Do’s & Don’ts for Insulating Your Home
It is a common belief that most things, no matter how simple or complex, need to evolve in order to stay relevant. The same applies to home insulation methods. This niche is progressing with every passing season, offering homeowners better quality of insulation with smarter features at a lower price. However, the increasing number of choices in this niche can overwhelm you. We provide some tips to make the journey easier for you:
• Don’t be hasty in deciding—research well into what sort of insulation serves your needs. You need to have a better understanding about the age and condition of your house, including its structure, any previous insulation materials, and the overall expected lifecycle of an insulating material. You can justify the cost of a chosen insulation medium in terms of the kind of energy expenditure savings it will help you realize, i.e. over a period of sustained usage.
• Do use consultation—consult with local authorities or home decoration professionals before embarking on the project. You should have a basic understanding about the regional standards and regulations for insulating residential spaces.
• Do check for existing insulation—make sure to remove any insulation that is already present in your house. Damaged or inadequate insulation is a problem. Remnants of previous insulation can bring down the overall insulation capability of your home and make the installation less durable. Now, moving beyond the basics of what to do when insulating your home, we move towards some finer aspects of a residential insulation project:
• Don’t forget safety—always wear a helmet and use other protective equipment like a mask. If you are allergic to any of the insulating materials, ensure you have an emergency kit.
• Don’t forget air leaks—you have to seal all the leaks on the roof and floor of your attic by applying caulk on narrow cracks and expanding foam on wider ones to ensure comprehensive insulation.
• Don’t block air ducts/vents—vents are points of ventilation and play an important role in keeping up the flow of air and they prevent condensation too.
• Don’t ignore water leaks—make sure that surface touching the insulator is not moist. If the walls are not dry, you will not get a good installation. Try to start the project during the dry months. Keep in mind that waterlogged pipes can nullify insulation. In order to take care of moisture management issues in the building industry, ensure that house wraps (a synthetic sheeting) should be wrapped around a house to protect against moisture infiltration into a building assembly.
• Don’t ignore potential heat sources—you should be aware about every source of heat in the area marked for insulation. You might need a non-flammable facing around the electric cables and chimneys.
• Don’t dispose by burning—don’t burn the removed or leftover insulation as it is toxic for you and the environment. Some more tips for insulating your home:
• Do Consider Moisture Barriers—use a polyethylene barrier beneath the floor insulation of the attic if your home requires heating for most part of the year. You can also lay it on top of the roof insulation if you regularly use air-conditioners.
• Don’t Ignore Surface Impurities—while using foam insulation, check for impurities like oil or solvents as they prevent the liquid from sticking to the surface, impairing the overall quality of insulation.
Concluding Thoughts
It is always better to seek some sort of professional guidance when insulating your home. Seek the advice of homeowners who have executed such projects or search for online resources that understand this niche well.