Proper insulation is essential to ensuring that your home maintains a comfortable interior temperature, but also that it stands up to the elements, doesn’t suffer from moisture damage and is energy efficient. To help you make savvy home insulation decisions, here are five common misconceptions about insulating that you should know about.
You can’t over-insulate your home
Thinking that you can’t have too much insulation is a common misconception, especially in Canada, where people tend to worry about keeping the cold air out. However, while you need enough insulation to ensure you stay warm, you can in fact over-insulate your home. Excessive insulation will prevent air from circulating, resulting in lowered indoor air quality and likely trapping in moisture, thereby leading to the development of mould.Insulation doesn’t need to be replaced
While insulation is meant for long-term use, it’s not simply a matter of installing it once and forgetting about it.First, natural wear and tear will eventually cause most types of insulation to stop performing optimally. How long this will take depends on the type of insulation and how well it was installed.
More importantly, insulation that’s suffered water damage or been moved out of place will need to be replaced. Damaged insulation can’t perform optimally and leaving it alone could spell trouble down the line.
Replacing insulation is a huge investment
Some homeowners put off replacing their insulation because they worry that upgrading will require them to rip out their walls. This isn’t the case, at least not typically. Blown-in insulation is an easy way to make your home more energy-efficient without much fuss. Contractors simply make a hole in the wall and fill it with a material like cellulose.Insulation is only meant to keep cold air out
In addition to keeping cold air out, insulation also prevents cold air from escaping your house during the warm summer months. If you use air conditioning, proper insulation will help you cut down on power usage and therefore save you money. This also means that you shouldn’t wait till the fall to fix damaged insulation.Vermiculite doesn’t need to be replaced
For a long time, vermiculite was a common insulation material in Canada. However, while it’s not in itself dangerous, some forms of vermiculite contain small amounts of asbestos. If your home has vermiculite insulation, it’s best to be on the safe side and have it removed and replaced by a professional insulation contractor.
Toronto Insulation Installers
Reitzel Insulation has over 46 years of experience in the industry. Whether you need new insulation or a damage assessment, call us today to make an appointment.
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