Los Angeles · Orange · Ventura · Santa Barbara & Surrounding Counties
How to Check for Existing Insulation
Easy and Quick Ways to Check your Walls
Quite often, homeowners will call us and insist that their walls or ceiling between units must be hollow – Explaining that they can hear their neighbor next to them, therefore the wall or ceiling must be empty. Unfortunately, most places built in the 1970’s or newer tend to have Fiberglass insulation installed in their walls or ceiling, which does not offer sound proofing. We cannot inject additional insulation into these cavities. The best thing to do is check the wall or ceiling to see if there is existing insulation. There are a few easy methods that you can use:
Method 1: Check behind a Light Switch or Electrical Outlet Plate
In many cases, you can spot insulation without creating additional holes. Remove a light switch or electrical outlet plate and carefully look behind or to the side of the electrical box. You may have to open-up the plaster or drywall a bit to see to the side of the box, but the plate will safely cover up to 1/2-inch of any area you open-up. To the side of the box, the wall will appear either empty or you’ll see a cotton candy-like material, which is insulation.
Method 2: Inspect Through a Small Opening
Find a discreet spot, such as the ceiling inside a closet. Cut a small hole using any sharp object such as a screw driver, knife, or drill bit, and look inside with a flashlight. If you have Fiberglass insulation, it’ll be soft, fluffy and similar in appearance to cotton candy. If you can stab a screwdriver into the wall cavity, that doesn’t mean it’s hollow. You need to make a hole large enough to see into the cavity.
Method 3: Have a professional take a look: For more information on checking for existing insulation please give us a call! We can also set up a free onsite estimate in which we’ll check for existing insulation and provide you with professional recommendations tailored to you and your home!
If you already have insulation in the wall or ceiling, we cannot inject additional insulation into that cavity unless the material is first removed.
If your goal is to re-insulate or soundproof, but you already have existing insulation, then your best bet is either to have a contractor remove the existing drywall and fiberglass insulation. They would then reinstall the drywall leaving the cavity empty so we can come in and do our work. Or, for soundproofing, install a layer of QuietRock over the wall. We can only help you with the insulation injection method which requires empty drywall, not open framing.
