Fiberglass Batt vs. Blown-in Insulation?

[jimmysisson]

Applied right the blown cellulose will outperform the batts quite a bit. As someone said, the batts are hard to fit tight around stuff. Little gaps equal big heat loss. Floors aren't demanding, but since you can save the labor, go with the blown.
Thing is, you'll never have good access to your main floor again without a big mess. Are you SURE you'll never remodel your kitchen, half bath, or family room again?
Jim

 

[Ranger Rick]

This is going into finished ceiling in the basement... i.e. It will be encased in sheetrock. I won't have the opportunity later to add a little more.

If this is going in the basement ceiling why are you going to the expense of insulating it. The rooms above the basement are heated so you will not save much on energy. Now I could see insulating to keep noise down if that is a problem. Rick

 

[Travelover]

If this is going in the basement ceiling why are you going to the expense of insulating it. The rooms above the basement are heated so you will not save much on energy. Now I could see insulating to keep noise down if that is a problem. Rick

If sound reduction is the primary objective, you'd be better off with super good sealing and two layers of 1/2" drywall.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

The point of insulating the ceiling is not for energy savings, but more for comfort. This is an old, rickety hose, and I hope that insulating the floor/ceiling will keep the noise down. The other thing is that the basement is cool in the summer. I hope that it will be even more cool if I have insulation in the ceiling keeping the heat from radiating down.

 

[AHNC]

The point of insulating the ceiling is not for energy savings, but more for comfort. This is an old, rickety hose, and I hope that insulating the floor/ceiling will keep the noise down. The other thing is that the basement is cool in the summer. I hope that it will be even more cool if I have insulation in the ceiling keeping the heat from radiating down.

I'm with the other fellows asking why insulate the ceiling. A point I'd make for your "old Ricketty" is that you want to be very sure that all of your electrical, plumbing and future needs are squared away before you put up that sheetrock, especially the ceiling. I sell plumbing/heating/AC equip/components and see so many installations where people two-block themselves with the finished basement ceiling. Also, keep in mind that in a basement, as you isolate it from the hot upstairs you are going to have issues with moisture/humidity in the summer months. So, my question is, how are you going to condition the space and handle the humidity? i would suggest that you want to isolate the system from the main house, if possible.

 

[Carl_NH]

I agree with access to the space and suggest standard batt insulation 6" with a dropped ceiling for access. The panels can be easily removed/replaced and provide access to put in wiring, speakers, fix a plumbing issue and they also have more sound deadening ability than sheetrock.

 

[LD1]

I hope that it will be even more cool if I have insulation in the ceiling keeping the heat from radiating down.

Doesnt heat rise:laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing:

The reason you can get the blown in cheaper is because the material cost only about half of batts.

My main concern though is if you go the blown in route, how is he going to do it??? Are you going to be there putting up sheetrock as he is blowing in??? or are you going to have all the sheet rock up except a few at the ends?? If so, how can you/he ensure that the blown in is making it all the way to the other end and filling all the voids?? and how do you plan in insulating above the last few panels??

Blown in insulation works the best when you can do it from the topside. I did the ceiling in my garage with blown it but I did it from the topside before I put the floor down for the loft. The only reason I used blown in is because it was far cheaper than bats. And most places like lows and menards give you the blower for a day for free if you spend $100 on blown in.

But for a basement, If you insist on insulating it, I would go with the bats.

 

[Travelover]

I agree with access to the space and suggest standard batt insulation 6" with a dropped ceiling for access. The panels can be easily removed/replaced and provide access to put in wiring, speakers, fix a plumbing issue and they also have more sound deadening ability than sheetrock.

I agree except the statement about the sound deadening. Mass is king for sound deadening.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

I'd love to go with a dropped ceiling like Carl suggested, but my ceiling is only 7' high. It's just not an option for me. What I'm doing instead is running any wire, plumbing, etc. that I can think of now. I have 3,000 feet of Cat6 and Coax. I've put in almost a thousand feet of 12/2 romex. We completely re-did the HVAC, and I replaced every pipe in the whole house. In addition, I've doubled up some of the joists and I'm planning to spot treat any upstairs floor squeaks by raising the floor and gluing from underneath with subdeck adhesive. I admit there's still a risk of obsolescence later, but I have to work with what I have.

To answer LD1's question, the guy was going to net the joists and blow it in on top of the net. We'd then sheetrock over the net. This guy sells both batt and the blown in stuff, and the one thing he pointed out is that with all the wire and pex running through the joists, there are a lot of areas where the batt will be crushed.

Thanks for all the input so far. It's helping me better evaluate the pros and cons.

 

[LD1]

To answer LD1's question, the guy was going to net the joists and blow it in on top of the net. We'd then sheetrock over the net. This guy sells both batt and the blown in stuff, and the one thing he pointed out is that with all the wire and pex running through the joists, there are a lot of areas where the batt will be crushed.

Thanks for all the input so far. It's helping me better evaluate the pros and cons.

If you aren't worried too much about the insulation value, and are mainly concerned with sound deadning, I wouldn't worry too much if the batts get crushed in a few areas.