Why You Need to Air Seal a Home before Autumn

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Air sealing and home insulation are closely associated with energy savings during the wintertime heating months. Though, these practical home efficiency upgrades save energy and make your home more comfortable all year long.

The sooner you tackle buttoning up your Cincinnati home, the sooner you can take the heat off your pocketbook and boost home comfort.

Benefits of Air Sealing

As mentioned, there are drawbacks to living in a leaky home. Newer homes are constructed with more efficient materials and methods, though, older homes are well known for their “natural ventilation.”

In addition to wasting energy and suffering uncomfortable drafts, leaky homes may promote unhealthful indoor air quality. Air infiltration typically passes through walls, the floor and the attic, which introduces any contaminants in those spaces to your living spaces. Moreover, if you use gas appliances, such as a gas furnace, water heater and dryer, you’re also at risk of dangerous back-drafting caused by air pressure changes.

How to Seal Your Home

A tube of caulk and a few packages of weatherstripping works wonders to stop leaks. Though, you must first find air leaks to seal them.

Take a pen and notepad and write down drafty areas you’re already familiar with. Check weatherstripping and caulking around exterior entry doors and windows. Replace any damaged or brittle sections. Use foam and silicone tubing weatherstripping to seal the attic hatch and exterior doors respectively.

A thin line of caulk around window frames and glass can stop air bypass and rattling windows. A can of low-expansion foam works best for larger gaps around wall penetrations from piping, recessed lighting and the flue. Make sure the spray is fire-resistant.

Assessing Home Insulation

Only after your home is tightly sealed should you install or add insulation. Attic insulation in the Cincinnati area should be as much as R-60. That’s approximately 15 to 19 inches of fiberglass insulation, for example. Replace insulation that is damp, moldy or damaged.

If you need help air sealing and assessing home insulation before the autumn leaves start to fall in Greater Cincinnati, please contact Apollo Home Heating, Cooling and Plumbing today.

"Ernie & Mike did a superb job on my new furnace and A/C installation. Despite having more than a day’s work to do, they came in and stayed until the job was done. They were organized, efficient, and protected the rest of the house well. Got both furnace and A/C installed the same day. Ernie was courteous, informative, and clearly knew his job better than anyone I’ve encountered before. The units look so good guests now get The Tour of our new system. Apollo is clearly not a fly-by-night company. I would recommend them to anyone in need of a new furnace and/or A/C."
- Jerry A.
"I called Apollo because of a water leak I thought I had in our upstairs shower going into the kitchen. Robbie came and assured me everything was fine & looked at all the other plumbing. He ended up changing a few pipes for our washer & clearing a drain. He was very nice & knowledgeable with all my questions. I ended up signing up for the care plan & was very happy with my service."
- Cassandra B.
"The team at Apollo exceeded my expectations. As a business owner, my attention to the details and commitment to providing excellent service is high. From the sales rep. to the installation team, everyone’s performance was outstanding. For example, the installation team went to great lengths to protect our floors, placing floor runners and across the wood floors and up the stairs. They even were spot washing walls upon their departure. I highly recommend this company."
- Randy B.
"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."
- Sarah B.
"Apollo is an excellent company. I always receive great service. Alex A. was professional and friendly. He kept me informed during the process of checking my furnace and heat pump to make sure they were working properly. The company makes sure you are notified who is coming and when they are on the way. All my interactions with the company have been wonderful."
- Beverly S.
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