How to measure your insulation

To inspect your insulation, you should have adequate lighting, a tape measure, pencil and paper, and a screwdriver. Start by walking around your home and looking for areas that might have different insulation details. Your home will have at least insulation in the walls, ceilings, some floors, and your attic. Write a list of these areas and record your findings.

Inspect your open attic

If your house has a pitched roof and an open attic, you’ll need to enter through the hatch which could be outdoors, in a hallway, or in a closet. Once you enter your attic, be sure to walk on any cross-laid joists or boards for secure footing.

Inspect the insulation and identify the type of insulation. Fiberglass batts are yellow or pink in color and come in rolls. Loose-fill fiberglass is yellow, pink, or white and looks like cut batts. The cellulose resembles shredded newspaper and is dark gray in color.

If it’s batt, it’s easy to tell the R-value of the insulation as it’s printed on the outer plastic or paper. If you are evaluating loose-fill insulation, measure the thickness to the top of the roof surface. If it varies in depth, take an average of the thicknesses, calculate and record the R-value according to an insulation table.

Closed Cavity Inspection

The most common type of closed cavity is within its walls. In a framed home, the walls are 2″X4 framed with the insulation between the studs. If you have vaulted ceilings, your insulation will be over the ceiling cavity instead of the attic. Closed cavities can also be installed over garages or over the basement.These floor vaults vary in thickness, but should have 6 to 12 inches of insulation.

Re-insulating a closed cavity in your home can solve a home’s comfort level if it was previously poorly insulated. The trick to inspecting vaults is to find access to look inside. To complete the inspection, you will need a flashlight, screwdriver, tape measure, and pen and paper. You may also need a drill in some cases.

To inspect the wall insulation, look for an opening around the plumbing or electrical. A good place to look is under the kitchen sink or around a window if it’s an exterior wall. If you have a drywall, you can always cut a piece out and replace it later. Once you have your access hole, look into the cavity with your flashlight and see what kind of insulation your wall has. tray and determine the thickness with your tools. If you can, find out how high the insulation goes in your wall. Compare different areas of your home with the type of insulation used and its thickness.

If your cavities are full of insulation, you’ll need to direct your insulation improvement efforts elsewhere. If you have the funds and want to improve insulation in areas that are crowded, this will still help improve the energy efficiency of your home.

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