How to Seal Attic Air Leaks?

A complete guide to learning how to effectively seal air leakages in attics, especially in the ducts that are in the crawl space.

It’s common for the ceiling to leak air into the attic space. This happens around lighting fixtures and pipes. When attic air leaks into house, you end up spending more money on your energy bills, as the outside temperature becomes the same as that of the house interior. Therefore, you need to seal all the leaks in the ducts, roof, ceiling and walls of the attic. You also need to check the insulation material for any large gaps or holes. The good thing is that you can lower the energy bills by effectively sealing the leaks. Here, you need to contact a reputable attic insulation contractor that has years of experience in attic related services. Whether it is common attic air leaks sealing or new insulation material installation, they’ve experts for the job, at any time of the year.

How to effectively seal attic air leaks in a DIY manner

You should start by finding the leaks. This calls for you to take a look below your attic and note the locations of all the light fixtures, electrical outlets, and ceiling fans.

You should also take a look at anything that penetrates the ceiling. This can be pipes, flues, vent stacks, access snatch, heating and air conditioner, and electrical wiring.

If you find any gaps in these areas, you should seal them from above. If the gaps are small (less than ¼-inch wide) you should use Acrylic latex caulk. You can also use silicone.

If the gaps are large, you should use low-expansion polyurethane foam. You should apply the foam around vents and plumbing pipes.

If you notice gaps around flues and chimneys, you should cover them using aluminum flashing. If the attic hatch has leaks, you should install foam weather-stripping around its perimeter. You can also buy a pre-insulated hatch cover kit that will do the work for you.

For ideal results, you should ensure that you use high quality sealing products. It’s also wise that you work during a cool day in order to ensure that you are comfortable.

To protect yourself from injury you should wear protective gear. To avoid making many trips up and down the ladder, ensure that you move all the materials you need to the attic.

While you can seal all the attic leaks by yourself, it’s better advised that you hire an insulation company and contractor like Attic Wizard that has all the requisite expertise and know-how in effectively sealing all the leaks and gaps in your attic ducts.