PEARLAND Blog

Remove and Replace Old Insulation To Improve Your Southeast Texas Home

The Impact of Insulation

When it comes to making improvements around your home, it’s important to understand the fundamentals. The materials in your home significantly impact the comfort, safety, and even savings for your household. 

Insulation is installed throughout a building to reduce heat transfer. This is the rate at which heat can enter and exit a structure through spaces like the walls, floor, and roof. This material works like a barrier: as heat attempts to move through a structure, the insulation slows the energy down so it has a more difficult time permeating the surface. The R-value of the insulation helps measure how effective the barrier will be. 

Also known as resistance value, the R-value is the numerical measurement of the material’s ability to resist heat. A higher R-value typically means the insulation is better able to reduce heat transfer, which in turn helps regulate the temperature in your home. It works to keep desired warmth from escaping during the winter and blocks out unwanted heat from outside in the summer. 

Can Damaged Insulation Increase Risk?

There are several signs that indicate the insulation in your home may be damaged or deteriorated:

• One room or side of the house won’t stay as cool or warm as the rest of your home.
• You’re experiencing an increase in uncomfortable drafts and cold spots.
• Poor indoor air quality increasing respiratory irritation or allergy-like symptoms. 

Unfortunately, some homeowners have a habit of blaming extreme weather or natural changes when it comes to their discomfort. Instead of having their material checked and updated, they’ll “stick it out” through dangerous temperatures. 

If you've noticed a change in the climate-controlling capabilities in your home, consult an insulation professional. They can help you evaluate the current condition of your home's insulation and air sealing to determine if it needs to be replaced. If you allow problems to persist, it could end up increasing health risks, energy waste, and maintenance needs. 

Here are a few common problems that can become much more significant issues if you don’t remove and replace poor-quality insulation. 

• Pest Infestation

Dark, hidden areas in your home can be the perfect place for insects and rodents to safely stow away and create their nests. As a homeowner, you may already be aware of the dangers that come with allowing infestations to grow and get out of hand. Rodents, insects, and other vermin can bring disease, bacteria, and other harmful hazards into your space. 

Damaged insulation is a prime attraction for unwanted guests in your home. Deteriorated material provides an area for these creatures to burrow and some materials can even act as a food source. If water from a leak in the roof, walls, or foundation impacts the material, it can trap humidity that attracts bugs.

Upgrading your insulation and air sealing helps to cover and fill gaps, cracks, and other openings that can allow these pests to enter your home. While insulation shouldn’t necessarily be used as a replacement for quality pest control, it can be an extra defense against infestation. For example, some materials like cellulose insulation are treated with chemicals that kill insects and small rodents that try to ingest the material, reducing the potential for a food source.

• Moisture Damage

As mentioned earlier, moisture from problems like leaks can damage your insulation material. In addition to attracting bugs, moisture damage increases the risk of bacteria, mold growth, and water damage to other structures in your home. 

If you discover a leak or recent damage from extreme weather, it's important to schedule an insulation evaluation. While some materials have properties that can help reduce water retention and increase moisture resistance, significant water logging can still break down insulation materials or impact the area around them. Trapped water and moisture can then increase humidity, which creates the perfect environment for mold growth while also potentially hiding underlying damages. 

Although some homeowners can take on small DIY patch jobs for insulation, someone who's inexperienced may not adequately clean and prepare the area before installation. This is another way moisture can be trapped under insulation, leading to significant damage to your building envelope. Your local insulation experts check for signs of wear, hidden problems, and the presence of pests - even if the insulation was recently installed - to ensure nothing was missed during the application.

• HVAC Pressure

Finally, poor insulation and air sealing quality and coverage put significant strain on your HVAC system. Deteriorated material isn't able to effectively reduce heat transfer while poor air sealing allows for air leaks and uncontrolled airflow. Conditioned air and heat leave the house while outdoor pollutants enter with little to no regulation. 

In colder months, heat rises and escapes through underinsulated spaces in your attic and ceiling; during warmer periods in the year, heat can easily enter your home to replace cool air. In order to reduce uncomfortable temperatures, your HVAC unit is constantly running in an effort to keep up with the desired temperature on the thermostat. 

Increased use not only increases energy waste and costs, but it can also impact your maintenance needs. The higher usage leads to a reduced lifespan which means you may need to replace parts or the entire unit earlier than you anticipated. If you notice an increase in your utility bills throughout the year, it could be due to inadequate coverage and installation. 

Improve Your Safety & Savings With Insulation Experts Near Pearland

At Koala Insulation of Pearland, our insulation experts are dedicated to improving the environment of our neighbors and community with quality and affordable services. We offer free evaluations so you and your household can make informed decisions without having to worry about your budget or schedule. To learn more about how improved insulation can impact your environment, contact your industry pros at Koala Insulation of Pearland today to schedule your free evaluation.