# Need advise on wall insulation STAT!
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advise-on-wall-insulation-stat/43404
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [November 30, 2000, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advise-on-wall-insulation-stat/43404 "2000-11-30T18:09:15Z")
**Posts on this page:** 8
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)
#### Post date: [November 30, 2000, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advise-on-wall-insulation-stat/43404/1 "2000-11-30T18:09:15Z")
I am working on a room in an old housef that has very little insulation, maybe 1.5" paper backed fiberglass. Additional fiber (looks like paper fiber not fiberglass) insulation was blown in years ago. I am running a wire along the exterior wall and have noticed some (5 so far) channels that were missed.
I’m not sure what to do, It seems like too small a job to get someone to blow more in. Is there anything I can get to blow some in myself? also I was concidering drilling 1" holes and stuffing then w/ fiberglass insulation. or just open up the entire channel(s) and … well you know the drill.
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### Author:  [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)
#### Post date: [November 30, 2000, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advise-on-wall-insulation-stat/43404/2 "2000-11-30T18:20:53Z")
It’s not clear to me which wall this is. An exterior wall?
Is the interior wall made of sheetrock or lath and plaster? Also, what percentage of the total wall area is missing insulation? And, how deeply do you care?
My choice would be, as an admittedly non-expert DIY-er, IF the interior wall is sheetrock, and IF the total wall is missing, like, a LOT of insulation, and IF I cared deeply, to pull off the sheetrock, lay some regular fiberglass batting in there and then rock it up again.
I’m having trouble visualizing what you’re meaning by “5 channels that were missed”. Up and down channels between the wall studs?
If the wall you’re dealing with is sheetrock, it’s not too hard to drill 1" holes in it with a doorknob hole cutter (can’t think offhand what that’s called) and then patch it. But if it’s lath and plaster, then–I dunno, I’d have to think about it for a while.
Your “paper fiber” is probably cellulose–the Better Half and his brother did our house, and man, is it messy. If it’s only a small portion of the wall, it’s probably not worth it to go rent the blower and pay for the bales of cellulose.
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### Author:  [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)
#### Post date: [November 30, 2000, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advise-on-wall-insulation-stat/43404/3 "2000-11-30T18:47:10Z")
it is an exterior wall, I care enough to do something about it but not sure I want to rip the wall down. by 5 channels, I mean 5 ‘channels’ from stud to stud
X stud
-
- blown in insulation + 1.5" fiberglass
~ - 1.5" fiberglass
\_\_\_\_ - wall
Exterior
* * *
X **X ~~X~~ X** X **\*\*X ~~~~~~ X** \*\*X…
* * *
Interior
from X to X is what I call a channel (X ~~~~~~ X)
there are 5 with only the fiberglass
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### Author:  [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)
#### Post date: [November 30, 2000, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advise-on-wall-insulation-stat/43404/4 "2000-11-30T19:26:59Z")
> [@](#):
>
> it’s not too hard to drill 1" holes in it with a doorknob hole cutter (can’t think offhand what that’s called)
A hole saw
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### Author:  [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)
#### Post date: [November 30, 2000, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advise-on-wall-insulation-stat/43404/5 "2000-11-30T19:28:28Z")
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Oops - forgot the link above about do it yourself blown in insulation.
Sorry.
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### Author:  [@Shiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shiva)
#### Post date: [November 30, 2000, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advise-on-wall-insulation-stat/43404/6 "2000-11-30T19:57:04Z")
FWIW, those “channels” are known as bays.
Insulate 'em!
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### Author:  [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)
#### Post date: [November 30, 2000, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advise-on-wall-insulation-stat/43404/7 "2000-11-30T23:23:44Z")
thanks for the term, and I am planning to insulate, but which meathod to use?
DDG, your link didn’t work, but was able to find it.
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### Author:  [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)
#### Post date: [December 1, 2000, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advise-on-wall-insulation-stat/43404/8 "2000-12-01T03:31:36Z")
Eh, not my link, gives me a “Page Not Found”, too. Thanks for the cute diagram of the Spiders’ Cotillion. 😃_“anna ONE anna TWO anna DIP anna GLIDE…”_