Ask the Energy Advisor - Air Sealing an Attic Hatch
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- Опубліковано 4 жов 2024
- Have a drafty indoor attic hatch in your home? Learn from Energy Advisor Brian Hawk how to best seal it to improve energy efficiency and overall comfort in your home.
"If you find yourself needing safety glasses to run the caulk gun well, that's just natural selection." LOL!
🤣🤣 LMAO
That’s great!
Thank you so much for this great video! I’m getting the supplies tomorrow. Been working on my unit/home in this heatwave & learning so much 🙌
Thanks so much for the kind words! And good luck on the project. We hope everything goes well.
Thanks for the instructions! I followed what you said and it's making my home more comfortable during the summer. I guess a lot of the cool air was sort of escaping out into the attic. It seems like it really helped a lot and it only took me one afternoon to do it.
Thank you! We're so glad it helped!
@@NobleREMC Me too. What happened is I bought a thermal imaging monocular to view wildlife. Out of curiosity, I started looking at things in my home. I was shocked to find out that my attic hatch was dramatically cooler than the rest of my ceiling so I decided to fix it. :-)
@@seewaage cooler because your cold air was escaping?
Thank for the video - it's just what I needed.
Feel like I got half a video . Should have shown the rest of your work plus a new thermal image
Although you don't need to seal your garage attic hatch from an energy perspective, garages get very humid from vehicles bringing in snow and rain. Without a good seal, that warm, moist air can cause a lot of moisture damage and mould in the attic space.
thank you so much! you da real MVP
Great work. Thanks for sharing.
“Safety glasses” aren’t needed, while the fiberglass and or regular dust is floating everywhere
How did the " glued " sheet rock panels fit tight onto the attic ladder,,show me???
You may also want to wear a mask. There will be particles floating around. Especially when you open the hatch but also when it is open. The air is gonna be flowing!
If your attic hatch happens to be in the garage, where would the rest of the house be? Genuine question
If your attic hatch is in the garage, there’s no sealing necessary because it’s not causing issues in the house.
Can some one please address the settling effect of cellulose please? I had 10 plus inches of cellulose blown in several years ago. Went up recently to install security cams. All of that cellulose has sank to the rafter tops. As in it's ALL GONE. Cellulose is a waste of money. It settles over time. Like you just tossed all that cash out the window. At least pink panther fiberglass stays put.
Rockwool comes in batts,they are sound proofing also,yes cellulose is another word for wood/paper!!
How much does a energy audit cost to help find air leaks ?
Energy audits are free for Noble REMC members! You simply need to call our office to schedule a time and date.
If you are not a Noble REMC member, I would recommend calling your electric utility and seeing what services they provide. Thanks!
2 sheets of 1 inch foam is cheaper than 1 sheet of 2 inch foam. Would it be equal just to glue 2x1 inch pieces together to save costs?
Absolutely! It is acceptable to use 1” foam - you can stack as many pieces together as you would like.
Okay this may sound stupid, your the engery advisor. So heres my question : Thinking of me aging and over head strength in future. On the back of the board could I staple a extra large pillow case, that over lapse the size of door so covers over door edges, as i lift up on the door now to enter the attic, fill it with blown in cellulose, velcro shut so can refill as needed. Lol do you think it would work ? As my logic says it should, BUT doesn't mean it right :(
Interesting idea, Kathy. You made my morning…and now I want to test it out for myself.
First, the main thing is to make sure your hatch is air sealed with caulk and weather stripping - that will go the longest way in stopping that air flow. After that, I think your theory about the pillowcase is sound. My concern is the pillowcase holding an adequate amount of insulation. If you can achieve the amount of cellulose recommended for your climate zone inside of a pillow case and still seal it, give it a shot, but be cautious not to let your pillowcase interfere with the seal on the bottom side of your attic hatch.
Thank you for your thoughtful question!
@@NobleREMC Thats what I wanted to hear, I will ensure the pillowcase (xxl or homemade if need be) is centered and it over lapse the door completely, as door just rests ontop of the floor openning presently. Thanks for your advice, thoughts.
How come you didn't finish the video with a thermal imaging after?
The temperature difference between the inside and outside was too close to reveal anything significant, so we didn't include it.
Would it be possible for a pressure change due to a strong winds outside and only front windows being open to knock a access hatch like this open?
If you are in an open area on a windy day, there is the potential for a significant amount of pressure on your home. Putting foam on top of the hatch, like we showed in this video, should weigh it down enough to combat any pressure change issues.
What size it your trim ?
You are using glue design for foam but your are bonding foil with drywall
What about just regular peak and stick foam tape? Would that work ok, or do you think the other seal options you showed are much better?
Peel and stick foam tape will work fine. It just may not be as durable or long lasting if you use the attic access a lot.
Make sure it's a closed-cell foam or otherwise makes a good air seal. As a home inspector, I have seen countless attics "sealed" with open-celled foam, which is absolutely worthless. It's worse than having nothing at all since it actually creates a channel for air to escape into your attic space! The ones @NobleREMC suggested are the best.
Would this help with secondhand smoke drifting from my attic? Attic is shared with neighbors and their smoke comes into the attic through exhaust fan.
Unfortunately, if you’re in an apartment situation, my guess is you’re getting the secondhand smoke coming through your bath fan exhaust rather than your attic hatch. It’s not uncommon for multi-family units to have shared bath fan exhaust lines to a single point of exit out of a building. This is an issue you would want to address with your landlord or property manager.
@@NobleREMC I get it through both my bathroom exhaust and my utility closet where my hatch is located. I’ve spoken with HOA and the owners of the condo below that rent to my neighbors and they won’t help :(
How does someone get into this attic with that closet shelf unit in the way?
Very carefully. 😉 Though the space looks cramped, the homeowner can access the attic by placing a ladder underneath and climbing up. If needed, the shelf unit could also be removed for a contractor.
Stay slim obviously if you're fat then no go
When you air seal attic don't you have 2 vent the living space somehow from gasses and stale air and such?
Hey Brandon! If you are building a high-performance home, you should already have mechanical ventilation factored into the construction. If you are performing a retrofit on an existing home, you will more than likely have enough natural air changes per hour to eliminate the need for mechanical ventilation.
@@NobleREMC how so?
@@Brandon-no3vc preexisting homes are usually pretty leaky. Blower Door test can determine the tightness of the home and to find out how many air changes per hour your home typically has. Plus you don't really want the air from your attic or crawlspace to come in the home if it can be helped.
@@michaelholland1310 that's why I said if your attic and crawlspace is air sealed wich it should be. Do you have a vid on how to do a blower door test?
@@Brandon-no3vc your attic floor conecting to your ceiling should be sealed but not the vents & roof fan
lol natural selection
Yeah. Air seal those houses real good. Then we can sell you a 10 thousand dollar fresh air system so your house can breathe.
Sign me up
Come pay my utility bill
Also, attic Air isn't really "fresh" air. It can also make homes more humid so the indoor air quality is worse. As long as there's still enough airflow in the home there shouldn't be an issue or need to purchase mechanical ventilation.
LOL, there's always one.
Even air sealing as much as you can still leaves a lot of air filtration thru the walls and windows. If you can get down to 2 ACH you are doing great but still have a lot of air filtration.