Old Yucky Insulation Needs to be Replaced
Old attic insulation can cause many problems. If it gets wet, it can cause toxic moldy air that can travel throughout your home and make you or your loved ones sick. The old insulation can make a cozy little apartment for local rodents, leaving you with the gross mess they leave behind. And, finally, it can cause draftiness and high energy bills throughout your home. If you find that your A/C or heat is running all the time, this could be the culprit. For this homeowner in Herndon, VA, it was definitely time to remove and replace the attic insulation.
Removing Old Insulation
A Comfenergy worker is removing the old insulation by using an insulation removing vacuum. This is not a pleasant job.
Clean Attic - Ready for Air Sealing
Once all of the old insulation is removed and disposed of, it is much easier to see and have access to all of the cracks and penetrations to air seal.
Air Sealing the Attic
A Comfenergy production team member is air sealing the attic using polyurethane foam. Insulation alone does NOT stop air leaks! This is a very important step to making your home more comfortable and energy efficient.
Fixing Leaky Can Lights
We need to stop all of the air leakage to make a home more comfortable and energy efficient. Can lights are holes in the ceiling. Air leaks between the fixture and the drywall and through the fixture itself. Comfenergy installed TiteShell can light covers over the can lights and sealed them them with expanding foam. TiteShell covers are safe from the fire hazards of hot bulbs and fixtures.
Tight 'n' True Foam Duct Encapsulation
Ducts are the last thing you want to find in a vented attic as attics are the extreme opposite temperature of the air your ducts are trying to distribute to your rooms. For instance, in the summer, your ducts are carrying cold air to cool your home. When the conditioned air has to travel through the attic to get to the room, it has to pass through extreme heat, which warms up that air you paid to cool. Ducts have lots of joins, gaps, and holes. To fix this issue, Comfenergy seals and insulates the ducts with 1 inch of closed cell foam insulation. Now the air conditioner cools the air, it is delivered to your rooms without loss along the way.
Insulating a Garage Ceiling
This homeowner in Herndon, VA also had rooms above the garage that were always a different temperature than the rest of the house. This is due to the garage ceiling originally being insulated with fiberglass. Unfortunately, fiberglass batts leave lots of space for air to circulate around them, eliminating their R value. Comfenergy removed a section of drywall and dense-packed the garage ceiling with TruSoft cellulose insulation. The drywall is then replaced and painted.
TruSoft Insulation is Added to the Attic
The final step in making this project complete is adding new insulation in the attic. Our premium TruSoft cellulose insulation is blown in to the optimum R-value. TruSoft will not burn, get moldy, or attract pests. Blown insulation fills all gaps and odd shaped voids, and by filling over framing members, "thermal bridging" is avoided.
