AIR SEALING
Seal air leaks and save energy!
What Is Air Sealing?
Ventilation is fresh air that enters a house in a controlled manner to exhaust excess moisture and reduce odors and stuffiness. Air leakage, or infiltration, is outside air that enters a house uncontrollably through cracks and openings. Thus, the need for air sealing. It is unwise and costly to rely on air leakage for ventilation.
During cold or windy weather, too much air may enter the house and, during warm or calm weather, too little. Also, a not air sealing a house allows moldy, dusty crawlspace or attic air to enter is not healthy.
The recommended strategy in both new and old homes is to reduce air leakage as much as possible and to provide controlled ventilation as needed. For simple house designs, effective spot ventilation, such as kitchen and bath fans that exhaust to the outside, may be adequate. For more complex houses or ones in colder climates, whole house ventilation systems may be appropriate. Such systems may incorporate heat recovery, moisture control, or air filtering.
What Are The Benefit So Fair Sealing?
Air infiltration can account for 30 percent or more of a home’s heating and cooling costs and contribute to problems with moisture, noise, dust, and the entry of pollutants, insects, and rodents. Reducing infiltration can significantly cut annual heating and cooling costs, improve building durability, and create a healthier indoor environment. The size of heating and cooling equipment can also be decreased, which saves additional dollars. Reducing air leakage in new homes, as required by the 1995 Model Energy Code (see page 4), typically costs less than $200 for the average home and does not require specialized labor.
What is an Airbarrier?
The ceilings, walls, and floor/foundation that separate the inside conditioned space from the outside or unconditioned space form the air barrier and the insulation barrier for a house. These two barriers differ by the materials used.
For most homes, the sheet goods that form the ceilings, walls, and floor (such as drywall, sheathing, and decking) are effective at stopping air leakage. It is critical to seal all holes and seams between these sheet goods with durable caulks, gaskets, and foam sealants to create a continuous air barrier. The insulation barrier is usually made up of standard insulating materials, such as batt or loose fill products, that do not seal against air leakage.
What are the Priorities For Airsealing?
Although windows, doors, and outside walls contribute to air leakage, the biggest holes are usually hidden from view and connect the house to the attic, crawlspace, or basement. The key is to identify these areas during the design process, assign responsibility for sealing holes, and check to ensure that the air sealing was done effectively. Usually, seal all the big holes first, then the large cracks and penetrations, and finally the smaller cracks and seams.
Where Are These Leakage Sites?
Dropped ceilings and kitchen soffits, ductwork and plumbing chases, attic accesses and pull-down stairs, recessed light fixtures, holes in mechanical room closets, and wiring penetrations through the top plates of walls represent major connections between the attic and conditioned space. Many times unseen holes or pathways, called bypasses, occur at key junctures in the framing (such as at attic-to-kneewall transitions) and permit large quantities of air to leak in and out of the home. Major leakage sites in the floor can be found around the tub drain and the numerous plumbing, HVAC, and wiring penetrations through the floor decking and bottom plates of walls. In walls, the band joist (for two-story homes), window and door rough openings, and penetrations through the drywall and exterior sheathing are primary leakage sites.
There are many more articles in our Appliances and Paint sections.