Diy How To Seal An Attic

Find a diagram of common air leaks here here s a quick primer on fixing draft prone spots.

Diy how to seal an attic.

Attic air sealing project air sealing in the attic is generally a challenging diy project but the benefits can be substantial. These issues results in drafts heat loss in the winter. Diy sealing the attic hatch attic hatches are often not air sealed allowing air to transfer between the conditioned space and the attic. I m all about diy when it saves me time or money.

Sealing is where most of the work is going to be involved. Gaps in the attic or between the lower floors and the attic will let heated or cooled air escape to the great unconditioned outdoors making any insulation you add essentially useless. You must be highly detailed. Not sealing attic air leaks first no amount of insulation is going to help if you don t seal your attic properly says olson.

In the past year i ve been on an energy hog hunt in my house and landed on air sealing my attic before adding blown insulation. I was a bit shocked at the 1 500 2 500 contractor estimates for attic sealing. 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. Even if you think you do a good job there can still be issues with bats finding a way around your work.

Before you think about heading into your attic to seal air leaks and add insulation here are the things you will need first. If your hatch rests directly on the moldings like ours did add 2 1 2 in wide stops around the. Increasing attic insulation is a fairly complicated diy project 1 3 days or a full weekend but is completely doable if you have the right materials and information. The number one prep step.

Not getting insulation out to the edges when you re prepping the attic use a broom handle or stick to push the existing insulation out to the edges. If you are doing a major home renovation project now may be a great time to tackle this project too. In addition they are usually constructed from thin wood or drywall neither of which provides any appreciable resistance to energy loss.