Whether you bought a previously lived-in home or invested in new home construction, the key to retaining warm or cool indoor air is to make sure your insulation is in good condition. But how can you tell if you have a problem with your insulation? Although you can inspect insulation up in the attic or in crawl spaces, it’s a bit more difficult to survey wall insulation, but there are ways to determine material failure. With this in mind, here are five signs that you might need new home insulation in Seattle:
- High energy bills: If you look back at past energy bills from the same time of year as now and notice a dramatic increase in costs, poor quality insulation could be to blame. Inadequate or insufficient insulation will let the elements in, causing indoor temperatures to fluctuate. As a result, your air conditioner or heater will have to work harder to maintain a comfortable setting.
- Indoor drafts: The purpose of residential insulation is to act as a barrier between the inside atmosphere and the outside air—each should stay in its respective places. When there is not enough protection, you may feel hot drafts in the summer and cold drafts in the winter coming through exterior walls or from the attic above. Should it feel drafty in your home, first make sure that outside air is not getting in through a cracked window or door. Otherwise, you may need to consider installing new insulation.
- Indoor temperature fluctuations: In regards to different areas of the house, you or other family members may notice significant temperature fluctuations from room to room. This may be due to improper insulation installation in the walls or ceiling of a particular space, or in some cases, in multiple rooms. When the heater or air conditioner is on, if the temperature varies significantly in each room, you may need to get replacement insulation in Seattle.
- Wet attic insulation: Because of the health hazards posed by mold, insulation material that’s wet, damp or moist cannot be saved and must be replaced immediately. Water could have gotten in to the attic and crawlspaces through a damaged vent, basement or roof during a storm—it doesn’t take a lot to wreak havoc on your insulation. Write it into your seasonal home maintenance to inspect the attic and crawlspaces. After all, unlike inside walls, you can get a pretty good in-person visual of insulation in these areas.
- Pest infestation: It’s not uncommon for local wildlife to take up residence in your attic to live, breed and drive you crazy. Whether your attic tenants are squirrels, mice, rats, opossums or some kind of winged creature or reptile, once they’ve touched the insulation, it’s best to replace it. Even if you do get the pests out, they’ve likely left behind something unpleasant, like foul smelling urine and feces.
These are just a few signs that point to damaged or old insulation—don’t wait too long to replace it with new material! If quality insulation in Seattle is on your home improvement shopping list, then now is the time to pay a visit to Stewart Lumber & Hardware Co.