Add insulation over wool

[SeldomSeen]

Hi there. I'd like to improve insulation in the front attic of my 1948 saltbox style home and am wondering what I should do with the existing wool insulation that lays between the joists?

1. The wool has gotten wet in a couple spots recently - due to some ice dam leaking I suspect.
2. There is paper facing on top of the wool bats currently.

I was thinking of blowing in fiberglass (Atticatat) or just laying fiberglass rolls to get to R49 but not sure I can get away with this. Can I leave the wool in place assuming it dries out in a few spots? Is the paper facing on top the deal-breaker?. What's the best option here? Wondering if I must remove the old stuff first as it looks like it will be tough to take out.

 

[Cacher_Chick]

I would look at rolling it over so the paper face is on the warm side where it belongs, and then blowing cellulose over it.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Dana]

Insulation is cheap enough that ripping out any of the stuff that feels wet to the hand will avoid potential mold issues if stays wet at warmer more biologically active temperatures. The rest of it can be simply buried by the new blown insulation.

Cellulose is greener and has fewer indoor air quality issues than fiberglass.

No matter what you insulate with, a critical first step is to carefully and thoroughly air seal between the conditioned space and attic. When you have R49 in there the attic is going to run colder, and any air leaks from conditioned space will bring moisture up to condense and wet the cold side of the insulation, often creating as much of a mess as a small roof leak.