CHATTANOOGA Blog

The Importance of Airflow in a Home in Chattanooga, Tennessee

Air is constantly moving inside and outside our homes. While we certainly need it to live, it needs to be managed inside our homes for a variety of different reasons here in the Chattanooga area!

Insulation has an important role in your home’s airflow, and we explain more about this relationship below in our latest blog post.

Controlled vs. Uncontrolled Airflow

Your home relies on airflow to keep your family healthy, comfortable and safe. Insulation is designed to control heat transfer, not block airflow. However, air must flow in a controlled manner to increase the efficiency of your home and to keep providing clean air for your family to breathe. Controlled airflow is managed through mechanical devices like your HVAC system, which allows a building to ventilate air and bring in the right amount of outside air.

Uncontrolled airflow is the direct opposite. We call that a leaky building in our industry! Air flows in and out of the building at random through air leaks, drafts and through the gaps in insulation in your home. It works directly against your home’s HVAC system and makes your home’s temperature harder to control.

Airflow and the Stack Effect

We all probably remember learning about convention in school, but many of us probably took the test and never thought about it again! For us, it is at the core of what we do.

“Convection” is the term to describe the process of heat rising and cooler temperatures sinking. When hot air rises to create high pressure at the top of your home, it creates a negative pressure at the bottom and subsequently pulls in cooler outdoor air to replace it.

This cooler air then needs to be conditioned for your living areas, which will rise and escape and the whole process starts all over again! This is called the stack effect, and it can be really troublesome over time. Controlled airflow through ventilation in your attic and throughout your home helps stop this problem in its tracks.

Airflow and Moisture

Our homes are naturally good at keeping us dry. After all, they are the first line of defense when severe weather and simple rainstorms come to town! Water vapor, however, is a different story.

All homes have a certain level of humidity, and that moisture in the air helps us stay comfortable. If there is not enough airflow in a home, that water vapor will start to build up in vulnerable areas of your home. All that hot air in your attic will eventually condense and can lead to serious moisture issues.

Lingering moisture can lead to mildew, mold growth and even structural damage to important parts of your home. Some of our insulation materials are vulnerable to lingering moisture, so you might be finding yourself in need of an insulation removal and replacement.

Where Insulation Comes In

Having a properly insulated house keeps this air flow controlled and manageable. Air will enter your home in a slowly controlled process and will rise gently through each level of your home. When it gets to the top of your attic, it will be circulated out with your solar attic fan.

This process starts over and over, but it happens in a much more controlled way that will lower your energy bills and make your home as efficient as possible.

Let’s control that airflow in your home! Contact Koala Insulation of Chattanooga today.