Blown-In Insulation St Paul

Depth Matters More in a Cold Climate

Minnesota asks more of an attic than almost anywhere else in this fleet, because the temperature difference across the ceiling runs for months rather than weeks. Material installed shallow, or installed correctly and since settled, gives up a proportion of its rated value, and here that proportion is expensive. We measure what is actually there before quoting and measure again at completion.

Settling Is Normal and It Is Priced In or It Is Not

Loose-fill compacts over time. Cellulose settles more than blown fiberglass, which is why it is installed above the target depth rather than level with it, so the settled depth is the rated depth. A contractor who fills to the finished number on day one is selling an attic that will be under specification within a couple of seasons.

Air Sealing Comes First, Every Time

Blown-in material sits on the ceiling plane and does nothing to stop air passing through it. If the ceiling below leaks at recessed lights, top plates, plumbing penetrations and the attic hatch, warm indoor air moves straight through the fibres regardless of depth, and in a Minnesota winter that is also how moisture reaches cold roof sheathing. Sealing those paths first is what makes the depth meaningful.

Why It Matters for Ice Dams

Warm air escaping into the attic warms the roof deck, snow melts, the water runs to the cold eave and refreezes there. Depth alone does not stop that because depth does not stop air movement. Insulation and air sealing together are what keep the deck cold enough for the snow to stay snow.