LESLIE: Donna in Rhode Island needs some help with an insulation question. What can we do for you?
DONNA: My bathroom – I went to look behind the plumbing because I wanted to put that insulation on the pipes and when I looked at it it’s all hollow in there, so there’s no insulation against the wall or underneath the tub. And I want to put something there because I feel like I’m taking a shower outside.
LESLIE: Oh, no. (Tom chuckles)
DONNA: I’m afraid to blow in insulation and [it stick] (ph) to the plumbing. I don’t want to put paper insulation and I can’t get the pink stuff there because it’s just a little opening like, I don’t know, 2’x3′ and the tub is really long and it goes back.
TOM: Well now you – is this on an exterior wall, Donna?
DONNA: Yes, yes.
TOM: Hmm. Because typically on an exterior wall you would have some insulation. Well, listen. Probably the easiest thing to do here then is to blow in some insulation and if you can’t – if you don’t want to rent the big blowing machine, you could probably, if you can at least get your hand in there or your arm in there, you could essentially do it the hard way which is basically just to stuff it by hand full of the loose insulation. The other thing to do is right around those pipes you could use spray foam insulation like Great Stuff or something of that nature and use a very long straw on the outside of it so that you can sort of spray and it’ll expand and fill up the cavities.
DONNA: Mm-hmm. Oh, OK. OK. Well, thank you.
TOM: You’re welcome, Donna. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.
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