10 Signs of Insulation Problems in Your Memphis Home

10 Signs of Insulation Problems in Your Memphis Home

If your home always feels incredibly hot during a Memphis heat wave and freezing cold during a cold snap, it may be due to a lack of proper home insulation. If you’re getting tired of cranking up your thermostat to no avail, it may be due to insulation problems. For example, fluctuating and unbalanced indoor temperatures in various house rooms. If your HVAC system is intact, the next plausible reason is little to no insulation. However, you can upgrade your thermostat to a more advanced version, it will do only slightly better for improving your home’s energy efficiency. Instead, by opting for insulation, your house is better able to transport heat within the building. 

If you forgo home insulation completely, you will be exposed to multiple Memphis insulation problems. Issues include cold rooms, or ceilings, walls, and floor surfaces that feel cold to the touch, noise pollution, and foul odors from damaged or expired insulation material. Other problems include frozen pipes, pests, rodent infestation, health problems from inhaling expired insulation and random puddles of water in the attic. Either way, these Memphis insulation problems indicate you are now overdue for a new residential or commercial insulation installation service. 

Hire the local, qualified, and fully insured Memphis insulation pros from Koala Insulation of the Midsouth. It’s best not to leave your Memphis insulation problems unattended and ask an expert and experienced contractor for some insulation testing or energy audit. Replacing or repairing your home’s insulation problems is an intricate and detailed process. We invite you to keep on reading to learn more about the ten signs of insulation problems in your Memphis home.

What Is Residential Insulation? Why Is It Mandatory?

A shabby installation attempt can rebound and work against your home’s HVAC system, resulting in soaring utility bills. Regardless of whether you have purchased a newly built or pre-owned property, it, at the very least, came with some sort of insulation. The sole purpose of insulation is to stop any hairline cracks, fractures, and crevices so indoor air circulation is less likely to escape to the outdoors. If you aim to readily avoid insulation problems, including temperature variations from room to room or blatantly cold interior walls, floors, and ceilings, including cold drafts or frozen pipes and leakages from burst and frozen pipes, there’s no doubt you need insulation. 

Residential insulation consists of different types of insulation material, including fiberglass, cellulose, spray foam, mineral wool, and denim, and various applications of insulation, such as loose fill, batt, foam board, radiant, and vapor. If you’ve been experiencing insulation problems as of late, you can always sign up for an insulation installation service. 

For the most part, insulation can be layered atop old insulation so long as it's in good condition, allowing you to preserve the heat loss of your home. If anything, insulation bolsters indoor air circulation by serving as backup support for your home’s heating and cooling system. Your house leaks conditioned air from the indoors to the outskirts of your home, so insulation, as a protective buffer, allows your home to remain at a consistent and comfortable room temperature no matter the season or local weather conditions. If you have a plentiful amount of insulation laid throughout your home, for example, you require less air conditioning during the thick of summer. Never again will you encounter unbalanced or temperature extremes, including pesky insulation problems, making insulation a worthwhile investment as it lowers your electricity consumption and improves indoor air quality.

What Is The R-Value?

The R-value is the insulation’s capability to reshuffle the flow of heat, which is calculated by the thermal resistance known as the R-value. Generally speaking, the higher the R-value, the more effective the insulating material is and the better its thickness and density. For example, denim insulation has an average R-value of 3.5 per inch and, given its lower density, lessens the transfer of heat from inside your home to the outskirts. But please note a higher R-value doesn’t indicate the insulation is more effective as applying extra insulation can suffocate your house. Mostly to prevent further insulation problems, you have to take into consideration other factors, such as the specific room you are insulating, the type of insulation material, its application, and even the condition of the previous insulation.

Top 10 Signs of Insulation Problems In Your Memphis Home

Fluctuating Temperatures Including Hot And Cold Zones

If there is a lack of insulation or the insulation itself is damaged from excessive moisture, dirt, or aging, it will result in varying temperatures throughout the house. For example, the upper floors and attic might be hot and humid, resulting in airborne pollutants and allergens forming. Without insulation whatsoever, your home’s temperature levels will no longer remain steady and allow for moderate room temperature to be distributed throughout the house.

Cold Rooms

If larger rooms in your house, such as the master bedroom, are particularly cold during the winter season, it may be due to worn and torn insulation or a lack of insulated floors and walls. As a result, the insulation problems you have been facing are due to warmer and moist air escaping rapidly to the outside. The best way to preserve the heat in your home is to add extra insulation.

Noise Pollution

Insulation limits the transmission of sound from one part of the building to the other as the material itself encloses the source of the noise by forming a barrier that absorbs any sounds, including vibrations. In doing so, not only are sounds muffled at the source but also stopped at any nearby rooms. If you find that despite tossing on your headphones or using earplugs, you are still sensitive to too much noise, it may be due to insulation problems and a lack of insulation.

