Bad Attic Insulation

Too many people believe the importance of roof ventilation is to increase energy.

Bad attic insulation.

Dust dirt and debris can also impact the effectiveness of your insulation. If you must disturb fiberglass insulation wear gloves a long sleeved shirt pants and goggles. If you ve ever come in contact with fiberglass you already know what it can do to your skin. Loose fill comes in bags and is usually blown into places like the attic and floor cavities.

If you experience too much contact with fiberglass it can cause what s called irritant contact dermatitis or inflammation of the skin. Once you ve decided which type is best for you examine the material options and prices to home in on the right product. Both can be added to uninsulated attics or layered over existing material. Many homes are leaky and have insufficient insulation in the attic.

More attic ventilation is good. Just like properly sizing your furnace and air conditioning unit you want precisely. This allows a lot of heat up to the attic. Warm spaces have less condensation risk than colder space so when you add insulation to the attic floor you re intentionally blocking some of that heat from keeping the attic warm.

It s best to rodent proof your attic and crawl space and prevent any opportunities for attic access to outside critters. Loose fill or batt the common term for blanket insulation. Roof vents are for warmer climates. Loose fill insulation comes in a variety of materials.

Other sources of damage to insulation include puncturing or cutting or exposure to excessive uv radiation and air leaks. The other negative of the cellulose wind currents in your attic can cause movement of the material leaving low and high areas. The two most common forms are blankets also referred to as batts and loose fill. Now for the ceilings and band joist between the floor joists it s very difficult to enclose the insulation on all six sides and this is one of the big drawbacks of fiberglass and cellulose.

The tiny fibers of glass from insulation wool can irritate your skin and eyes. Breathing in fibers can also increase the difficulty of breathing. Fiberglass insulation comes in a variety of shapes and colors. A dust mask or for the greatest protection under any circumstances a respirator with a particulate filter should be used to prevent inhalation of the potentially irritating fibers.

If your attic or wall insulation is in batt or blanket form whether it s fiberglass cellulose or another material you generally don t have to be concerned about asbestos. The types of insulation that were most commonly made with asbestos are loose fill also called blown in insulation.