How do I secure fiberglass insulation between the joists in my basement?

I live in an almost 10 year old house in a cold climate with an unfinished basement. There is fiberglass insulation in the ceiling of the basement (in other words, below the ground floor) between the joists (?) that hold up that floor.

Earlier this summer because of a little carpenter ant infestation (the exterminator said it was the biggest nest he had ever seen) I had to tear some of the insulation down. It was mostly held in place by what looked like pieces of heavy wire that had been shaped into U shapes. The ends of the wire were sharpened and the U’s were inserted upside-down under the insulation with the sharpened ends sort of stuck in the joists.

For whatever reason I find myself short of these wire U’s. I tried to fashion some myself out of old wire hangers but it wasn’t working, the material doesn’t hold the U shape well enough. I went to Home Despot but couldn’t find anything like this or anything that was obviously intended to do the same job. Of course the highly trained customer service automatons at HD ran the other way when they saw me coming so I couldn’t ask for help.

What can I use to hold the insulation in place? The gaps are about 15" at most, some are smaller.

I have used chicken wire or hardware cloth (the galvanized stuff that looks like outsized window screen material) stapled to the bottoms of the joists. It doesn’t need to be continuous, you can cut it into strips and space the strips 6" apart – although too much spacing may allow the fibreglass to sag later on.

You could use Lathe Strips
They are cheap and easy to work with.
They also sell a heavy duty Tin Foil type paper to hold Insulation up that you would staple in the joists. I haven’t used it, but I’ve seen it.

Um, I’ve actually bought those insulation stays at Home Depot.

Go find a manager and complain about the incompetent part-time help that the store has been employing of late.

Most rolls of insulation with paper backing have sections of paper that fold down on either side so you can staple them directly to the joists. Tis makes for a nist fit around the edges. Just be sure to NOT push too much on the insulation as you fit it in. the more you condense it the more you rob it of its insulatiing properties.

I’ve been going to this same store several times a year for about 10 years (it isn’t close to my house but it is on my way home from work) and it never changes. They are always doing a booming business, and the customer service always sucks.

I get the feeling there is low morale and a lot of turnover amongst the employees but there is 0 competition for them in the area. This particular store was also the first HD I knew of to employ that exquisite form of torture known as the self checkout, which shows you how much they hate their customers. This business model apparently works for them. I imagine things would improve if a Lowe’s opened up across the street.

Now that I know what these things are called and that they are available in stores I will give it another try, and also at the smaller hardware stores nearer my house. They don’t carry as many items but at least you can find a human being to ask.

magellan01 I will keep that in mind about not compressing it as I put it back.

I’m insulating the roof of my garage (which is also the floor of my dining room and kitchen) at the moment; I’m using pre-bagged rockwool - comes pre-cut in squares, sealed in tough plastic bags - just push it into place and secure with staples.

Ditto, I bought mine at the local Home Despot. They are made by Simpson, the same folks who make Simpson Strong-Ties (those various metal plates and brackets used to nail wood frames together). Check that section of the store, you’ll probably find them tucked away on a shelf.

You probably already know this, but just an added note: I don’t know whether your insulation has a vapor barrier. It used to be a foil backing, now seems to be Kraft paper. As tempting as it is to put the vapor barrier on the bottom (basement side) to keep loose fiberglass from falling on your head, the vapor barrier should always be on the warm side of the house. So, facing the floor boards when in the basement, facing the ceiling when in the attic.

If it helps, I found this product at Lowes.com:
Southeastern Wire Fabricators, 24" Insulation Support 100PC, Item #: 12324, Model: 12324, $8.97
So perhaps you can ask for insulation supports at Home Depot, or you can mail order from Lowe’s.

They also have 16" insulation supports on the Lowe’s website.

Success! I got a box of Simpson Strong-Tie Connectors (Insulation Supports) at the Despot.
They were just where Valgard said they would be.
Thanks everyone!

Insulation vendors call them ‘tiger teeth’ and are available for 16 or 24 span framing.