A Step by Step Guide to Sealing Attic Air Leaks

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As you prepare for another cold Cincinnati area winter, it’s time to start thinking about ways to save on your winter heating costs. Since heat rises, the attic is one of the best places to start. Here are some tips for sealing attic air leaks to prevent losing heat through your attic:

  1. Survey your attic from below. Places where your ceiling height changes — from raised ceilings to dropped ceilings to slanted ceilings — are prime areas for attic air leaks. Make note of these places and take extra care to check them when you go into your attic.
  2. Conduct a pressure test. Seal your house completely and place an inward blowing fan in one window. When you go into your attic, you’ll be able to feel the air leaving and mark those areas for repair.
  3. Fill large open spaces with insulation. If there are gaps between studs, fixtures or places where the ceiling changes height, fill them with insulation. These areas are one of the biggest sources of attic air leaks.
  4. Fill in the small spaces with foam. Once you’ve filled in the large gaps, use expanding foam to fill any remaining cracks to ensure a tight seal. Be sure to cover areas where pipes and vents go through the walls or ceiling.
  5. Insulate the attic door. This is often one of the thinnest areas of the attic which makes them another prime target for attic air leaks. Add insulation around the door and attach weather strips along the edges for a tighter fit. If you don’t walk on the door, you can also add a layer of insulation on top of it.
  6. Add carbon monoxide detectors. Now that your house is more airtight, be sure you’re using carbon monoxide detectors with working batteries to keep your family safe from potentially toxic buildups of carbon monoxide gas that may have previously vented out through your attic air leaks.

For more ways to improve your winter energy efficiency, contact Apollo Home Heating, Cooling and Plumbing today. We’ve been helping the greater Cincinnati Ohio area get through frigid winters since 1910.

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"We scheduled an estimate AND a tune-up. We knew something was wrong with our furnace, but hoped we could make it through the rest of the season. Upon telling Bill what our furnace was doing, he warned us immediately what the possible outcome was going to be; a cracked heat exchanger. He watched the flames roll backward, tested carbon monoxide levels, which were so high they meter’s last reading was 5,600 before saying “high”. He immediately shut it down, tagged it, and explained that with levels that high and children in our home he wanted off right away. He continued his inspection and showed us via a camera that not only was it cracked in multiple places, but had holes all over it. He gave us a few options for repairing it; his knowledge as well as genuine concern was beneficial and refreshing. Luckily we also scheduled an estimator, Micah, to come too and we were able to get costs between repairing and replacing (with several options). We decided to replace with a much higher efficiency furnace and one sized properly to our home. Hands down, not only did they both provide us great service and knowledge, but without sounding dramatic, they may have saved our lives. This was our first time calling Apollo, but it won’t be our last."
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