Water disasters can strike your home in several ways and cause headaches to home and property owners. The insulation of your home is often one of the first aspects of the home to become damaged. Insulation is highly vulnerable to moisture and in regions with heavy annual rainfall, wet insulation is a considerable problem.
In the following article, we will take a closer look at what happens to wet insulation and what an economically-minded property owner can do about this problem.
What Happens if Insulation Gets Wet Due To Water Damage?
Loss of Insulating Capacity
Insulation relies on its specific structural design to slow the transfer of heat. Unfortunately, these fluffy characteristics make cellulose loose-fill —made of pulverized cloth and paper— or fiberglass insulation especially absorbent. When this insulation becomes waterlogged, the individual fibers will clump together and lose their fluffy factor and the capacity to interfere with heat transfer — essentially, wet fiberglass loses its insulating capacity.
Damp or soaked insulation can lose as much as 40% of its insulating “R-Value.” This loss will be immediately reflected in energy bills as the HVAC system struggles to maintain a comfortable interior temperature.
Mold Growth Is Another Concern
Another major problem for homeowners is mold growth. Mold spores exist ubiquitously in the environment and only need a few drops of water to begin growing into a considerable problem. Fiberglass insulation can act as a filter and trap a good quantity of dust and mold spores. IF moisture is added to the mixture, a mold colony is sure to spring up.
Even though cellulose insulation is treated with special fire-retardant chemicals that make it resistant to mold, it still carries mold spores. When cellulose insulation becomes wet, it transfers this moisture — along with mold spores— to the surrounding ceilings, walls, and other structures. This allows mold colonies to establish themselves well.
What to Do About Insulation That Gets Wet Due to Flooding
Now you may be surveying the damage of a violent storm and wondering what to do about wet insulation. Even though wet insulation can lose its insulating capacity, this can be restored after it has been successfully dried out. But this all depends on how wet it has gotten and how much of its fluffy structural integrity it has lost.
Soaked insulation will clump together and compress and lose its insulating “R-Value.” If you see that the insulation in your home has become fully compressed, it is a safe bet that the insulation will have to be replaced.
Can Insulation Be Dried Out During the Water Damage Mitigation Process?
If you manage to catch the water damage in time, there is a good chance that it can be dried out and restored to full functionality. Wet insulation in your walls or attic can be dried with a dehumidifier. Wet batts can also be removed from their location and placed in a warm dry place to dry out thoroughly.
After drying out the insulation, it will be important to monitor its performance over the next few weeks. Keep an eye out for mold growth and odd musty smells coming from the dried insulation. If mold appears or any odd smells are detected, this insulation will need to be replaced as soon as possible.
Call us for Emergency Water Damage Mitigation and Restoration
We hope this information has been helpful. Call the experts at Dryfix Restoration if you have any other questions about your property’s insulation. Or, if you’ve had water damage call us for our immediate response team to come out to your premises and begin mitigating the damages by drying out any wet structures and restoring your property back to its original condition.