Whether in summer months or winter months, one of the ways to keep your energy costs down is to install proper insulation. Insulation reduces the amount of airflow through in walls and floor joists, thus preventing either cold, hot, or humid outside air from entering into your home through those spaces.
Installing the insulation is not difficult, but it does require some preparation. Consider the following steps to install insulation:
Things to Consider Before Install:
Before you can install your material, you need to determine how much insulation you need and the total R-value you require.
To determine the proper amount of insulation, first measure for the square footage of the area you need to cover with insulation. If you are insulating a wall, then measure the height and length of the wall you are insulating. If you are insulating an attic, measure the length and width of the attic.
The R-value of insulation is a measure of the insulations resistance to heat flow. To decide on an R-value, you need to take into account the climate of your area. Generally speaking, if you live in an area that is excessively cold or excessively hot, then you are going to want a higher overall R-value, such as R-30 to R-60. If you live in a moderate climate, then an R-value under 30 may work for your needs.
Preparation:
Before handling any of the insulation, consider that it is fiberglass material. Insulation is primarily made of fiberglass to prevent rotting or mold of any sort, since mold cannot grow on fiberglass. With that said, fiberglass is a major irritant on your skin, eyes, and mouth. You want to protect each of those areas from contact with the fiberglass.
You are going to want to wear the following:
– Long sleeve shirt.
– Pants.
– Knee high socks.
– Boots.
– Gloves.
– Dust mask.
– Safety glasses.
Failure to install insulation without the proper gear will result in rashes on your skin, irritation in your eyes, and congestion in your sinuses.
Install Process
Installing roll insulation is easy. The sheets are cut at a width to fit between the industry standard spacing between studs and floor joists.
To install the insulation on a wall, place the insulation firmly between each line of studs. With wall insulation, there will often be paper on one side of the insulation. Install the insulation with the paper side facing you. The paper should have flaps that fold onto the front face of the studs. Using a staple gun, attach the flaps to the studs. Follow this process until you have filled all the spaces between studs.
To install insulation in the attic you follow a similar process to installing in the walls, but with a slight variation. You are going to place one layer of insulation in between the joists. You will install this layer with the paper side facing downward. After you fill all the spaces between floor joists, you will install a second layer perpendicular on top of the first layer. Simply roll the insulation over the top of the joists and first layer of insulation.
Finished
Now that you are done, be sure to remove all your gear in a location that you do not mind fiberglass being. You will want to wash your clothes immediately and rinse off the other equipment used. This will prevent the spread of fiberglass.
