Insulation blower having hands-free metered feeding

A thermal insulation blower comprising:

• a base frame;
• a vertical axle;
• a motor mounted on said frame and having a drive shaft attached to one end of said vertical axle;
• a hopper sized to receive a bale of thermal insulation attached to said frame;
• a blower attached to said frame
• a rotating chamber wheel attached to said vertical axle, said wheel having a plurality of chambers distributed around said vertical axle that open upward to receive falling pieces of thermal insulation therein;
• a stationary air lock attached to said frame and including upper and lower walls sized to enclose at least one of said plurality of chambers and further having a pair of openings;
• means, positioned in said hopper above said rotating chamber wheel, for ripping a bail of thermal insulation into relatively small pieces and for metering the rate at which the small pieces are allowed to fall toward said rotating chamber wheel;
• an airbox attached to said frame such that said blower and one of said pair of openings of said air lock are in communication with an interior of said airbox;
• and
• a first conduit having one end connected to the other of said pair of openings.

A thermal insulation blower comprising:

• a base frame;
• a vertical axle;
• a motor mounted on said frame and having a drive shaft attached to one end of said vertical axle;
• a hopper sized to receive a bale of thermal insulation attached to said frame;
• a rotating bale stripper positioned in said hopper and attached to said vertical axle;
• a blower attached to said frame
• a rotating chamber wheel attached to said vertical axle beneath said rotating bale stripper, said wheel having a plurality of hampers distributed around said vertical axle that open upward toward said rotating bale stripper;
• a stationary air lock attached to said frame and including upper and lower walls sized to enclose at least one of said plurality of chambers and further having a pair of openings;
• a first conduit connecting said blower to one of said pair of openings of said air lock;
• a second conduit having one end connected to the other of said pair of openings;
• a space below said chamber wheel;
• a pipe formed in said chamber wheel, said pipe coupling said space and an interior of said hopper;
• and
• a third conduit coupling said blower to said space;
• wherein said space is pressurized by said blower, such that thermal insulation entering said space is forced through said pipe and into said hopper.