Preparing To Air Seal The Attic

Chances are your ceiling has the equivalent of a 2 ft.

Preparing to air seal the attic.

You want to be paying attention to the big ones. Hi i m a homeowner thinking to do some diy air sealing in the attic. Not being a pro i was going to just stay away from anything thermally hot like the furnace vent. Air sealing the attic perimeter.

I was preparing to use caulk on narrow gaps top plates and spray foam on larger gaps penetrations for cables plumbing vent stack etc. Investigate the perimeter of your attic. Seal attic air leaks first. Most people just add insulation to their attic this will not stop the escaping warm air.

Air sealing the wall plate around the perimeter of your attic blocks air from escaping around the outer edges of your home. Attic air sealing is the priority. Don t worry too much about the small leaks. Attics are often under insulated and under sealed leading to wasted energy and wasted spend by the homeowners.

Here s how to locate the leak spots and plug them without spending a lot of money. Your focus should be on the attic when you begin air sealing. 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. Small air leaks into uninsulated attic space are a major source of heat loss in many homes.

Before you start adding any attic insulation you want to make sure that all or most air leaks have been sealed first. The boat suffers and has a few holes in the bottom of it. Imagine that you have a small boat and steered it into a cluster of jagged rocks. Without air sealing your attic you are allowing warm air to escape from your home carrying with it your hard earned winter heating money.