Putting in new insulation could help reduce your energy bills and make your home more comfortable in extreme weather. After comparing your options, you might decide that blown-in insulation is a good match for your needs. You might wonder if you should attempt to install the insulation yourself, but you might want to reconsider DIY installation. Here are some important considerations that make working with an insulation contractor a better choice.
Insulation Has To Stay Away From Attic Vents
When insulation is blown in your attic, the contractor blows it to the far wall and works toward the attic door. There might be soffit vents along the wall that need to be protected so they don't get covered in insulation. If they do, your attic could get so hot that the roofing is damaged.
A contractor knows how to blow the insulation in so it doesn't clog up the ventilation of your attic. They might even put baffles around the vents to make sure they stay clear.
Holes Have To Be Drilled For Wall Insulation
If you're putting insulation between your walls too, you'll have to drill holes in the siding. That could be challenging, especially if you have brick insulation. An insulation contractor has experience drilling holes and can do so without harming your siding or walls.
Plus, they fill and seal the holes when finished so you don't have to worry about rain seeping down your wall. They close the holes so they are barely noticeable, which might be difficult for you to do.
Wall Insulation Can't Have Gaps
Blowing in insulation bits seems easy, but the job has to be done properly or the insulation could collapse on a void and not be very efficient. The bits of insulation get hung up sometimes on nails or wiring between the walls, and that could leave a big gap with no insulation toward the bottom of the wall. When you let an insulation contractor blow in the bits of cellulose or fiberglass, you don't have to worry about problems with poor installation techniques.
Attic Insulation Has To Avoid Recessed Lights
When insulation contractors blow-in attic insulation, they know how deep the insulation has to be to reach the desired R-value for peak energy efficiency. This requires the insulation to be deep enough and that all air leaks are covered and sealed by the insulation.
However, if you have recessed lighting, the contractor has to avoid covering it up or the lights will get too hot. Blown-in insulation is treated so it won't burn, but the heat might harm the light fixtures. The contractor also has to block off anything in the attic you might need access to, such as electrical outlets, so you don't have to hunt for them later under a pile of insulation.