Insulation is vital to keeping your home warm this winter, preventing your valuable (and expensive!) heat from escaping. Typically heat rises, and on average, you could save £250 a year by insulating an uninsulated loft with 270mm of loft insulation for a semi-detached house (Energy Saving Trust, 2023). However, you must keep your loft insulation well-protected for it to work as intended; otherwise, it can become damp and not effectively retain warmth. Find out what can cause damp loft insulation and how to prevent damp loft insulation today to ensure a warm and cosy winter.
What causes damp loft insulation
The biggest reason damp loft insulation occurs is due to condensation forming when warm, humid air meets cooler air creating moisture. This usually is represented by tiny beads of water on the underside of the loft roof. This type of condensation can be dangerous as, more often than not, it leads to damp buildup but also can cause the wood to rot.
Loft insulation gets compressed by the weight of standard loft floor boarding, squashing it flat, and when coupled with your belongings stored on top of these boards, that compression gets even worse. Compressed insulation cannot trap air properly, meaning condensation is more likely to form as the heat transfer from hot to cold happens.
Keeping your insulation from becoming damp
A loft boarding kit, such as LoftZone’s StoreFloor, can protect your insulation from being compressed by creating a raised structure for the floorboards to be laid on top. Removing any risk or problems with dampness or condensation and allowing air to flow throughout.
On top of a raised loft boarding kit, you can also prevent damp loft insulation from forming in by ensuring the loft is adequately ventilated. Popular loft ventilation solutions are to have soffit vents letting cool, fresh air into the roof while separate ridge vents cycle out the warm stale air. The other obvious choice for loft ventilation is a loft window, but as these can be pricey, an alternative budget method could be to invest in a dehumidifier.
Issues with insulation being damp
If you are experiencing damp loft insulation , thermal performance will be reduced resulting in wasted energy, increased heating bills, and heat loss. But beyond that, it can also lead to more detrimental issues for the structural integrity of your loft. The potential for your loft joists and timber supports to rot and become damaged may leave you facing some hefty repair costs. As well as rotting wood, damp conditions tend to result in mould buildup, and if the condensation buildup is extreme enough, it can even affect the rooms below.
If you find that your current loft insulation is already damp, you must address this before putting a loft boarding kit over the top of it. In this case, we sell the UK’s market-leading brand of loft insulation rolls, which you can either fit yourself or find a local and approved insulation installer to have it professionally installed. The UK Government now recommends a minimum of 270mm, so our options have you covered to meet the building regulation standards easily.
There are many benefits to insulating your loft, from reducing your heating bills, doing your bit for the environment, enjoying a warmer, more comfortable home and even increasing the value of your property. But if you want to ensure a well-insulated loft, you must prevent damp loft insulation with our handy tips above. Get in touch if you require assistance choosing suitable loft boarding and insulation solutions for your needs, and our team will happily discuss your options.