When a home undergoes inspection, the inspector checks to ensure the roof, floors, walls, windows, and doors are properly insulated. This is reasonable, as the sole purpose of insulation is to keep your home warm during winter, right? Not precisely. The idea of insulation is based on several factors, of which just one of them is keeping the temperature comfortable. Determining why your home needs to be insulated requires a better understanding of what duties insulation does.

What Other Jobs Does Insulation Fulfill?

As mentioned, most people know insulation keeps warmth in your home, but it performs other duties outside of that, which is why it’s one of the key elements of a home inspection. Some of the additional benefits of insulation include:

• Energy Efficiency: On top of maintaining temperature, insulation will save you on energy costs by further insulating hot water pipes, preventing the need for apowerful system to compensate for your energy needs.
• Moisture Protection: Spray foam – a type of insulation – can be used to protect against mold, mildew, and wood rot, as it’s airtight design protects against moisture.
• Noise Cancellation: Insulation can serve as a barrier against airborne sounds and prevent sound transfer, thus reducing noise pollution.

Insulation also has some lesser-known benefits, such as blocking damaging ice dams, which is why a roof inspection is so important.

What Does a Home Inspector Look for with Insulation?

Insulation is inspected to ensure it’s sufficient and fulfills its duty of preventing condensation and preserving energy conservation. Particularly, an experienced home inspector will make sure none of the following defects are found:

• Insulation Scarcity: Although a common problem and easy to correct, if it goes unnoticed by the homeowner, too little insulation could impact energy efficiency and cause moisture buildup.
• Reversed Vapor Barrier: Fiberglass batts or blankets – the most common type of insulation – have vapor barriers that, if put in the wrong way, won’t serve well to prevent condensation.
• Dirty, Sagging, or Compressed Insulation: Over time, dust, debris, or pest droppings can weigh down the insulation material. This prevents the insulation from performing properly.

To find out how insulation problems attribute to other issues around the house, read our blog, 4 Common Problems Found During Home Inspections.

During a home inspection, you should be wondering what could be dampening the effects of insulation rather than why my home needs insulation. The Homeinex Corporation has the experience to know precisely where insulation should be installed, at what level it should be performing, and what condition it should be in. Whether you’re buying or selling a house, know that our home inspectors have the necessary expertise to find complex problems. Check out what other elements our comprehensive home inspection covers, and contact us today for an appointment.