How to Detect a Leak in Your Insulation

The phrase “out of sight, out of mind” can easily apply to so many aspects of owning a home. Among them all, your home’s insulation tops the list—it’s very literally “out of sight,” which can make it an easy part of home maintenance to overlook. Flaws in your insulation—even something as small as an air leak in your home in Sacramento, CA—could cause serious issues for your home.

For those who may not be aware, insulation is an umbrella term used to describe any material injected into or installed in the cracks, crevices and other spaces of your home. Insulation itself can be fiberglass, spray foam, rigid foam, Rockwool or any of a variety of innovative insulation suggestions.

What’s the point of insulation?

Insulation in your house serves a critical role, whether you’re paying attention to it or not. Without insulation, heat would be able to move from inside your house to the outside (and vice versa) with relative freedom. Insulation, meanwhile, keeps hot air in your home and cold air out in the winter. During the summer, meanwhile, it keeps cool air indoors while holding the blistering heat of summer at bay.

When you have air leaking out of your home in Sacramento, CA, your insulation is unable to function as it should. The practical result is that you pay more money to keep your home at comfortable temperatures. In addition, the extra work needed to accomplish those heating and cooling goals puts more stress on the environment. In short, faulty insulation in your home can be expensive and wasteful.

But, how do you figure out if your home has an insulation leak or not? Here are some helpful tips to find out.

Check your material joints, inside and out

Take a slow walk around the outside of your home, looking for spots where different building materials meet. For example, if you have an outdoor faucet or electrical socket, scan the borders around it to see if there are cracks or small seams. It’s a good idea to perform the same examination on the inside of your house, as well.

Test the windows

Examine each window in your house, paying close attention to the borders where the window meets the frame of your home, checking for cracks or spaces in the trim or caulk.

Try the flashlight test

One significant place where flaws in your insulation can cause issues is in the doorway. When the front or back door is closed, your door and the frame around it should form a nearly airtight seal. At the very least, it should be light-proof.

You can test this theory by standing outside your home after dark and asking another person to stand just inside the door, holding a flashlight. They should shine the beam around the seam of your door frame. If any light shines through, it’s time to call a pro.

Your insulation expert

Even a tiny air leak in your home in Sacramento, CA could be costing you a bundle every year. When the time comes to ensure that your home is thermally secure and environmentally friendly, make the call to 5 Star Performance Insulation, Inc. Our team of knowledgeable professionals is ready and waiting to ensure your home is operating at peak efficiency. Give us a call today to schedule an appointment.

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