Inspecting Your Insulation: What to Look for
Do you know what to look for when it comes to insulation in your home? Homes built in the 1920s and earlier, usually have inadequate or no insulation at all. If your home was built before 1980, there is an 80% probability that it is not sufficiently insulated. Homes built before 2003 also need to be inspected.
Here are some telltale signs that your home is poorly insulated:
- Ice dams and icicles on your roof (also indicates poor ventilation)
- “Hot spots” in the summer and “cold spots” during the winter inside the house
- Drafty walls
- High utility bills
- Mold in the corners of your ceiling (also indicates poor ventilation)
- Stains on ceilings and walls
- Drafts coming through wall plugs
If you have any one of these signs, then there is a great chance that your home has inadequate insulation. You may need to re-insulate or add more insulation to the attic and walls.
Adding insulation to existing walls requires a process called drill and fill. The contractor will drill holes in the exterior or interior walls. The insulation is installed using pressure to ensure that it does not settle after installation.
Adding insulation to the attic area should be done with care. If the insulation has mold, pest feces, or is saturated with water from a fire or storms, it needs to be removed and then new needs to be installed. If the insulation is in great condition, then adding more to the top may be all that is needed.