Attic Air Leaks

Home comfort problems often start in the attic where poor insulation and numerous air leaks create problems for your heating and cooling system and make your home uncomfortable.

Attic air leaks.

Square hole that s acting like a chimney drafting expensive heated. Here s how to locate the leak spots and plug them without spending a lot of money. Seal it by caulking between the hatch frame and the rough opening or by installing foam weatherstripping around the perimeter of the hatch opening. A large fan at the front door will pull air out of an otherwise closed up house creating drafts from leaks that are much easier to detect than the typical slow.

Most people just add insulation to their attic this will not stop the escaping warm air. Air leaks also commonly occur at the edge of top plates which normally have a small gap of less than an inch between the plates and drywall. Seal attic air leaks first. Small air leaks into uninsulated attic space are a major source of heat loss in many homes.

Any small crack or gap in the attic can be a source of. Without air sealing your attic you are allowing warm air to escape from your home carrying with it your hard earned winter heating money. By air sealing in your attic you can stop many major air leaks and help to maintain the desired temperature throughout your home. A quarter inch gap around pull down attic stairs or an attic hatch leaks the same amount of air as a bedroom heating duct.

Don t worry too much about the small leaks. Combined with attic insulation air sealing can help to alleviate the formation of dangerous ice dams in the winter. Attic insulation air sealing experts enjoy a more comfortable healthy and efficient home with quality attic insulation services. The attic is usually where you can find some of the largest opportunities to save energy in your home.

With these systems condensate leaks can lead to a big mess but it s nothing compared to a condensate leak that occurs at an air conditioner in an attic or really any place that has finished. Adding attic ventilation without ensuring that there is a solid air barrier between the attic and the living space will make air and heat from the house leak out faster because the attic will be colder in the winter and the rate at which air leaves the building will increase. One is the use of a blower door test. Or you can buy a pre insulated hatch cover kit for about 150.

Chances are your ceiling has the equivalent of a 2 ft. Finding air leaks can be time consuming but there are some tricks that will not only speed up the job but make the inspection much more accurate. The first spot to check is where the floors meet the wall.