How to Insulate an Attic – Using Fiberglass Or Epoxy Foam
November 21, 2020If you’re looking to learn how to insulate an attic, one of the first questions you should ask yourself is whether or not your home is warm enough. If it’s not then you should definitely learn how to insulate an attic. The reason that it’s important to get this type of insulation done is because it helps you to keep your heating and cooling costs down. If your roof isn’t insulated properly, you could be paying much more than you need to for your heating and cooling bills each year.
One of the main problems with most homes when it comes to insulating the attic insulation is that they aren’t always insulated correctly. They may be insulated enough, but they’re not sealed well. This makes new insulation put in place very difficult. In fact, some types of insulation can actually seep through the cracks in your current insulation and actually get into your home. If this happens then you could end up spending a lot more money on heating and cooling costs in the future.
One type of insulation that can be used to insulate attics is either loose-fill insulation or vapor barrier. Loose-fill insulation is just what it sounds like; it’s a paper-like material that’s used to fill in holes. The way that this type of material works is by creating pockets of air between the fibers of the material. While it’s possible to create these pockets with traditional filling materials, like fiberglass, you would need to do so at a very high cost. Instead, you can buy a vapor barrier that works exactly the same as loose-fill insulation, except it costs less and it’s easier to install.
One of the biggest ways that you can learn how to insulate an attic is by learning how to install vapor barriers. The problem with traditional vapor barriers is that they don’t go all the way to the surface of the ceiling or the wall behind it. Because they’re filled with moisture, these panels aren’t effective at keeping the cold out, but they will seal off the edges and corners of the attic.
In order to learn how to insulate an attic effectively, you will also need to install some form of attic scuttle door insulation. Fiberglass is a common choice for insulating the roof of the home because it’s a very effective barrier. Even better, fiberglass doesn’t rust, rot, warp or develop holes. Another benefit of fiberglass is that it can be installed on just about any type of roof. One disadvantage of fiberglass is that it can be heavy, which can cause a difficulty with lifting the panels.
An alternative to fiberglass is an epoxy foam product that’s injected into the seams of the rafters. Unlike other types of warm insulation, the product will stay in place, even during high winds and heavy snowfall. To install this type of warm insulation, you must cut a series of horizontal slits into the underside of your roof deck, then insert the foam into the topmost jamb. If your rafters aren’t hollowed out enough to accept the foam, then you may need to use plywood panels with dowels inside them as a method of creating a closed seal.