Insulation helps provide year-round comfort to your household by keeping the indoor air separate from the outdoor air. However, insulation offers several other benefits to homeowners, such as keeping out unwanted pests.
How it Works
Many types of insulation are pre-treated with boric acid or other pest-blocking chemicals that harm the rodent or insect if it digests it. Most insulation materials that are treated for pest control purposes help get rid of common home invaders such as cockroaches and ants. Cockroaches in particular eat almost anything in their sight, so you can easily get rid of them when they eat the treated insulation. Other roaches that come into contact with the affected roach will die as well.
Other Benefits of Insulation
Aside from getting rid of pests, you can reap other benefits when you insulate your home, including the following.
- Cost-Efficiency. We all know that heat is not cheap. With a better-quality attic barrier, you’ll be able to keep more heat inside of your home during the winter months. Investing in insulation will help you save on energy costs in the long run. It will also keep heat out during the scorching summer days.
- Increased Comfort. Your home will be more comfortable if you can control and maintain the temperature. Because it affects the entire house, insulation will also ensure that there won’t be any pockets of cold in your residence.
- Flame Retardant. If a fire gets into your attic, it will have a difficult time spreading to other parts of the house because of insulation’s fire-retardant properties. This could give the fire department enough time to respond to a distress call.
- Fungi and Mold Resistance. By resisting fungi and mold, insulation can boost the quality of air in your residence. It can also protect the people living in your residence from illnesses caused or aggravated by molds and fungi.
Insulation Types
The following are different kinds of insulation.
- Spray-foam insulation
- Cellulose insulation
- Denim insulation
- Fiberglass insulation
- Mineral wool insulation
- Crawlspace insulation
Spray Foam Insulation
Done with spray holders, spray foam insulation involves the spraying of foam from containers to specific areas of a house. It is best to install spray foam insulation in existing walls, new spaces in walls, or unfinished attics.
Spray foam insulation can keep out mice and other pests that come in through the places where you get the most air leaks, such as crawl spaces, rim joists, or openings in the attic. It helps seal up the crevices and cracks where it is sprayed. This makes it harder for pests to get in.
Another advantage of this type of insulation is that it’s well-suited for both oddly-shaped and finished areas. It also works well when used around obstructions.
Cellulose Insulation
Cellulose insulation is made of tiny pieces of paper broken into fibers. These fibers are treated with a mineral that resists pests. They are also treated with chemicals to make them better at protecting the home from heat and moisture.
Another advantage of opting for cellulose insulation is that it is made up of 85% recycled materials. These are mainly newspapers, although it isn’t unusual to use cardboard or other kinds of paper.
Although made out of paper, this insulation type can also help control the spread of flames. The chemicals it is treated with, along with its ability to fit around obstructions and fill irregularly shaped spaces, make it a great flame retardant. It also works well for attics.
One con of using cellulose insulation is that it is not waterproof. It is prone to accumulating moisture, becoming more vulnerable to rot over time. However, if you are looking for an organic and less-expensive way to insulate your home, cellulose insulation will work well for you.
Denim Insulation
A form of cellulose fiber (cotton), denim insulation is an eco-friendly insulation material that is often treated with borate to provide Class-A fire resistance. It is also usually treated with EPA-registered fungal inhibitors to protect against pests, mold, and mildew.
Fiberglass Insulation
Popular in the building industry because of its light-weight properties and durability, insulation with fiberglass is, as its name implies, made up of thin fibers of glass. By trapping pockets of air, it keeps spaces thermally regulated and insulated against sound transmission between walls or floors.
The material in fiberglass insulation is relatively inexpensive when compared with alternative materials. This insulation type is also easier to install. Even better, it is not flammable and is highly resistant to moisture damage, which makes it more appealing to homeowners.
With the proper equipment, fiberglass can be an easy and cost-effective solution to insulation issues. In recent years, technology advancements have allowed fiberglass insulation to be made in more environmentally friendly ways.
While it has many perks, the fibers that make up fiberglass insulation can irritate the skin and lungs. Homeowners must not be present in their homes during the installation process.
Mineral Wool Insulation
While it has similarities to fiberglass, mineral wool often costs more. It can also be harder to find than fiberglass. Mineral wool comes in loose-fill, meaning it is poured out of bags or blown into the desired area. One of the best advantages of mineral wool insulation is that it can withstand higher temperatures.
Crawlspace Insulation
A crawlspace is an area between the first floor and the ground. Crawlspaces are usually not the first place that people think about when planning to upgrade their insulation.
However, uninsulated crawlspaces can still be a point of origin for problems like musty smells or mold. Mold in particular can be a problem to the health of people with allergies or asthma. Crawlspace insulation can also reduce the presence of critters and bugs.
Understanding R-Values
The resistance of an insulating material to conductive heat flow is measured through its R-value or thermal resistance. A greater R-value means more insulating effectiveness. Factors like the insulation type, its density, and its thickness affect the R-value.
The R-values of some insulation material also depend on aging, temperature, and moisture accumulation. To calculate the R-value of multilayered installations, simply add the R-values of the individual layers.
When you install more insulation in your home, you increase its R-value and resistance to heat flow. The amount of R-value or insulation you’ll need depends on your cooling and heating system, your climate, and the area of your house you want to insulate.
Insulation Tips
Ready to get your home insulated? Here are some other things to consider.
- Think about factors like your budget, climate, and home design when selecting the type of insulation for any area of your home.
- Use higher R-value insulation, like spray foam insulation, on exterior walls so the material takes up less space without compromising its protective properties.
- To avoid a fire hazard, be careful with how you will place insulation near a recessed light fixture unless the fixture is insulation contact (IC) rated.
- Follow the installation instructions of the manufacturer.
- Wear suitable protective gear upon installation.
- A good and cost-effective way to invest in the comfort of your home is to install insulation in your attic.
- If your residence still feels too cold during winters or too warm during summers, you might need to put insulation on your exterior walls. While this is usually more expensive, it is a good investment, especially for cold climate areas.
Some Challenges
Insulation provides many benefits for your home, but it isn’t without its challenges. Old insulation can be a hotbed for insects like cockroaches. If your insulation is not properly treated or is outdated, pests can live happily in it for years without you knowing.
A pest infestation doesn’t necessarily mean you have an insulation issue. However, you might still have to add to your insulation or replace it. If you feel uncomfortably hot during the summer or cold in the winter, you might benefit from adding insulation to your attic, walls, or crawlspace. Insulation can also help if you’re tired of paying a lot for your cooling and heating bills.
We recommend calling upon an insulation expert and having them come to your home to perform a full inspection. If your insulation has signs of pests or is simply old, the experts can replace it with new insulation that will keep your home free of pests.
Quality Insulation Services from A+ Insulation
A+ Insulation is a Kansas-based company that offers several insulation-related services. We pride ourselves not only on quality installations but also on quality people and service. Our A+ team is made up of trained and certified installers to ensure that we provide the highest standards in the industry.
Insulation is what we know and do best, but customer service is what we focus on. This is how we’ve gained many loyal customers over the years. Our goal is to make your experience as happy as possible with every step of the insulation process–from evaluation to installation to price.