Attic Air Sealing

Difficulty of Repair:      Average Job Duration: 1+ Day     Energy Savings:

Having a thermal barrier (insulation) is a very important step in protecting the inside of your house from the harsh temperatures of your attic. But, did you know sealing air leaks can be equally as important ? Some houses can have a total amount of penetrations equal to the size of an open door! And it’s not just older homes. New homes can make the problem even worse. Lots of new homes have vertical knee walls, sloped ceilings, and recessed lights, that can all leak air like crazy.

Did you know

Just to put it in perspective, here is a list of most things that will leak air in your attic

• Top Plates
• Electrical Penetrations
• Plumbing Penetrations
• AC Vents/Registers
• Vent Fants
• Attic Hatch

The list goes on and on.

So how do you fix air leaks?

It’s actually quite simple. Just apply a foam anywhere you see a hole or crack. You can actually do it yourself. It does get a little more technical in some spots, but for the most part it can be a diy job.

The reason most people call us is not because of the difficulty of filling the holes, but because we go one step further. We  can cover EVERYTHING. We make custom coverings for all kinds of things that can’t be conventionally covered.

Secondly, we use specialty tools to get into the hard to reach places you couldn’t get to with a can of generic store bought foam.

Levels of Air Sealing

Not every job is the same, and not every house requires the same amount of air sealing, so we’ve broken it down into three levels.

Level 1

– Air sealing top plates, and basic penetrations (electrical/plumbing)

Level 2 

– Air sealing top plates, and basic penetrations (electrical/plumbing)

– Seal all protrusions (ac vents/registers), bathroom fans

– Seal recessed/can lights

Level 3

-Air sealing top plates, and basic penetrations (electrical/plumbing)

– Seal all protrusions (ac vents/registers), bathroom fans

– Seal attic hatch or dropdown stairs

Air Sealing Precautions

There are just a few things to keep in mind when air sealing. ALWAYS make sure your can lights are “IC” rated before you seal it with anything. If they are not, you run the risk of overheating them, and at the least, blowing a bulb, at the worst, catching your attic on fire. Even with “IC” rated lights, it is best to install LED bulbs, just to be extra careful. As a bonus to installing LED’s you’ll drop your power bill each month.

Another thing to keep in mind is that you should only insulate your attic floor. If you start to block holes that lead outside, you will stop the airflow coming through your attic.

Lastly, be very careful when moving insulation around to get to the pentrations. Leaving the insulation piled, or not evenly spread out can put you in a worse situation than you started with.

IIf you feel like taking on this project yourself, great! If you’d rather not spend a weekend in a hot, cramped attic, then feel free to give us a call!