Sealing and Insulating the Attic Hatch
We all have insulation in our attics to help keep the house warm, but attic access hatches are rarely insulated and sealed properly. Even the smallest gap in your insulation will make your house colder, and even the smallest crack in the air seal will allow warm, moist air to migrate into thettic, reducing the energy efficiency of your house and contributing to mold and mildew growth, premature roof failure, and ice damming.
Because of the need to open and close the hatch, the traditional method of insulation has been to staple a glass fibre batting to the top side of the hatch. However, the batting tends to disintegrate over time as the hatchway is used. The attic hatch itself is usually just a piece of plywood. Often, it has warped over its years of service and no longer sits properly in its frame. It is extremely rare to find the trim around the hatch caulked and sealed, and even when weatherstripping has been installed, the hatch should be latched to ensure it is closed tightly and that air cannot pass through.
To get started on this comfort project, you’ll need two-foot by four-foot sheets of two-inch-thick expanded polystyrene foam (the higher priced blue or pink colored extruded polystyrene foams aren’t necessary; the white expanded type is fine for this job), some polystyrene foam adhesive or a can of one-component polyurethane foam (make sure the adhesive you choose is compatible with your polystyrene), some clear, siliconized caulking for the trim, two hook and eye latches (make sure they’re the right length for your hatch), and a brass handle.
The first step is to cut the polystyrene foam sheets to the size of your hatch. You’ll want four pieces stacked one on top of the other to create eigh-inch thick insulation, for a minimum insulation R-value of 32 (standard level for attic insulation). Adhere your pieces of polystyrene to the top (attic side) of the hatch, making sure the adhesive is given enough time to dry properly.
The next step is to caulk the outside perimeter of the trim to the ceiling, and between the trim and the hatch frame. Then, install the hook and eye latches opposite each other to firmly secure the hatch in position. Finally, install the handle in the middle of the bottom (house side) of the hatch to allow for easier opening and closing of the hatch.
This is a relatively low-cost, simple and quick home improvement project suitable for even a beginner Do-It-Yourselfer, but you’ll find it makes a big difference to the comfort, durability, and energy efficiency of your home.
(Taken from Cozy Home Cornerby ZeroDraft House Doctor)
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How To Stop Drafts and Save On Energy Bills
Imagine leaving a window open all winter long — the heat loss, cold drafts and wasted energy! If your home has a folding pull-down attic stair, a whole house
fan, a fireplace or clothes dryer, that may be just what is occurring in your home every day.
Drafts from these often overlooked holes waste energy and cost you big in the form of higher energy bills. Drafts are the largest source of heating and cooling loss in the home.
Drafts occur through the small cracks around doors, windows, pipes, etc. Most homeowners are well aware of the benefits that caulk and weatherstripping provide to minimize energy loss and drafts.
But what can you do about drafts from the four largest “holes” in your home — the folding attic stair, the whole house fan, the fireplace and the clothes dryer? Here are some tips and techniques that can easily, quickly and inexpensively seal and insulate these holes.
Attic Stairs
When attic stairs are installed, a large hole (approximately 10 square feet) is created in your ceiling. The ceiling and insulation that were there have to be
removed, leaving only a thin, unsealed, sheet of plywood.
Your attic space is ventilated directly to the outdoors. In the winter, the attic space can be very cold, and in the summer it can be very hot. And what is separating your conditioned house from your unconditioned attic? That thin sheet of plywood.
Often a gap can be observed around the perimeter of the attic door. Try this yourself: at night, turn on the attic light and shut the attic stairway door — do you see any light coming through?
If you do, heated and air-conditioned air is leaking out of these large gaps in your home 24-hours a day. This is like leaving a window or skylight open all year ‘round.
An easy, low-cost solution to this problem is to add an insulated attic stair cover. An attic stair cover seals the stairs, stopping drafts and energy loss. Add the desired amount of insulation over the cover to restore the insulation removed from the ceiling.
Whole House Fans and Air Conditioning Vents
Much like attic stairs above, when whole house fans are installed, a large hole (up to 16 square feet or larger) is created in your ceiling. The ceiling and insulation that were there have to be removed, leaving only the drafty ceiling shutter between you and the outdoors.
An easy, low-cost solution to this problem is to add a whole house fan shutter seal. Made from white textured flexible insulation, the shutter seal is installed over the ceiling shutter, secured with Velcro, and trimmed to fit. The shutter seal can also be used to seal and insulate air conditioning vents, and is easily removed when desired.
Fireplaces
Over 100 million homes, in North America are constructed with wood or gas burning fireplaces. Unfortunately there are negative side effects that the fireplace brings to a home, especially during the winter heating season. Fireplaces are energy losers.
Researchers have studied this to determine the amount of heat loss through a fireplace, and the results are amazing. One research study showed that an open damper on an unused fireplace in a well-insulated house can raise overall heating-energy consumption by 30 percent.
A recent study showed that for many consumers, their heating bills may be more than $500 higher per winter due to the drafts and wasted energy caused by fireplaces.
Why does a home with a fireplace have higher energy bills? Your chimney is an opening that leads directly outdoors — just like an open window. Even if the damper is shut, it is not airtight.
Glass doors don’t stop the drafts either. The fireplace is like a giant straw sucking your expensive heated or air-conditioned air right out of your house!
An easy, low-cost solution to this problem is to add a Fireplace Plug to your fireplace. Available from Battic Door, a company known for their energy conservation products, the Fireplace Plug is an inflatable pillow that seals the fireplace damper, eliminating drafts, odors, and noise. The pillow is removed whenever the fireplace is used, then reinserted after.
Clothes Dryer Exhaust Ducts
In many homes, the room with the clothes dryer is the coldest room in the house. Your clothes dryer is connected to an exhaust duct that is open to the outdoors. In the winter, cold drafts in through the duct, through your dryer and into your house.
Dryer vents use a sheet-metal flapper to try to reduce these drafts. This is very primitive technology that does not provide a positive seal to stop the drafts. Compounding the problem is that over time, lint clogs the flapper valve causing it to stay open.
An easy, low-cost solution to this problem is to add a dryer vent seal. This will reduce unwanted drafts, and also keeps out pests, bees and rodents. The vent will remain closed unless the dryer is in use. When the dryer is in use, a floating shuttle rises to allow warm air, lint and moisture to escape.
For more information on Battic Door’s energy conservation solutions and products for your home, visit http://www.batticdoor.com or, to request a free catalog, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to P.O. Box 15, Mansfield, MA 02048.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mark D. Tyrol is a Professional Engineer specializing in cause and origin of construction defects. He developed several residential energy conservation products including an attic stair cover and an attic access door. Battic Door is the US distributor of the fireplace plug. To learn more visit http://www.batticdoor.com