Does it feel like the cold air blows right through your walls during the winter? If your house isn’t air sealed, it does! If you’re looking for a permanent solution to cold winter drafts, air sealing is the answer. Other fixes, like under-the-door draft stoppers, can be a helpful, temporary solution, but they won’t fully solve the problem.
Keep reading to learn more about air sealing and how it gets rid of cold drafts for good.
Air Leaks Cause Indoor Drafts
Before we get into how you fix cold drafts, let’s talk about why your house is so drafty in the first place.
It probably doesn’t look like it, but if your house has never been properly sealed, it is riddled with small gaps and openings. These air leaks can be located just about anywhere. They’re most commonly found in attics, around basement rim joists, around plumbing and wire penetrations, and around recessed lighting.
Air leaks are a problem because they allow air to move freely into and out of your home. During the winter, hot air from inside your home will rise up through air leaks in your attic and conduct its way out of your house. This changes the pressure inside your home and cold air is sucked in through air leaks in your basement as a result. We refer to this phenomenon as the stack effect, and it’s the main reason why you feel cold drafts in your house in the winter.
Air Sealing Blocks Cold Air & Stops Drafts
Air sealing is the process of locating and closing up all the air leaks in your home. It stops the stack effect and eliminates cold drafts in your house permanently. There are a few different materials that can be used to seal air leaks, including spray foam insulation. Spray foam blocks air movement and is also an excellent insulator, so you get double the benefits.
Before we can seal air leaks, we need to know where they’re located. To do this, we use a blower door test and infrared imaging. Both of these air leakage tests are included in our home energy assessment and help us create the most efficient and effective air sealing plan for your home.
Air Sealing Has Many Benefits
Fixing cold drafts is just one of the many benefits of air sealing. When paired with insulation, air sealing will lead to:
- Better home comfort
- Improved energy efficiency
- Lower energy bills
- Healthier indoor air quality
- Less risk of moisture intrusion and mold growth
Trust Insulation Man for Professional Air Sealing in Binghamton, NY
Looking for air sealing services in the Binghamton, New York area? Insulation Man is the go-to insulation and air sealing contractor for local homeowners. We’ve been in business since 1975 and have helped thousands of New Yorkers improve their home’s comfort, energy efficiency, and health with our home performance services. If you think you would benefit from basement or attic air sealing, give us a call today.
