The Trouble with Lumpy Insulation

Proper insulation is essential for an energy-efficient home. Unfortunately, insulation problems are common. Some older homes may never have had any insulation at all, and even in newer homes, there is the potential for the insulation to shift, settle, or be damaged by bugs, mold, and moisture.

If you aren’t happy with the amount you spend on your heating and cooling bills, it is certainly a good idea to have a professional check on your insulation. They may very well discover that you need new insulation.

However, when choosing your new insulation you absolutely must keep this fact in mind:

Insulation must be installed evenly.

Lumps in your insulation can devastate any product’s energy efficiency. Here’s an example:

Let’s say that your attic is supposed to have R-30 insulation, but it’s piled up in lumps so that some areas only have the equivalent of R-10 insulation and other areas have the equivalent of R-50. Let’s also assume that the lumps are distributed evenly so you have 50 percent lumps (R-50) and 50 percent troughs (R-10).

Because heat always follows the path of least resistance, you will actually find that more than 50 percent of the air leaving your home goes through the R-10 areas. In fact, if you do the math you’d find that the R-10 areas allow 3 times as much heat to escape as they would if they had R-30. The R-50 areas won’t deliver much more protection than R-30 (because most of the heat is attracted to the much more vulnerable R-10 areas).

End result: Your lumpy insulation will allow 1.8 times as much heat loss as a properly installed, flat layer of insulation would.

Trust Econo West Heating Air & Plumbing for Expert Insulation Installation

At Econo West Heating Air & Plumbing, we employ experienced HVAC technicians who understand that there is a right way and a wrong way to install insulation. We always install the right way, making sure the layer of insulation is applied evenly to provide equal coverage over the entire attic. We also make sure to seal up any gaps around plumbing vent stacks to prevent air leaks. When installing additional insulation over existing insulation, we always make sure to flatten out any lumps in the old insulation to create a proper foundation for the new insulation and make sure you receive the insulating power promised by the new product’s R-value.

Call us at (661) 947-2653 now to have one of our expert techs take a look at your attic insulation.