NORTHWEST HOUSTON Blog

Insulation 101: Protect Your Home From Structural Damage

Proper insulation acts as a barrier to ward off heat transfer and heat loss in a building. It also protects the structure of your property from damage and delays natural degradation over time.

Insulation not only can save you money on energy bills, it also helps your home last longer from a structural perspective.

Homes that are under insulated or that have no insulation at all are more prone to humidity and moisture buildup because there is a constant inflow of air coming from an area with a relatively different temperature. When moisture interacts with cooler surfaces, condensation occurs and condensation is a sworn enemy of a building! It damages the building structure and components, not to mention, it poses health risks, especially respiratory problems, to occupants.

So, to help keep your home structurally sound, you will want to prevent condensation. To prevent condensation, the key is to limit the temperature differences between the objects and the air in a building. Insulating the different spaces in your home along with proper ventilation is an effective way to keep condensation away. 

Below are some tips on how to protect your home from structural damage.

Take Care of Your Attic

When insulating a home, the attic is the top priority because it receives the most heat from the sun. Hot air moves up, so your attic receives heat from the space below it. 

If the roof is not insulated, or is under insulated, the sun’s heat enters and transfers through the attic and even the floor below it. 

The attic should be isolated from the outdoor temperature that may cause humidity. If an attic is humid all the time, moisture is certain to build up and turn into condensation. Air leaks from holes in your ceiling and water leaks from pipes and your roof are culprits of condensation too.

A clear manifestation of condensation in your attic is the growth of mold on the wooden rim joists and other wood structures. Mold doesn’t directly damage the wood but the moisture in it does. Moisture saturates the wood and speeds its decay. It also causes rust on metal pipes and components like nails.

Along with passive vents and active ventilation, proper insulation effectively provides humidity control for your attic.
 

Protect Walls and Windows and More!

Aside from the windows, condensation occurs on walls if a building is poorly insulated. The warm moisture from the building interacts with the cold walls and forms into water droplets. Moisture can also seep through the walls if there are gaps or air leaks.

The walls will become a breeding ground for mold and can create permanent damage to drywalls and wooden structures.

Chips and bubbling on painted or wallpapered walls are just another consequence to your home if moisture is not managed. 

There are two kinds of wall insulation that prevent cold walls: cavity wall insulation and solid wall insulation.
 

Check that Crawl Space

Moisture in the basement can come from different areas: the interior of the building (from activities like cooking, taking showers and drying clothes), exterior (air leaks that enter the basement), and water deposits after the rain or groundwater.

Like with attics and indoors, a proper vapor barrier and insulation in your crawl space will keep the hot, humid air from working its way into the house through your floor boards. You can avoid mold growth, deterioration of wood structure, and insect infestations too! 

Now that you know that proper insulation is key to keeping your home structurally sound, you can review our blog on different types of insulation. To know which best works for your building, our team of experts here in Koala Insulation of Northwest Houston can help you identify the right insulation for your home.

Do you want to protect your building from structural damage? Book your free insulation evaluation with one of our consultants now!