Backing Up the Attic Insulation

The attic will always be one of the spookiest places in your home. Admit it – it’s cold, dark, and no one will go up there unless you have something to store. However, the attic is also one of the prime places to watch for when it comes to keeping the heat warm in your home. A weakened insulation is one way to seek your energy bills climb up because the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system has to perform at higher capacity for the same amount of heat.

Installing further insulation requires determining the right R-values for your locality. In the case of Houston, a check of the Energy Department’s national chart shows the city, as well as most of southern Texas, at Zone IV. The category requires the attic to have a thermal protection value at R-49.

Your insulation specialist can determine if the existing insulation is enough for the value and may recommend installing extra. However, placement is key to getting the insulation down pat. Some experts state that if the attic is not used for storage, set up the insulation right on the floor; if the space has trusses linking down to the attic floor the gaps should be sealed with batts or spray-on insulation. However, plan on installing rafter vents to reduce moisture.

Taking the musty smell of the basement

The basement is always one of those places at home where stuff you don’t need at the moment gets stashed away. In some cases, part of the room may have other purposes that you see fit. However, the fact that the basement is a confined space makes it a place for concentrated humidity, regardless of the temperature levels outside. The humidity will make it become susceptible to mold or mildew buildup. The remedy is a basement humidifier system.

Dehumidifiers are appliances designed to gather excess moisture from the air and reduce the humidity to acceptable levels. They are usually categorized into portable and whole-house models. Basement humidifiers fall into the portable variety, which condenses the water into a removable bucket for later disposal. A dehumidifier will usually have a float switch that cuts off the moisture flow from the bucket to prevent overflow.

When hiring a contractor to install a dehumidifier, have them analyze the basement for overall humidity and the placement of the machine to gather as much excess moisture as possible. If you do not have the time to take buckets of condensed water out of the house for disposal, your contractor may recommend installing a dehumidifier linked to an outside connection to help channel the water away from the house.