Where does most of the air come from?

When people typically think about sealing air leaks they think about caulking around windows and putting weather-stripping around doors.  While these are common areas for do-it-yourself air sealing, the big savings come from digging a little deeper.

Our focus is usually on the “lid” of the house – between  the floor of the attic and the ceiling of the house. The “lid” can leak in several different places:

• Chimney chases
• Plumbing chases
• Electrical penetrations
• Dropped ceilings in closets
• Bulk-heads in the bathroom and kitchen
• Can lights or other electrical fixtures

Correcting these leaks requires time in the attic locating the issues and sealing them with an appropriate product such as spray foam, caulking, or rigid board insulation.

A second area of focus is the area between the basement and outdoors.  Basement leaks can usually be found around the rim joist – the area above the foundation but below the first floor. Covering the rim joist with spray foam is the best way to fix these leaks.