Check Your Attic Morrison Insulation

SOME THINGS TO LOOK FOR WHEN INSPECTING YOUR OWN ATTIC INSULATION

Since there is little or no inspection by local building officials in our area, it is a good idea for everyone to check the insulation in their attic. We have seen many homes that have less than half of the insulation that was suppose to be installed. We have even seen newer homes that are 3 or 4 years old that were never insulated. This probably cost the home owner a few thousand extra dollars in needlessly high utility bills. Compare your utility bills with friends or neighbors living in comparable homes . It may be a good idea to compare with homes outside of your subdivision (different contractor). Is your utility bill abnormally high?.... Also do you have a room that seems colder in the winter and hotter in the summer than the main part of the house?

Check the depth and type of the insulation:...( Keep in mind some insulation may have been "fluffed" and may not be settled, it may take 1-2 years for fiberglass to settle! Also check the areas that are hard to see from the attic access.)

An R-38 is considered a standard and if you have less than an R-30 it would probably be a good idea to add insulation. You can check it by determining the type (color) and depth (for R-38 noted in inches settled) of the insulation installed. Fiberglass can be YELLOW, PINK or WHITE, depth 14 - 18 inches... Cellulose is GRAY and if you look closely you can see the print on the paper, 10 inches settled. Older (and some newer) homes may contain Rockwool. It may have a very dark, almost black, color but looks somewhat like fiberglass in consistency (makes you itch just looking at it) , depth 11-12 inches. Really old homes may have Vermiculite, granules that are a shiny metallic STRAW color. If you have this I doubt if you have more than an R-11 and would benefit by adding more insulation.

We recommend adding insulation if you have less than R-30.

If Fiberglass is less than 12-13 inches.

If Cellulose is less than 7-8 inches.

If you have any questions, need someone to inspect your attic at no charge or a free estimate.. Call Larry (435)680-7252

Compare your frost with other houses in your neighborhood....

In St. George we do not see a lot of days with frosty roofs, but it can help indicate if you are losing heat out of your ceiling or attic. These buildings (yes they are in St. George) above can tell a story. The building in the foreground seems to hold the frost, indicating the insulation is keeping the heat in the home (but notice the melted spots where the heat registers are located.) The building in the middle probably has a major problem! No frost! (notice the frost at the eves that is not being warmed by the escaping heat from the home) From experience I would bet it has less than half the R-Value that was specified when it was built. The building in the background has some frost and probably has an insulation job that is better than the one in the middle but still has problems. This Works Best On Homes With Asphalt Type Shingles.