Understanding Insulation And Why You Need It

When building your home, proper insulation is one of the things that cannot be ignored whether you are having a tight budget or not. It is a misconception that insulation is only necessary during winter, but the truth is that it is useful all year round and saves majorly on energy costs.

There are many products in the market today that are used to insulate the walls, ceilings, basement, attic, and crawl spaces in the house. One of such products is the roll insulation.

The Difference Between Roll And Batt Insulation

These two insulating materials are constructed using natural wool and mineral wool fibers. In as much as they have a similar function, their design is different and definitely affect the outcome but they both work just fine. Here are some of their difference however their prizes remain the same.

1. Size

Even though both the roll and batt insulation are pre-cut to fit perfectly between the ceiling, floor joists, and wall studs, only the roll insulation can provide great coverage and this is because of its extended length.

2. R-Value

This is the determinant of how much heat the insulating material can retain. Both of them have an R-value of 3.2, however, an better performing fiberglass roll and batt insulating material have a rating of 3.8.

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3. Vapor Barriers

The materials can come with or without backing. Other manufacturing companies have products with either a plastic or paper backing and this acts well as a vapor barrier and helps to prevent any moisture from condensing.

4. Installation

Batt insulations are easier to install in crawlspaces, ceilings, and attics. This is because of the oddly shaped nature of roll insulations. There are some batts that have flame resistant backing making them perfect in basements. Roll insulations are best for walls because their paper backing is easy to secure between wall studs.

How Houses Lose Heat

In order to be able to understand and appreciate the benefits of insulation for your house, let's take a look at some of the ways in which your house loses heat.

• Conduction: this is the transmission of heat through two materials when they come into contact with one another. The transmission of heat is different with each material.
• Convection: this is when the heat is transferred via gas or liquid. This is the exact explanation of why water is hotter at the top.
• Radiation: the transmission of heat from a hot surface directly to a cool surface. The perfect example of this is sunlight.

When this occurs in the house, you are bound to lose a lot of heat and this translates to higher electrical bills.

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Benefits Of Roll Insulation

Apart from saving on energy costs, there are some other benefits of this kind of insulation.

1. Roll insulations are quite easy to install. They are manufactured in different sizes and this makes it easy to transport them. Their sizes make it easy for contractors and if you to install should you decide to take on a DIY project.
2. Insulation works best when all air leaks are sealed and roll insulation provides for just that.
3. Roll insulations have a high R-value and this with thicker insulation you can be sure to have a higher R-value. The fact that this insulation come in an array of sizes means that you can be able to achieve better insulation for your house.

Roll insulation has fibers that are very flexible and are also woven together in strips with different thickness and width. This makes them one of the most common insulating materials in the market.

There are a number of things that one need to have in mind when installing insulation. You need to know the amount of insulating material you require and this is determined by your location. You should also have proper insulation around any electrical and plumbing lines while at the same time having proper ventilation in the attic and crawl spaces. In order to get this right, you will need to consult with a professional.

Tips from the pros

• Insulate all gaps especially around door corners and windows.
• Repair any rip and tear that might exist in the vapor barrier. You can use a duct or a polyvinyl tape
• Split insulations where there is electrical wiring to prevent compaction
• Insulate the areas between the pipes if there are any plumbing pipes. This will prevent the pipes from freezing.

Remember, insulation works only when done right. This means if you cannot do it yourself well them you should let a professional handle it.