I want to remove some of the al siding so I can blow in cellulose insulation. How can this be done so the siding is not damaged.

Can you do it from the interior so all you are removing is drywall? Is there existing insulation that needs to be removed? Removing the aluminum siding without damaging it will be tough, it would take great care.

Blowing from the inside has an advantage in that it is easier to know where the studs are. You can use a stud finder, look for screw marks or use a small sized drill to find where the studs are (or aren't). Bore a 1" hole about 3" below the ceiling in each stud opening. The celulose is usually in cube form. The machine will come with a long 2" diameter hose. To blow in the walls, you will also need a reducer to inject into the 1" hole. This will be supplied by the place you get the blower. This next part is important. Take about 1/2 cube and put it in the blower. Blow the entire amount (without the reducer) into a large clean container like a 45 gal garbage can. Then pour this back into the blower - you are now ready to blow into the wall. These blowers are made to push material out of a 2" hose fast. The celulose still has big chunks which will go through a 2" hose but WILL clog the 1" reducer. This double grinding will greatly reduce the clogging. I discovered this method when I did my BR. What a nasty mess when the hose clogs. Fill to the top of the wall opening and shut down. I used the expanding foam to fill up the area just inside the hole. When dry, this provides a great firm backing to support the drywall compound used to fill the hole. I have seen where the compound plug will be pushed in because there is little holding it in place. DAP is good because it is water clean-up. Great Stuff is solvent based and a mess to work with. This double method is a bit labor intensive but well worth it. The blower will fill the room with dust in seconds if the reducer clogs and the hose blows off because of back pressure. Let me know if this works.

Can you remove a portion of the paneling and replace rather than patch? Is there insulation in your walls now? Just wondering how you are going to blow in insulation if there is batt insulation in there. I was assuming you would be removing your drywall and insulation, filling the stud cavities with the blown-in, then replacing the drywall.

This a porch that was enclosed back in the 40s. The walls were covered with knoty pine and no insulation.