Attic Air Sealing
If you have yet to do so, it is currently an ideal opportunity to head up to the attic and cover up however many openings you can see. In the event that you need to improve the energy execution of an older home, one of the initial steps to take is to cover up or patch any air spills that you can find such as: light installations, the holes around plumbing pipes, chimney stacks and other storage room sidesteps that are covered up under your insulation.
4 Basics to Air Sealing:
- Inspecting your attic
- Patching the big holes
- Sealing the cracks and small holes
- Weatherstripping the access hatch
Inspecting your attic
A blower door or a theatrical fog machine is the easiest and most effective way to see where any air leaks may be.
In the event that you don’t have a blower door, you’ll need to grab a flashlight and track down your attic air spills utilizing your eyes. Walking on the joists can make some of us nervous so it might be beneficial to grab several 2 ft. by 3 ft. bits of compressed wood to step on while investigating your attic space. Obviously, you would prefer not to slip and have a foot or leg crash through your ceiling drywall.
Caution: if vermiculite is insulating the floor in your attic, do not touch it. Do not attempt to seal up any air leaks or do any type of work in the attic if this kind of insulation has been installed. Vermiculite insulation may contain asbestos which is a potential health hazard. Only a certified asbestos abatement contractor should be removing this type of insulation.
Any imperfections or defects that you can find need to be fixed if the attic has no vermiculite. The principal thing to take care of, in any case, is to seal the air spills.
Patching Big Holes or Openings
Gypsum Drywall, OSB or compressed wood will do the trick in fixing any large openings in your storage room floor — openings above soffits, dropped roofs, and utility pursues. The most effortless material to utilize, nonetheless, is foil-faced polyisocyanurate because it is not difficult to tape or cut.
Find what type of material you want to use to cover your hole and make sure that it is nailed or screwed down tightly. Next use caulk, canned foam spray, or non-hardening acoustical sealant and apply it around the perimeter of that material.
Sealing Small Holes or Openings
Examples of the types of holes or openings that need to be sealed:
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Cracks near recessed can lights. Most recessed can lights can cause a lot of problematic air spills. The best answer for the can light issue is to forever eliminate the can lights and install surface-mounted lights. On the off chance that you are not able to do that, you might have the option to introduce water/air proof covers on the attic side of the recessed cans to diminish air spillage.
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Cracks around ceiling-mounted duct boots. You will need to patch up the opening between the ceiling drywall and the galvanized duct boots if your home has ceiling mounted HVAC grilles or diffusers installed. A quick tip would be to patch these types of holes or openings from the bottom rather than the top, it’s much easier this way.
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Cracks around bath exhaust fans. Standard ceiling-mounted bath fans are equipped with a removable plastic grille. If this is the case, then take the plastic grille off from the bottom and use caulking to seal the opening between the drywall and the fan housing.
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Cracks around plumbing vent pipes. Use acoustical sealant or caulking around the perimeter of these types of openings. It is quite common among builders to use European air-sealing tapes.
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Leaks at ceiling electrical boxes. You will need to patch these leaks by applying caulk between the ceiling drywall and the electrical box. Next caulk around the knockouts and along the edges and back of the container as well as any place where the electrical cables go into the box. Do not under any circumstance fill the box with canned foam spray because it will be a fire hazard and a code infringement.
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Holes drilled in top plates for electrical cable. These leaks are fairly easy to address. Seal them with caulk or canned spray foam.
Here at Atlanta Insulation Pros, we are committed to helping you increase the energy efficiency of your home with our full line of attic insulation products and services, from saving you money to helping you attain the perfect attic insulation system. Don’t hesitate to contact us throughout Metro Atlanta at 770-626-7422 today.