about loose fill insulation, but don't know if that's the one you're referring to. I'd appreciate it if you'd point me to the right thread if it's not inconvenient.

Thanks again.
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jakethewonderdog
12 years ago
Yeah, the problem is that Vermiculite was mined in the same areas as asbestos and is usually contaminated with asbestos. You will have to have it mitigated by a mitigation company before work can start.
ionized_gw
12 years ago
"You will have to have it mitigated by a mitigation company before work can start."

Or DIY depending on local regulations.
marknmt
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks for the repsonses. I'm basically familiar with the asbestos problem, and in fact am a member of the class action suit against grace (not that I expect much from it any time soon.) Also, I work with people who lived in Libby and some of them are affected; all of them wonder whether they are. What I should have made clearer is my uncertainty of what to expect from mitigators and what to look for in hiring one.

I'm not paralyzed by fear by the presence of the stuff in my attic. It's been undisturbed for a long time and I doubt we're inhaling much, if any. And, as I approach retirement age, I'm still lucky enough to have good cardio/pulmonary health.

I do wonder what it would entail to scoop it out and bag it personally. I have a proper respirator and would deal with the work clothes intelligently, so I know I can do it if I choose to ... but nearly 800 cubic feet of stuff would take a lot of bags and a lot of trips to the dump. Perhaps it would be doable to fill bags and dampen the contents to help compress it.

If the cost is less than two or three thousand I will probably hire it done. In any event, it has to be spray-insulated after the removal, and I'll have to have that done.

Thanks for any thoughts, sharing of experience, or advice or comments.

Mark
ionized_gw
12 years ago
I am sure that you can find guidelines for removal on the web. Wetting it before disturbing it will certainly be part of the drill, probably with a dilute detergent solution to break the surface tension of the water. For this kind of stuff, having the respirator fit-tested should be on your list. An occupational safety/medicine service can do that for you. It sounds like you are in a good starting place if you decide to do it yourself and you just have to get the details down.