June 20, 2022
Installing new attic insulation or crawlspace insulation has a lot of benefits for your home, from better comfort to lower heating and cooling costs. In order to get all the benefits of a home insulation upgrade, however, it needs to be done right.
Insulation installation, especially spray foam insulation installation, is a skill that takes a lot of training and experience to learn. Without the help of a professional spray foam insulation contractor, it’s easy to make expensive and even dangerous mistakes.
Vermont Foam Insulation has been installing insulation since 2006, and we’ve fixed plenty of DIY home improvement projects gone wrong over the years. Here are some of the most common DIY insulation mistakes we see among homeowners in Lebanon, Hanover, Enfield, and the surrounding areas.
1. Using the Wrong Insulation Material
The first step in any insulation installation is choosing the right material. Different homes, and different areas within the home, require different materials. Most DIY insulation installers end up using fiberglass batts because they’re affordable and can be found at just about any hardware store. But fiberglass batt insulation is not usually the best choice. A professional insulation company will be able to recommend the right material based on your home and climate.
2. Not Air Sealing
Air sealing is one of the most important steps in the attic insulation process. Air sealing stops air from moving between your conditioned and unconditioned living spaces. This keeps hot air, moisture, and outdoor air pollutants from entering your home.
If you insulate without air sealing, air and moisture will not only come into your home, but they’ll also move through your insulation, damaging the material and making it perform worse. Once the insulation is wet, dirty, or moldy, it will have to be replaced.
3. Overstuffing
When you’re installing home insulation, you might think the more the better, right? But that isn’t always the case. You need to make sure you have enough insulation, but you don’t want to overstuff.
If you jam fiberglass batts into all the nooks and crannies in your attic, you’ll end up compressing the material. This makes it impossible for the insulation to work properly.
4. Not Using Enough Insulation
Not installing enough material is one of the most common problems we see with DIY insulation installation. To make sure you have the right amount of insulation, you need to take precise measurements and make sure the insulation is the right thickness to meet R-value recommendations in your climate zone. A professional insulation company will know how much insulation you need based on factors like your home’s size and location.
5. Trying to Install DIY Spray Foam Insulation
Spray foam insulation is one of the most effective insulation materials. It acts as an air sealant, an insulator, and a moisture barrier all in one. But installing spray foam insulation without the proper safety equipment and training is extremely dangerous. If you want to install spray foam insulation in your attic, you need to hire a professional spray foam insulation company.
Avoid the headache of a DIY summer insulation project gone wrong! Trust the pros at Vermont Foam Insulation for professional insulation installation. Call 802-367-3113 or contact us to get started!