If you live in an older home, there may be fiberglass batt insulation in the wall cavities. If there have been roof or wall leaks in the past, pests, or other damaging events, the old insulation may not be working very well. It's even possible that your old home doesn't have any wall insulation at all, and that makes your home more expensive to heat and cool.

You can have new wall insulation installed without having to open up your walls. Putting in new insulation adds more resistance to heat transfer, and that keeps the inside of your house more comfortable during all seasons. Here's a look at having insulation added to closed walls.

Choose The Insulation Material

There are a few materials you can use for closed wall insulation. One is a spray foam and the others are cellulose and fiberglass. They have slightly different installation methods, but they are all installed through holes drilled in the walls of your house.

When you choose the insulation, you want to be aware of its R-value which measures how well the insulation slows heat transfer. You can look for a chart online or ask your insulation contractor about the appropriate R-value for your climate. A cold climate needs insulation with a higher R-value than a warmer climate. Each type of wall insulation has a different R-value, so this is something to consider when you're choosing insulation.

Pick The Walls To Be Insulated

You'll probably want all exterior walls to be insulated. In addition, your contractor will probably advise putting wall insulation between your home and garage. It's less common to use wall insulation on interior walls, but you may want to for the best energy efficiency and sound control purposes.

Think About The Installation Method

Holes can be drilled in the interior and exterior of your home for installing wall insulation. Holes can be drilled in almost all types of walls and siding, even brick. Cellulose and fiberglass can be installed by blowing the materials into a wall cavity. Fiberglass packs more closely together than cellulose, so it can fill gaps more easily. When fiberglass insulation is blown in and packed together, it's called a blown-in blanket system.

Spray foam is the best at sealing gaps, although it is usually a more expensive option. This type of insulation is a liquid that's pumped in the wall voids. The liquid turns to foam and then cures and gets hard, but before it hardens, the liquid flows around wiring and cracks to fill the void from bottom to top without gaps and leaks. All types of wall insulation are usually installed by a professional to get the best results.

To learn more information about wall insulation, reach out to a professional near you.

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