I have a sunroom that was added to my house and it has a separate entrance. Because we keep the doors closed, it really warms up in summer and gets quite chilly in winter. I'm considering whether I should just keep the door open to see if it maintains a comfortable temperature, as I suspect it might be a four-season room with decent insulation. The room has stunning wooden walls and a cathedral ceiling, and I'd prefer not to drill holes to check for insulation. Is there any way to determine how well insulated this space is without making any permanent alterations?
3 Answers
Definitely get a thermal camera! It helps to visualize temperature differences in your home and assess where you might be losing heat. Even if you don't know the exact amount of insulation, seeing how much heat is escaping can guide you on whether you should keep it closed or open.
Right? It's more about how much heat you lose rather than the specific insulation levels.
Check if there are electrical outlets in the room. If there are, it likely has at least some insulation. You can get an endoscope to peek through the outlet box without drilling into your walls. They're pretty affordable on Amazon.
Using a thermal camera is a solid way to check the insulation! You can compare the temperature of your sunroom walls to other parts of your house. Just keep in mind, with all those windows, they might not be as efficient as insulated walls. If your sunroom isn't tied directly to your HVAC system, it might benefit from a separate heating/cooling unit. Ventilation is key, so keep the door open if you can and see how it feels!
Thanks for the tips! I do feel the air circulate when I open the door, so that’s a good sign. I'll look into getting that thermal camera to really make sure how it's performing.
Great advice! I'd definitely consider a mini-split unit if things are too extreme.
Thanks! I really appreciate the suggestion.