Stop Leaking Your Conditioned Air With Proper Attic and Roof Insulation
As a homeowner, you probably understand the importance of insulation in preventing energy from leaking through the attic. However, sealing out moisture and closing up air leaks are also important. Attic sealing can reduce energy loss and moisture problems and can improve your indoor air quality.
Moisture finds its way into your attic from several sources. Household vents, such as bathroom fans, are a particularly common culprit, directing moist air into the attic instead of outside. Water can damage insulation, and can turn your attic into a breeding ground for microorganisms, such as mold, reducing your indoor air quality.
Attic sealing can help protect your home and save money. Some ways you can make sure you have quality attic sealing:
- Having a quality roof. Making the investment for a high-quality, weatherproof roof is important. It’s simplest during construction, but an existing roof can be weatherproofed.
- Identifying leaks. Your contractor should check every place the ceiling and attic floor are penetrated. Leaks are often located around light or plumbing fixtures, chimneys, ducts, wires and near entryways. The best time to seal the attic is before adding insulation, because insulation often covers some of the worst sites of leaks.
- Sealing smaller leaks with caulk. It may even be beneficial to add caulk around pipes and ceiling penetrations that aren’t currently leaking. Larger leaks can be sealed with a spray foam, and weather stripping can also help. Sealing around chimneys requires fire-resistant materials, such as high-temperature caulk.
- Ensuring there are sufficient barriers between the attic and the ceiling. Moisture and humidity from kitchens and bathrooms commonly drifts right up into the attic.
After air and water leaks are sealed, there are other steps you can take to increase your attic’s efficiency, such as installing a radiant barrier to reduce solar gain and using the right insulation. The Energy Star program recommends total insulation valued at R-38 to R-60 for attics in Long Island.
For professional quality attic sealing that can increase energy savings and make your home a healthier environment, call T.F. O’Brien. We’ve been proud to serve Long Island since 1934.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about attic sealing, energy efficiency and other HVAC topics, click here to download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
T.F. O’Brien services the Long Island, New York area. To get started, get a quote from us or check out our special offers.