Choosing the right insulation
Improperly insulating your home can cause all kinds of problems down the line, including loss of money. Here's how to know what type of insulation suits your needs the best.
July 27, 2015
Improperly insulating your home can cause all kinds of problems down the line, including loss of money. Here's how to know what type of insulation suits your needs the best.
Insulation helps keep heat inside in winter and outside in summer. Because hot air rises, the most important place to have insulation is your attic. If it is accessible and doesn't have a floor, installing insulation — or adding more — is an easy job.
Installing insulation in walls is also easy if you are remodelling and replacing the interior wallboard or exterior siding. But if you want to insulate intact walls, your only choice is to have an insulation contractor blow loose-fill insulation into the wall cavities through small holes bored in your house's exterior; the holes are patched when the job is completed.
If your house has an enclosed crawl space, an insulation contractor may recommend that you insulate the interior foundation walls, which is often easier to do and more effective than putting insulation between the floor joists. But if you have an unheated basement or an open crawl space, it's necessary to put insulation between the joists.
The walls in older homes often are not insulated. But it's not always easy to tell if they are insulated. A good place to start is the attic. If it isn't insulated, your walls probably aren't insulated either.
Several types of insulation are available at home centres for do-it-yourselfers. Professional insulation contractors offer more options, but some need specialized equipment to install.
Following these basic guidelines will help you choose the right insulation for your home.
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