House wrap insulation needs to be done properly

Jul 17
06:53

2008

Carl Formby

Carl Formby

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Everything you need to know about house insulation. Find information about wool insulation, fiberglass insulation, polystyrene insulation, fasteners and more

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The concept of housewrap is not new. It exists in form of protective layer for your house in some form or the other from long time. Housewrap insulation is somewhat self explanatory. Wrapping your house in some protective layer so as to provide insulation to your house is termed as Housewrap Insulation. The housewrap is in form of very thin membrane made out of different materials such as plastics,House wrap insulation needs to be done properly Articles fibers, tapes and film sheets. They can also be in form of combination of two or more of these materials.

One can use fiberglass insulation, foil faced insulation, expanding foam insulation, vinyl faced insulation, aerogel house insulation etc. for providing excellent insulation to their houses. Building papers of different types are also used as a housewrap but they are not as effective as other insulators. Housewraps are strong and hey do not absorb moisture or allow moisture to pass through, thus providing a great insulation from water to your house.

A housewrap installed in the right manner prevents any moisture or air to pas through the wall cavity thus enabling proper insulation for your house. It also enhances the thermal efficiency of your house as it does not allow air leakage through wall cavity and thus reduces the cooling and heating time for our house and as a result also saves power energy. They also do not allow penetration of bulk water and aids in keeping the wall cavities dry. Even if water seeps through the external wall the housewrap deflects it and makes it channel down of the exterior wall only thus helping in durability of the building walls and prevent them from degrading. As the moisture and water is not allowed to be trapped inside them also helps in prevention of any bacteria or mold formation on either side of the walls.

The most important thing is its proper and correct installation. For achieving this, one must follow he guidelines laid down by the manufacturer strictly. All the exterior and interior corners of the building must be properly wrapped. Once the housewrap seams are laid down they must be properly taped so that they provide total protection against moisture and air intrusion. When one is installing it not only as an insulator but also to act as an air barrier one must follow all the rules of installation for the same such as sealing all penetrations, taping the seams and using widow flashing materials. An incomplete installation or leaving the gable ends of the building unwrapped is bound to create problems. It is often seen that failure to follow the manufacturer's guidelines in installation often leads to compromised performance of the insulating capabilities of the housewrap.