I didn’t really want to do this project and was ready to pay someone a lot of $ to do it but as with most contractors they never would call me back. Plus I’m the type of person who really wants something done right. So I went to YouTube to figure out a way to do it myself.

There were only a few videos on this method of insulation vacuum by a DIY’er. Lots of contractors use $4000 14hp vacuums but I figured there was a cheaper way.

The heart of the system is the Harbor Freight dust collector, this fan is a 2hp BEAST and could easily suck out anything from 100’ of pipe. I elected to mount the fan up in the attic because of physics and wanting the maximal suction. I really don’t think it matters where it is. This thing works amazingly well. I also do woodworking so it will be placed in my shop after all this is done.

I did occasionally get some clogs that were easily removed by “popping” my hand off and on the drain pipe end. A couple of times it was so clogged that I would remove the drain pipe from the fan and “pop” it on and off. This was super dangerous without the guard as you have a hole open right to the fan.

Having plaster ceilings I did collect a lot of plaster pieces, basically little rocks that would accumulate in the drain pipe and I have to use gravity to get them out after 2-3 hrs of sucking. Not really that big of a deal.

All in all I spent probably 6-8 hours actually sucking it all out and a few hours doing prep and setup.

The air sealing, HVAC, wiring and blowing in of the new insulation took a few weeks to complete (after work etc). Lots of work.

I didn’t get into the details of blowing in of insulation in this video as there are lots available on that.

2021 update: These bags are available on Amazon. Would make life much easier in collecting the insulation: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=insulation...

*******************************************

List of things I bought:

Harbor Freight 2HP dust collector: $176 (after 20% off)

http://www.harborfreight.com/2-hp-ind...

100’ of 4” drain pipe from hardware store: $73

http://www.homedepot.com/p/4-in-x-100...

Great Stuff Pro (Gaps & Cracks, Fireblock) 12 cans + gun and cleaner: $139 (on eBay, used about 6 cans)

Radiant barrier from HD: $100 (plus bought a pneumatic stapler from HF for $20, used over 2000 staples!)

Heavy duty wire screen for gable vents

All new ductwork: about $325

I already had a huge 40x40 tarp for my “dumpster” and used clamps and 2x4’s to frame it into a big bathtub. Over the top I had 3 sheets sewn together to make a large breathable top that I attached with a 2x4 and clamps. I rigged up 25’ of rigid PVC drainpipe from the attic to the top of the dumpster (this worked great, very low friction of stuff flowing down).

I ended up putting all the old insulation in contractor trash bags and the city picked them up (about 30 of them).