Can You Have Too Much Attic Insulation?

Insulating your home is a sure way to ensure that you save energy and reduce costs. Without proper insulation, your home is likely to be too cold during the winter and too hot during the summer. To a certain level, insulation can also serve as a buffer from noises from outside and inside. In construction and attic insulation circles, people often ask “Is too much insulation a problem?” There are two ways in which this issue can be looked at.

A lot of homeowners nowadays are aware of the benefits of insulation in their homes. Your insulation will significantly help your lower your heating and cooling costs by keeping the heat in and the locking the cold. Preventing your home’s heat from escaping means that you do not have to use as much energy to keep it warm enough.

There are also a lot of environmental benefits of having your home and other properties insulated; collectively it helps in the reduction of the demand on the overall nation demand. But, can you have too much insulation installed in your attic?

Ideally, insulation is no doubt a noble thing. However, there is a notion that too much of something is dangerous and could potentially lead to negatives, right?

Is there such a thing as too much insulation?

When it comes to insulating your homes attic, there are usually no safety concerns regarding having too much. Insulation, generally helps you prevent heat from escaping, and since preventing heat loss is the main goal here, then, clearly, it is a good thing.

The worst thing that could probably happen when you have too much insulation is that your home may become too warm. In more serious cases your house will not be able to breathe. However, you can easily fix too much warmth by opening a window or more practically turning down the heat in your house. A lot of people will agree that turning down your heater is essentially saving on your heating costs.

However, you need to keep it in mind that a roof that is not able to breathe is more of an issue. In case moisture is unable to leave properly, it is likely to settle on the feature and fixtures that are inside. When it condenses, it forms a good breeding ground for mildew and mould which is dangerous.

You need to remember that attic insulation works both ways, it will not only help to keep your home warm, it will also help in keeping the heat out when needed. Therefore, during summer, it only helps your installed cooling systems work more efficiently.

It will also ensure that your bills are at an all-time low during summer as well as through winter. But again, moisture needs to escape, and when you have too much insulation installed, it may prevent this process from happening.

How much insulation is too much insulation?

Before you are able to determine the right level of insulation for your home, you will need to examine a variety of factors. However, you need to note that only professionally trained insulation experts can come to the following conclusions.

1. Too tight. A common misconception that people have is that a building can be too tight. Meaning that the home is sealed too tightly that if moisture made its way to the surface of the structure, it will not be able to evaporate. You’ve often heard that “a home needs to be able to breathe.”This reference is normally made on a structure that that is too tightly sealed, moisture is unable to escape. Many homeowners often fear that if moisture doesn’t escape, it will get into contact with the insulation damaging it permanently. This is often a concern with older homes that might have cracks on their foundation.
2. You might have also heard that a building can never be too tightly sealed or even insulated. By this train of thought, over insulation is just a myth. In case you are worried that your home might have excessive moisture, the solution is proper ventilation. By opening windows and vents, you will be in a better position to dry any moisture that forms within your home. In case you are not able to accomplish this, then you might have clogged ductwork. You will also need to do some cleaning on your HVAC system.

All in all, there is some validity to both arguments. When a building is constructed, there is a need for tiny holes to be installed to ensure you have air passage and circulation. However, if your structure is too tightly sealed, then you need manual ventilation to inhibit the moisture formed. These are all reasons why you should never attempt to carry out an insulation project on your own. Also, you should make sure the person insulating your home is an experienced professional. Only a qualified, professional insulator will be able to know exactly what kind of services (attic insulation or insulation removal) are the most appropriate for your home. They will be able to determine your climate, thermal performance, and the size of your home and therefore, the appropriate insulation material needed for the project.

What are the remedies?

Too much insulation is not a problem. However, there can be a downside if your insulation material is blocking your vents. It is therefore important to allow the entry of fresh air into your attic to prevent the build-up of humidity. Your attic vents allow warm air to expelled more naturally, replacing it with cooler air from outside. It’s important to take due care and ensure that your home’s vents have free air circulation. If not, it could lead to condensation, moisture-related problems wood rot, and mildew.

One of the reasons that you have too much insulation is probably to save you from spending too much. Added insulation into your attic will be decreasingly cost effective the more insulation you add, and it will get to a point where it will make no difference.

This will simply be a waste of your money and could invite needless inconvenience. Considering the reason for adding insulation into your home is to save money, spending more on insulation defeats the purpose. However, if your attic has outdated insulation, adding modern insulation could help a lot in easing your heating bills. Also having one type of material for insulation is a legitimate move since it makes things more convenient when it comes to making repairs and maintenance in the future.

Getting your home insulated is important, but, to avoid being unsure and potentially damaging your insulation structure, get help from our local insulation company. Call us now: 647-931-6385. 

Article Updated: October 16th, 2018