Tips For Attic Insulation
If you are planning to insulate your attic soon, there are things you need to consider. There is no way that you will do it blindly. Consider researching because it will let you in on so many things unless you are a pro. Insulation is excellent no matter the season or where you live since it will aid in conserving energy. If you have never done this before, you should know that the attic is the most important place to install insulation. During winter, it ensures that you stay warm as it prevents the heated room air from escaping, and in summer, it prevents hot air from heating the living spaces below. Isn’t this great? If you love using things that conserve energy, you will undoubtedly enjoy this installation. Read on to discover the tips for attic insulation.
Ensure there is room for air. Most of the insulations are usually light and fluffy because air is an excellent insulator. This is an essential factor that you wouldn’t want to forget. Once you notice that the insulation has been stuffed into a tight space, it would be best if you made corrections there and then. The reason behind that is air will be squeezed out, thereby decreasing the insulation's insulating value. Ascertain that you cut the insulation to fit in the best way possible to avoid having issues.
Find The Right attire. This is a necessary precaution that you should take to ascertain that you are safe; if anything, safety comes first. The areas that are crucial to protect when handling insulation include your lungs, skin, and eyes. You are advised to avoid wearing shorts but opt for pants instead. Ensure that you wear long-sleeved shirts, gloves, a dual-cartridge respirator, or use a dust mask instead and well-fitting goggles. Moreover, you can close the cuffs of both your shirt and pants. In case you tend to get irritated by fibers, consider putting baby powder on your neck’s back. That way, you won't experience any challenges; instead, it will be a quick fix.
Look out for recessed lights. You need to identify whether light fixtures are projecting into the attic and their kind before insulation installation. This is because they emit a lot of heat that could easily cause a fire, and you would undoubtedly don’t want that to happen. Ensure you keep the insulation somewhat 3 inches away from the recessed fixtures, especially if it is standard. Also, if your fixture is IC-rated, you are lucky since there won’t be issues when the insulation is put on top of it. Please do not stress yourself out if you can’t tell what kind of recessed fixture it is because you can always ask your electrician or, better yet, a home inspector. They will undoubtedly be more than happy to help.
Ensure all the holes are sealed. Energy efficiency needs to be at its optimum, and this cant happen when there are numerous holes since so much energy will be wasted. Be it a crack, hole, or any other ceiling opening, see to it that it’s as good as gone or rather sealed. Please do not underestimate how small they are because they will increase in size with time and cause energy wastage. Use fireproof caulk to plug those penetrations because it is a requirement for most building codes. Ensure that you keep this in mind. In addition to that, you can use minimally expanding foam insulation to seal those holes too. Therefore choose what you deem best or fit since you have some options.
The above shows some of the tips you could make do of when installing insulation in the attic. Please take time researching if you are doing it for the first time and alone. If you choose to have experts do the installation, be sure they are qualified for the job; otherwise, they will waste your time and money. Also, keep these tips in mind as they will help your attic insulation be successful. Do not forget to dress appropriately because there will be so much at stake. Ensure you also have money to fund this project because the chances you lack some of the things to be used are high.