Insulate Above Acoustical Ceilings
Acoustical ceilings are widely used to provide a lower finished ceiling in a room. The space between the acoustical, or dropped, ceiling, and the actual ceiling or roof above may vary from a few inches to several feet. Since the insulation value of an acoustical ceiling is fairly low, much of the room's heat will rise into the unused space above the acoustical ceiling. To prevent this, consider insulating above the acoustical ceiling. Make sure your ceiling panels can support the weight of insulation -- fiberglass panels won't, while mineral-fiber panels must be at least 5/8-inch thick.
Instructions
1. Climb your ladder to the ceiling. Remove a ceiling panel by lifting it up and sliding it over another panel.
2. Look at how your ceiling grid's hanging wires are fastened. Most suspended ceilings have an eye hook screwed into a ceiling joist, with a wire tied to the hook. The wire then runs down to the grid and is tied off to the grid.
3. Add another hanging wire between each existing wire in the ceiling. Screw an eye hook into the ceiling joist. Tie a wire to the hook, then run it to the ceiling grid. Tie the wire to the grid, and snip off the excess with wire cutters.
4. Install 8-inch-thick batts of insulation over your acoustical ceiling tiles. Remove one panel at a time by lifting it up and sliding it over another panel. Slide the insulation batt into the space above the acoustical ceiling. Ensure the foil or kraft-paper facing of the batt is on the bottom.
5. Hold up the end of the insulation batt and slide the removed panel back into place. Remove other panels to adjust the insulation as necessary.
6. Install each successive insulation batt tightly next to the previous batt. Work your way across the room until insulation is installed over the entire acoustical ceiling. Replace the last acoustical panel.
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