Air Sealing Attic
Once you seal the air leak with caulk or expandable foam it s not necessary to replace the insulation.
Air sealing attic. Air sealing the wall plate around the perimeter of your attic blocks air from escaping around the outer edges of your home. Air seal your attic for energy savings. Seal attic floor holes. To seal these openings use caulk or spray foam.
Seal small gaps with caulk up to inch and expandable foam spray up to 3 inches. Seal fireplace and furnace holes. For larger holes filler material may be needed. A home energy company has proposed a solution that involves sealing air leaks in the bedroom ceilings attic floor sealing around the chimney weatherizing the attic hatch insulating a few roof areas that the builders missed and adding cellulose to the rest of the attic to bring it up to r 60.
Use expandable foam spray for any gaps and cavities larger than inch. Remove old caulk and weatherstripping first. This is a result of moist air leaking into your attic and then freezing when it hits your cold attic. It s usually the hardest place to air seal because the cramped space underneath the eaves where the roof rafters rest on the outer wall makes it hard to move your hands and head.
If you want to add insulation remember that air leaks have to be sealed first. If your hatch rests directly on the moldings like ours did add 2 1 2 in wide stops around the opening. Use caulk to seal air leaks around plumbing ducting and electrical wiring. Without air sealing your attic you are allowing warm air to escape from your home carrying with it your hard earned winter heating money.
There are four basic steps to sealing attic air leaks. Once this air sealing work is done you may want to add more insulation to your attic floor. Just put it back into place. The easiest way to find air leaks is with a blower door.
Use caulk and weatherstripping around doors and windows. Attic space insufficient attic insulation poor air sealing and uninsulated ductwork are all common problems that will lead to uncomfortable rooms and make your home less efficient. It s easy to overlook electrical wires ducts pipes and vents in the attic but the openings around these are holes can compromise the air sealing of your attic. Air sealing your attic and ducts installing blown cellulose insulation and insulating ductwork will eliminate these problems.
After finding air leaks review these attic air sealing tips.