Air Leaks in Your Home Are a Problem: Learn How to Stop Them

Air leaks in your home can be responsible for a significant waste of conditioned air and unnecessary increases in your heating and cooling costs. As conditioned air gets out and seasonal outdoor air gets in, your HVAC system works harder and your indoor comfort level decreases. By finding and sealing these leaks, you prevent the problems associated with them.

Sealing the air leaks in your home involves locating the leaks and then applying caulking, weatherstripping, spray foam insulation, or other appropriate material to close the gaps, holes, cracks, and other openings where air can escape. Closing larger leaks may require the assistance of a construction professional.

Air leaks can be found by:

• Visually observing gaps or openings where air can be lost.
• Feeling for drafts or cold air around doors and windows, at spots where temperatures are inconsistent, or at suspected locations of air loss.
• Conducting sophisticated tests such as an energy audit or infiltrometer test, which will easily reveal the location of otherwise concealed leaks in your home’s structure.

Some of the more common locations of air leaks in your home include:

• Doors and windows – including around door frames, casings, and glass panes.
• Attic hatches – these are doors leading to the attic.
• Crawl spaces – are unfinished, uninsulated areas beneath your home.
• Registers and vents – check to see if ductwork has become loose or detached from the vent.
• Wall penetrations – check where plumbing pipes, drain lines, electrical wiring, utility supply lines, conduits, electrical outlets, or other items enter your home through the wall. Ventilation fans in the wall can also be a significant source of air loss.
• Top plates – the area where the attic floor contacts the house frame.
• Sill plates – this area is where the basement wall or foundation contacts the frame.
• HVAC ductwork – ductwork may have loose duct connections, broken seals, or missing sections can account for substantial loss of conditioned air.

Since 1969, Air-Tro Inc. has been providing reliable expert HVAC design, installation, repair, and maintenance services in the greater Los Angeles area. Contact us today for more information on sealing air leaks in your home and how doing so can save large amounts of energy and money.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the greater Los Angeles, California area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).

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