R-60 kraft-faced fiberglass batts were installed in our modular home when it was built in 1994. We recently remodeled two rooms and the contractor made a real mess of the insulation when installing new ceiling lights and a new bathroom exhaust fan. Batts appear to have been simply ripped up without concern for protecting them for re-use.
Some effort was made to replace batts but large gaps were left between them. Many of the batts probably can be relaid between the trusses with some care; others may have to be replaced because the facing is torn.
My questions are these.
- Is it important to maintain the (admittedly minimal) vapor barrier afforded by the kraft facing or is it OK to relay batts that have torn facing?
- If batts have to be replaced, do I need to get ones that are faced?
- Might it be more cost-effective to pull all the batts in the messed up areas and have them replaced by blown fiberglass insulation? (Blown insulation at least has the advantage of making it easier to insulate around IC-rated light fixtures.)
- Finally, how important is it to remove construction debris, such as sawdust, scraps of paper, cable jacketing, etc. on top of the batts in areas where they are still intact but hard to access?