Flower Planting 101: Simplifying Your Planting Maps
Three Steps To Create An Insulated Attic
Juanita Douglas
Attics must be insulated to ensure that your home does not suffer from energy loss. If your attic is not insulated, the warm air in the winter and the cold air in the summer coming from your HVAC system will just escape from the attic and bring in all the air that you don't want. This means working your HVAC system harder than you should. Here are three steps to ensure that your attic is insulated properly:
- Seal Air Leaks: First off, you want to be sure that all air leaks are completely sealed. It's recommended to have a professional do this because they will ensure that all the leaks are found and sealed properly. In the meantime, you can use caulking and weatherstripping to help seal up leaks that you have found. Leaks are easy to find because you will feel the air coming from the outside easily when you have your HVAC system turned on.
- Choose Insulation: If your attic isn't already insulated or you need to replace it, you want to choose the right kind of insulation. You don't have to choose the same kind that you already have. Loose fill is one type you can choose, just keep in mind that having professionals install it is best because it requires special machines that only professionals will have access to. You can also choose batt insulation, which is easier to install on your own. However, you will need more of it to layer on top of one another to ensure that it is properly insulating your home.
- Create Barriers: Finally, you want to create barriers for the insulation if you are installing it near any recessed lighting or vents. These barriers are going to reflect the radiant heat rather than absorb it, which is important to ensure that the insulation continues to work properly.
When following these three steps to create an insulated attic, you may come to find that your attic has insulation already. It's important to determine whether or not it's insulation that may contain asbestos, which is commonly found when repairing the insulation in the attic of older homes. This is because Zonolite insulation was often used, which may contain asbestos. You will notice this if you find that the old insulation is hard and made of lightweight, shiny pellets. Call for inspection right away if this is the case.
Once you are ready to continue with new insulation, be sure that you hire professionals, such as from Bay City Insulation, for properly insulation. If you do prefer to do it on your own, at least call professionals for inspection to be sure that it's been done right.
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One of the things that I always loved about spring as a kid was watching all of the flowers my mother planted suddenly come up from the ground and then bloom into vibrant, beautiful colors. When I bought my own house, one of the first things I wanted to do was plant flowers. What I didn't realize was how hard it could be to figure out what to plant where. From the sun demand to the companion planting guides, it was complicated. I created this site to help others just like me create the flower gardens they always wanted without the struggles that I faced.