sealing gaps: Caulking Is The Cheapest Form Of Energy Savings, And Very Efficient.
- 12/22/16 04:31 AM
Caulking is the cheapest form of energy savings, and very efficient. Caulking is not permanent. Examining the caulking around your house should be something you do at least annually, if not semi annually. Look at two photos from a bay window on the front of a house. Gaps existed all around the window where it attached to the house, and all around the framing underneath. These gaps allow air to move freely. Even if the insulation inside the cavity under the window is well done, that air will influence the house. So, is the air moving around inside the box and influencing the house? Mighty Mo is definitive … (12 comments)
sealing gaps: Just A Little Caulking Can Save A LOT Of Energy!
- 03/07/16 06:42 PM
Just a little caulking can save a LOT of energy! Caulking can be your cheapest and most efficient source of energy savings, inside and out. One place most people don't think about is where the forced-air HVAC register is placed against drywall or sub-flooring. Gaps at such locations can blow air where you don't want it. How many registers are in your house? And think about it, a little air blowing from each one to where you don't want it to go adds up! This is one register in a house with hardwood flooring. The three arrows point out holes and gaps where blowing air will … (10 comments)
sealing gaps: Caulking Is Not Intended To Be Used As A Filler
- 11/24/15 06:13 PM
Despite what I routinely see, caulking is not intended to be used as a filler. Caulking is a sealer! It is a weather guard! It can also act as a glue! But it is not putty. It is not foam. It is not intended for gaps or openings wider than 1/2"! Typically the gap should not exceed 1/4". And for the most part, the better things are fitted together and the smaller the bead of caulking the longer the job will last. Read the label. All caulking comes with labels that explain the parameters of any application - where, how, when, with what other … (14 comments)
sealing gaps: Fireplace Credibility Gap
- 04/09/13 08:42 PM
When so many things have a credibility gap these days - advertising, our "leaders," the news, you name it, then certainly it must be a big bummer when a house has a fireplace credibility gap. I like to get into the fireplace and see as far up a flue as possible. There's a lot to look at! When possible I like for my clients to do so too, and I explain to them what they are seeing. Recently, looking up into a very sooty fireplace flue, I saw something that is never good. A gap. A sizable gap! About 11"x4" and … (24 comments)
sealing gaps: Mouse Highway!
- 01/23/13 07:07 PM
Some people think that if their house is in "the big city" there is less chance for mice to bother the house. Not true. They are around, and when it's cold they will want to get in. It's best not to provide them a mouse highway! A mouse only needs a space 1/4" wide to get in! That's it. And they are always looking for those spaces. Electricity needs to get inside the house. Large service conductors bring it in. They need a large hole on the side of the house. And that hole is typically filled with some form of … (73 comments)
sealing gaps: Where You Don't Want To See A Gap
- 01/04/13 05:17 PM
There are gaps that have made history - Daniel Boone's Cumberland Gap, the gap between Alfred E. Newman's front teeth and the famous credibility gap inherent in ALL politicians. But there are times where you don't want to see a gap. Like between windows! This is a house that had the insulation installed when we did the pre-drywall inspection. I like to see a house after the insulation is installed because it tells me things about the builders' supervisor and subcontractors. Why? Usually, if they are careful about the little stuff, the big stuff will take care of itself. In this … (26 comments)
sealing gaps: Foaming Other Places Where Energy Can Escape - Best Practices
- 12/01/11 10:35 PM
Open cell energy foams can work in lot of places, not just walls. Here are some other examples of foaming other places where energy can escape. Any penetration through the ceiling can cause huge energy losses, summer and winter. This is thermal image of the bath vent in my upstairs hall bathroom just this morning. The ceiling surrounding that ven, obviously insulated, is 68.7F. Outdoors at the time of that image it was 29F. That vent is 46.1F. Are we losing heat through it? Well, yes! Can it be foamed to prevent such loss? Well, no! But other things can. On … (27 comments)
sealing gaps: Foaming Gaps And Penetrations - Best Practices
- 11/30/11 09:25 PM
More and more now I am seeing builders foaming gaps and penetrations - best practices on new construction. In "the olden days" the gap where the sill plate (the bottom 2x4) rests on the sub floor would have been caulked. And maybe there would be caulking around windows and doors. But notice how all the gaps where air can get in are foamed? That is a minimally-expansive foam, open cell, which will provide a permanent seal. It restricts air flow nearly to zero. Notice how even the vertical gaps on both sides of the corner are foamed as well. Once insulation … (37 comments)
Caulking is the cheapest form of energy savings, and very efficient.
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