Planning on cellulose insulation. Do I need to worry about wiring?

Hello! I recently purchased my first home 2 weeks ago and from the looks of it, the attic is in serious need of insulation. The home is a split level with a finished basement built in the 1970s. It was a foreclosure where the previous owner spent what appears to be serious money in upgrading certain things like high dollar windows, etc but the attic appears to only have whatever was the minimum requirements of fiberglass insulation with the roof joints clearly visible all along the attic. I was planning on buying the Green Fiber insulation and blowing it in myself after renting a machine from Lowes.

My one concern is that there are various wires (not bare wires) running along the floor of the attic in certain directions and I did not know if I need to be concerned about covering those with 4 inches or more of insulation. I can get photos once I am home. Are there any other concerns for putting this stuff where it doesnt belong past making sure I don't fall through the roof and wear a mask/goggles?

 

If the "wires" are romex type cables (which is likely for a 70's home) there is no issue covering with insulation. Knob and tube should never be covered with insulation, but unlikely that what you have.

There are several things you should consider before just adding insulation. Air sealing (preventing warm/cool air from the house from entering the attic area) has been found to be a major energy waster and frequent contributor to mold in the attic. There is plenty of info on air sealing out there; too much to detail here.

Another major consideration is attic ventilation, such as soffit, eave, and ridge vents.

And generally, when blowing in insulation, you need to have baffles installed along the low parts of the roof to keep insulation from packing against the underside of the roof.

All those things are best evaluated and action taken if needed before installing more insulation.

Blowing in the insulation is usually the easy part of properly insulating an attic; the hard work comes before that.