Without exceptional attic insulation, you’ll have trouble keeping temperatures consistent in your home (among other problems). Unfortunately, things can get tricky if you want to insulate surfaces that are already home to wiring. In that situation, you should do some research before jumping into the insulation installation process.

As part of your investigation, you’ll need to answer one vital question: “Can attic insulation touch electrical wires”? Keep reading to learn about the relationship between insulation and wiring (and get tips on safely installing insulation).

Why Should Attics Have Insulation?

If your attic doesn’t already have insulation, you might not know whether or not you actually need this substance (especially if you don’t use your attic space very often). Even so, proper insulation can provide benefits for your entire home.

For example, attic insulation can help you use less energy to stay comfortable in hot and cold temperatures alike. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has said homeowners can slash their heating and cooling costs by an average of 15% when they install insulation and air seal their homes.

The perks of having good attic insulation don’t stop there, either. Your insulation can also:

  • Keep your home temperatures steady. When you don’t have high-quality insulation in your attic, you could struggle with unstable temperatures in the rooms on your upper level.
  • Improve indoor air quality. Attic insulation can block pollutants from outside from getting into your home. That can help keep your air quality where it should be.
  • Lower noise pollution. The insulation in your attic can also reduce outside noise in your home.

Attic Insulation and Electrical Wiring: What You Need to Know

Now that you know why attic insulation matters, it’s time to answer another question: “Can attic insulation touch electrical wires?” Generally speaking, it is okay for insulation to lie over electrical wires in your attic. You can also put insulation around junction boxes (if these boxes don’t act as heat sources, anyway).

However, placing insulation on top of attic wiring can sometimes cause severe issues. Aluminum and cloth wires were often used in home construction during the mid-to-late 20th century, but these wiring types are considered fire hazards today. Before you can install insulation in your attic, you’ll need to remove and replace this wiring.

When Can You Install Insulation Around Recessed Lighting?

On another electricity-related note, you should never install insulation around some (but not all) recessed lighting fixtures. Knowing more about your lighting situation will help you figure out what to do next.

Before you go ahead with insulation installation, you’ll need to determine if your recessed lights are Insulated Contact (IC)-rated. Placing insulation on or near non-IC-rated fixtures could easily cause a house fire. Since IC-rated lighting fixtures generate less heat than non-IC-rated fixtures, you can install cellulose and fiberglass insulation in contact with these lights.

If you aren’t sure if your lights are IC-rated, refer to the UL Solutions sticker on these fixtures. Otherwise, a professional insulation installer can handle this task for you.

Choosing the Best Attic Insulation to Install Over Electrical Cables

Even if you know your attic has modern wiring, you should take some wiring-specific factors into account while shopping for insulation. If you plan to install insulation on top of attic wiring, here’s what you need to understand about:

Fiberglass Insulation

Homeowners who want to lay insulation on top of their wiring can’t go wrong with fiberglass. In addition to its other advantages, fiberglass is highly fire-resistant. Because of that, you’ll be able to minimize your likelihood of a home fire while using this type of insulation.

Cellulose Insulation

Since cellulose is made out of recycled paper products, it’s inherently more flammable than other types of insulation. Fortunately, modern cellulose insulation producers have found a way to

improve this product’s fire resistance. These companies treat their cellulose insulation with fire-retardant chemicals.

Spray Foam Insulation

Spray foam is formed by a chemical reaction, and that reaction generates heat. With that in mind, you may be hesitant to use this insulation type on top of wiring – but you shouldn’t have to worry.

In most cases, installing spray foam insulation above existing wiring shouldn’t be an issue. Since these wires are usually coated, they should have no trouble dealing with the heat created by spray foam installation. (That said, you shouldn’t spray this insulation directly onto low-voltage wires – these wires are especially sensitive to heat.)

Should You Let the Professionals Work on Attic Insulation?

Even if you don’t have to deal with attic wiring while installing attic insulation, this process can be more complicated than you’d expect. While doing DIY insulation installation, you’ll need to buy safety equipment, read up on the best insulation type for your attic, and spend more time than you’d think installing this material.

Installing insulation on top of wiring introduces another set of challenges. Before you can start this job, you’ll have to:

  • Consider the type of wiring your home has
  • Seal your wiring with a spray foam or caulk
  • Make sure you aren’t inadvertently creating a fire hazard

When you consider the potential consequences of making a mistake, it’s not hard to see why the average homeowner shouldn’t attempt this work on their own. To get the best results, you’ll want to hire experts to install insulation on top of your wiring.

Since these workers are highly knowledgeable about insulation installation procedures, you won’t have to fret about them putting insulation somewhere it shouldn’t go. Instead, you’ll get unbeatable insulation for your needs, installed as quickly as possible without any labor on your part.

Hire the Best Local Insulation Installers

So, can attic insulation touch electrical wires? The answer is essentially a “yes,” but not without caveats. Even if you think you know what you’re doing, you’ll still need to exercise caution while installing insulation above wiring. And like you might expect, the expertise specialized insulation installers bring to the table goes a long way in this situation.

If you want the region’s best attic specialists to tackle your insulation project, look no further than Attic Projects! Our crew can install best-in-class insulation at an aggressive price, and you’ll get a ten-year warranty on their work. If you don’t want to wait any longer for insulation-related services, contact us today!