Is Home Insulation Required Under Florida Building Code?
Many states have all kinds of rules and regulations in place to maintain certain qualities of your home, and Florida is no exception. For example, every property must adhere to the building code regarding home insulation. While many contractors will comply with the code during the construction of each new structure, it’s still possible that your home may not be meeting these requirements. Whether it be due to negligence by the contractor or the degradation of poor insulation over time, it’s in your best interest to inspect the condition of your current insulation with the help of the insulation experts at Foam Bear Tampa.
R-Value Requirements in Florida
If you’ve read up on insulation even a little bit, you may have heard of the term “R-value”. This refers to the level of effectiveness of your insulation and how well it works in regulating your indoor temperature. A high number in your R-value means that less heat will pass through while a lower number means that your insulation is not very effective at containing heat. The R-value is typically measured by your home’s temperature differential which any skilled contractor is able to calculate for you.
Walls and floors are expected to have an R-value of 13 or higher while ceilings need to have at least 30. For reference, the average high for walls is 21 and the high for ceilings is 60. In comparison, the Florida building code doesn’t seem like it’s asking for much. However, you’ll be surprised to learn that many homes don’t even meet these numbers, especially when equipped with traditional fiberglass insulation.
Air Changes Per Hour (ACH) Requirements in Florida
Many people talk about the R-value when it comes to insulation, but there’s another unit of measurement that helps determine the quality of your insulation and is also regulated by building code laws. We’re talking about air changes per hour, also referred to as ACH. This is a calculation of how many times the air in your home leaks to the outside each hour. ACH is used to determine the air tightness of your insulation.
The Florida building code requires that your home must not exceed 7 ACH, although this is pretty generous. For proper insulation, an ACH of 3 or less is much more comfortable and will save you money on your energy bill. This is easy to do with quality spray foam insulation.
Meeting Florida Requirements with Spray Foam Insulation
Oftentimes, traditional fiberglass insulation will just barely allow your home to comply with Florida’s regulations, if at all. Some homeowners frequently worry about their old insulation becoming deteriorated enough to the point of no longer being legal, but spray foam insulation will ensure that you pass your inspections with flying colors every time. This is because, unlike fiberglass sheets which are difficult to align for a tight and proper seal, spray foam is designed to fill in all open space for a truly airtight application.
The Best Spray Foam Insulation Company In Tampa
If you want to keep in line with the Florida building code every time without worry for the years to come, allow Foam Bear Tampa to come down and equip your home with the best quality spray foam insulation that Florida has to offer. Give us a call at (727) 580-1090 for a free estimate!