Air Sealing 101

By: Smart Zero Home
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Air leakages in your home, can cause your electricity bills to go up, as the conditioned air (by AC or furnace) leaks to the outside, and the outside "unconditioned" air enters your home. Plugging those air leaks can increase comfort, cut electricity bills and also address any moisture problems caused because of air leakage. There are two steps to air-sealing your home effectively : 1) Find the leaks, and 2) Plug those leaks:

1) FINDING AIR LEAKS

You may already be aware of the major air leakages in the home and where they are (experiencing or hearing that draft of air enter the interiors, or through a visual inspection), but we would still recommend getting a technician to conduct a blower door test .

A blower door test helps identify the air leakages in your home

A blower door test takes less than half a day to conduct, and involves pressurizing the home to detect all the leaks accurately, and to ensure that the house is meeting the minimum air leakage threshold (in the beginning and after the leaks have been plugged). Check out the the best recommended air leakage requirement for your home, generated by our intelligent design software (click here).

The following video from Home Depot gives a good overview on Air Sealing and some tips on finding air leaks:

 

2) PLUGGING THE LEAKS: AIR SEALING

Once you have identified the air leakage areas, you have the option to seal those leaks using a variety of materials and techniques:

1) Smaller Leaks: For smaller leaks you can use various caulking materials such as silicon sealants. Weather strips can be used to seal any leaks in objects that move such as around window panes and frames in windows and doors. See our (SmartZeroHome.com) top 5 recommended caulking products.

Caulking can be used to effectively seal small gaps and crevices

2) Large leaks: Spray foam can be used to plug in large gaps/holes as it expands to fill any gaps and holes, and is therefore especially useful in the roof and the attic or to the seal hard-to-reach places such as wall cavities. See our (SmartZeroHome.com) top 5 spray foam products.

Our intelligent design software can generate the exact air sealing requirements and specifications for your home. Click here to access the software. Also see our post on top air sealing products, and our pick of the best wall insulation products in the market.