Air Sealing Attic New Construction

Before developing an air sealing strategy you should also consider the interactions among air sealing materials and techniques and other building components including insulation moisture control and ventilation.

Air sealing attic new construction.

If your hatch rests directly on the moldings like ours did add 2 1 2 in wide stops around the. General contractors and wayne toler of toler insulation review the five strategic priorities for air sealing in new homes in this video. Then finish up by sealing the access hatch with self sticking foam weatherstrip photos 10 and 11. To download the guide.

One option for super tight construction without factory framing is a perfect wall house. When you re done sealing your attic bypasses push the insulation back into place with an old broom handle or stick as you back out of the attic. Fireplace flues are made from metal and over time repeated heating and cooling can cause the metal to warp or break creating a channel for air loss. And electrical pentrations in walls are sealed with expanding foam to stop air flowing between the lower floors and the attic.

You can take a do it yourself approach but if you run into any of the following problems in your attic energy star recommends that you contact a. This was a perfect opportunity to air seal. This is called the whole house systems approach. If builders would conscientiously air seal the attic ceiling after the drywall is hung before insulation getting to 3 ach50 would be much easier.

The insulation doesn t typically stop all of the air infiltration george del valle an insulation contractor said. Watch and see how to air seal attic penetrations to improve energy efficiency and prevent warm air rising inside a home from entering the attic space. Combined with attic insulation air sealing can help to alleviate the formation of dangerous ice dams in the winter. Seal air leaks around fireplace chimneys furnaces and gas fired water heater vents with fire resistant materials such as sheet metal or sheetrock and furnace cement caulk.

The attic is usually where you can find some of the largest opportunities to save energy in your home. By air sealing in your attic you can stop many major air leaks and help to maintain the desired temperature throughout your home. By sealing only the attic leaks we cut the air leakage rate from 4 460 cfm to 2 180 cfm more than half the total air leakage. So you want to do everything you can to stop that air from coming in and it s vital to do the extra measure of air sealing before the house is built not after because it becomes too difficult and costly due to access issues.

New standards for air sealing require a range of new materials and methods.