Attic Insulation Erie PA
Attic insulation in Erie PA is a critical factor in keeping your home at the most comfortable and energy-efficient temperature, without wasting energy. Appropriate attic insulation for your needs will ensure your heat doesn’t rise right through your roof, the summer sun doesn’t overheat your home, and you don’t get a buildup of ice dams in the winter causing leaks and roof damage.
Without proper insulation, your home or business becomes uncomfortable and drafty. It’s especially important to maintain your attic insulation to protect your roof if you live in a climate that experiences snowfall. Ice dams can cause severe damage to your roof, causing leaks and collapse under heavy snow. They can also cause a dangerous buildup of large icicles falling from the eves of your roof.
Loose-Fill Insulation
This type of insulation comes in a variety of materials. It is critical for optimum performance from loose-fill insulation that air sealing of the pressure boundary be done before adding more insulation. Blown-in materials like these are air permeable, meaning air can flow through them, which will lose tremendous amounts of heat and energy if not sealed properly. Finding the places where air leaks occur is something our trained install crews know how to find and seal up. Places like:
- Gaps around chimneys and interior wall plates
- Changes in ceiling heights such as soffit boxes or tray ceilings
- Recessed lights and junction boxes through the ceiling plane
- Bath and kitchen fans and their connected ductwork
- Chase ways where ducts or other pipes and wires pass through the ceiling
- Access panels and drop down stairs in the ceiling
Loose-fill insulation is a good choice for non-standard joist spacing, low-clearance spaces, and for spaces with lots of obstructions, such as trusses and framing lumber. The loose fill is treated with fire retardant and insect-resistant chemical processes.
- Cellulose – This is made from post-consumer paper products. This is our preferred loose-fill material. It’s very economical and does a great job keeping the heat where you want it.
- Mineral Wool – Fibers made from recycled slag and rock, obtained from blast furnaces. More commonly used 40 – 50 years ago.
- Fiberglass – Created from glass fibers. Preferred by some due to its inorganic makeup.
Batts of Insulation
This type of insulation is the simplest to install for a DIY project if you’ve got evenly spaced joists. Your insulation professional can get batts in rolls or pieces that are a standard building width and thickness. These also come in a variety of materials. They can be found with or without a foil or paper vapor barrier and are treated to be fire- and insect-resistant. Professional installation is best to fit batts well in irregular sized cavities and split around wires and pipes.
- Fiberglass – Created from glass fibers, this material form can irritate your lungs and skin, so PPE must be worn.
- Cellulose – Made from post-consumer paper products, these are safer for your lungs and skin than fiberglass.
- Mineral Wool – Mineral wool is created from rock and slag from blast furnaces. Fire resistance is a natural property of this batting material.
We primarily use fiberglass batts for stuffing off cavities and holes as prep for installing spray foam. It also works well to create a wind dam and hold a vent chute in place at the eave of an attic when access is too tight to use a cardboard baffle vent. There are better choices to get more value for your budget than fiberglass in our opinion.
