Insulating your home not only helps you to cut down on energy bills but also plays a crucial role in ensuring that your house is warmer and comfortable all the time. Insulating an old house is however quite tricky. You therefore need to be extra cautious when adding insulation because any slight mistake can compromise on the overall performance. Do you want to insulate your old house now? Well, here are some tips on what you should know before you decide to insulate your old home:
1. Be sure that your home need insulation
This is actually very important. Think of it in the perspective that you have wasted your time and resources insulating what needed no insulation. You definitely will feel wasted. So how can you ascertain that your home needs insulation? To begin with, you need to check if you have insulation. Check your exterior walls if they have patched holes and if they do, then this is an obvious sign that there is a blow- in insulation. Similarly, check fireplaces and chimneys to ascertain if you are losing heat. Once you have the facts right, then you can go ahead to insulate your house.
2. What about the existing insulation?
Your house may be insulated but you feel that it is not up to your standards. Before you decide to do away with the existing insulation, get to know the materials used to insulate your house. If you suspect that the material used is asbestos, you need to have the material tested. This is because complete removal of asbestos has serious health concerns and would be better if left the way it is. By comparing to new home, you will certainly realize that old homes need to be insulated. This is because most new homes have been constructed with special attention and thus are effective. But again be cautious about the materials used.
3. The form of insulation you need to use
Building insulation is classified into four broad categories namely: rigid boards, loose fill, batts and expanding sprays. For major restorations such as replacing walls, rigid and batt insulation are the most suitable. The most commonly used installation is loose fill because it reaches places where other insulation cannot reach. It is therefore prudent to know which insulation to use and when.
4. The amount of insulation required
InsulationR-value is what matters here. The lower the R-value, the worst the material insulates and vice versa. The smaller values are appropriate in warm weather places while the high value ones are appropriate for chilly climates. It is therefore advisable that you know your place and the type of R-value required.
5. Where to install insulation
This will vary from house to house. Most heat loss occurs through the roof and since cool air has a tendency to fall and warm air to rise, it would be ideal to begin insulation at the loft. In case the loft is not finished, then insulation has to be done on the floor. However, you should be extremely vigilant to only insulate when there is a good ventilation path between a building exterior and the insulation. Also take note not to place thermal insulation around old wiring.
With these tips on your mind, you are certainly going to insulate your house in the right manner. Staying warm is all you need and thus you should act appropriately. Do not let yourself stay in the cold while all you need to do is to insulate your house. But again, before you insulate understand the tips above.
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