Insulating Your Attic: Have What You Need To Go Up There?

Increasing the amount of existing insulation in your attic, or adding insulation where none exists, will keep your home cooler in the summer, warmer in the winter, and decrease your overall energy expenditures throughout every season. In many cases, it’s better to contract with a professional to insulate your attic. If you decide to do it yourself, keep in mind that insulating your attic requires some specialized safety precautions and effective personal protection gear.

• Wear a respirator or protective mask: Dust and small pieces of fiberglass can easily break away as you are handling insulation, and if these fragments end up in your lungs, they could cause breathing problems or other respiratory trouble. If you have a commercial-strength respirator, by all means use it. In most cases, however, a smaller filter-style respirator or even a paper mask can be sufficient protection.
• Wear goggles or safety glasses: It’s also necessary to protect your eyes during an insulation project, so wear goggles or safety glasses to keep insulation fragments, dust and other material out of your eyes.
• Protect your skin: Wear long-sleeved shirts, gloves and other clothing that will protect your skin from exposure to insulation, which can cause itching and irritation. Put on work boots with good tread and wear a cap to keep insulation out of your hair. If possible, wear clothing that you can dispose of when you’re done with the project.
• Protect your knees: If you’ll be kneeling, wear kneepads to prevent bruising or injury. Put down a piece or two of plywood to create a flat working space over any exposed beams or joists in the attic floor.
• Time the job right: Avoid working in the attic when it’s hot outside; the attic space can get dangerously hot and possibly harmful to anyone working there, especially for someone not accustomed to being in high heat.

CCAC, Inc. provides blown-in attic insulation and quality HVAC sales and service to customers throughout Corpus Christi and the Coastal Bend. Contact us today for more information on insulating your attic and for suggestions on the safety equipment and material you need to do the job right.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Corpus Christi, Texas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about insulating your attic and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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