Air Seal Your Home Against Allergens and Energy Loss
If you’ve purchased an efficient air conditioner and installed new, efficient home insulation, you may think that you’ve done enough to prevent energy loss and boost air quality. However, it’s generally necessary for homeowners to air seal the perimeter of the building to keep heated air outside during the summer, which would otherwise compromise energy savings, as well as to prevent pollutants from moving into the home and degrading indoor air quality. To air seal your home and maximize energy savings and air quality, follow this easy guide.
Step one: Find leaks
Aside from a professional energy audit, which employs specialized tools to measure air leakage and find leaks, homeowners can use this comprehensive list of locations that commonly leak to root out problematic areas. Check around:
An air barrier, generally installed in the attic
Kneewalls and soffits in the attic
Protrusions in the attic's building materials to accommodate plumbing, ducts or wiring
Dropped ceilings
The chimney or flue
The access hatch or door to the attic
Recessed lights
A whole-house fan
Protrusions through the building--other than the attic--made to accommodate plumbing, wiring or ducting
Wall joints
Basement rim joints and the foundation
Window frames
Door frames
Connections where ceilings and walls meet
Step two: Air seal leaks
A DIY job, sealing air leaks involves choosing the right materials and then correctly applying them. You can seal most air leaks with standard caulk purchased from a home-improvement store. Apply the caulk by following these tips:
Clean the area first and let it dry.
Apply the caulk by pulling on the caulking gun’s trigger, holding the gun at a 45-degree angle.
Force the caulk into the crack or gap, using one continuous motion, and releasing the trigger just before you reach the end of the crack, as the caulk will continue to stream out of the cartridge for a second or two.
Run a wet finger or rag over the gap to force the caulk deeper, and wipe away any excess.
At Air Assurance Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing, we’re happy to help our neighbors in greater Broken Arrow with air sealing, upgrading insulation or boosting HVAC efficiency. Give us a call today or visit our website for more information.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). Image courtesy of Shutterstock