Frozen Pipes

If your house is not insulated at all, don’t be surprised to encounter frozen plumbing pipes. Although receiving an insulation installation is not foolproof for insulation problems, a little extra cushioning in key areas such as the basement, garage, and attic doesn’t hurt in preventing full-on frostiness during the winter months. If you happen to forgo any insulation in these areas, you will find your pipes are more likely to be exposed to hairline cracks and fractures. 

Pest And Rodent Infestation

Depending on the insulation material and application you opt for, you can more or less prevent any pests from invading. Because insulation, at times, can become a habitable nest and breeding ground for these creatures, it can get badly damaged, resulting in Memphis insulation problems and needing to be replaced in its entirety. For example, a fiberglass bat is not recommended as its thick and squishy nature is more inviting to rodents to nestle in, whilst spray foam insulation due to its airtight barrier cannot serve as a source of food or shelter and is mostly rodent-proof.

Water Puddles In the Attic

Any visible water damage in the attic, such as dampened insulation, discoloration, bulging walls or ceilings, warped or peeling wood, musty odor, mold, and mildew growth, are all red flags you have insulation problems. When winter and spring condensation occurs, it is due to moist and warm air from within the lower parts of the house as it rises to the top of the attic space.

Higher Humidity Levels And Mold On Upper Floors

Because humidity tends to concentrate toward the upper floors and attic, you may be experiencing Memphis insulation problems due to a lack of air circulation and sealing. Although you can utilize a dehumidifier, it’s only a temporary solution to your insulation problems, and you may require an insulation installation or repair service. It’s best not to outright ignore this as excessive moisture and condensation can result in mold and mildew growth.

Ice Dam On Roof And Gutters

If the temperature of your roofline is not consistent with the eaves, you will most likely encounter ice dams. Although you can stop air from infiltrating your attic or roof space by plugging up any leakages, we recommend upgrading the insulation in your attic for a permanent solution to your Memphis insulation problems. This will better improve air circulation for your roof, allowing for optimal ventilation for your house.

Higher Utility Bills

Because heat tends to transfer from warm to cool air, poor insulation can result in higher utility bills, especially in the winter months. By exposing yourself to harsh local weather conditions and a lack of proper insulation, you are overworking your HVAC system as it has to churn out double the output just to accommodate your heating needs. 

Toxic Gases Entering Home

Older properties with an unfinished basement or badly looked-after crawl space are susceptible to radon gas. Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that is released from rocks, soil, and water. Should your basement have foundation cracks, holes, and gaps, this gas is able to enter your house. Closed-cell spray foam insulation is known to effectively block out radon gas. But overall, we highly recommend a detailed inspection should you frequently get sick or suffer from shortness of breath. 

Frequently Asked Questions About Memphis Insulation Problems

What Problems Can a Lack of Insulation Cause?

First and foremost, your comfort levels will plummet as you are readily exposed to cold floors, fluctuating and unstable temperatures from room to room, or even temperature extremes, especially in larger rooms such as the master bedroom, which is too hot during summer and too cold during winter. Following suit, you will, unfortunately, be faced with skyrocketing monthly utility bills as your HVAC system, which is responsible for the heating and cooling of your home, has to accommodate and make up for the loss of heat transfer to the outskirts of your home.

What Is The Problem With Insulation?

Although a lack of insulation is usually the biggest concern for Memphis insulation problems, having too much extra insulation is just as big of a nuisance. By having too much insulation, you can actually negatively affect the energy efficiency of your house as extra cushioning is unsustainable as it not only affects the ability of your home to condition and circulate air but also can result in mold growth. Plus, just because you have extra insulation doesn’t mean you will automatically lower your home’s heating and cooling costs so it’s not a matter of padding on extra cushioning but being strategic about where and how much cushioning to place. 

What Are Issues With Wall Insulation?

Insulation problems such as a lack of cushioning, using the wrong material type, or even using an incorrect and uneven application can result in cold bridging and weaker spots within the insulation. These weakened areas of the cushioning can attract air moisture, resulting in black mold. That’s why we advise asking an expert service provider to conduct an insulation installation for your house to ensure further damage control is not required later on.

Koala Insulation Can Eliminate Any Memphis Insulation Problems

Don’t delay and remain complacent about a professional insulation service that will resolve your Memphis insulation problems. Not only will you experience improved comfort levels due to better indoor air quality, but you will save money on your utility bills and prevent further repairs from moisture damage.

Go ahead and reach out to our courteous customer service representatives at 901-613-1421, as we will gladly schedule a consultation or service appointment for you. We proudly serve the local community of Memphis and surrounding areas, including Cordova, Hernando, and Lake Cormorant.