Sealing air leaks is a great way to ensure your home’s cooling and heating systems remain effective without having to work extra hard to cool or heat your home. For example, sealing leaks ensures cool air stays indoors and the hot air outside during the hot Georgia summer. This will save you money and create a much more comfortable home environment. The best strategy when sealing air leaks is to start big and go down from there:

• Big leaks: When sealing air leaks, it’s best to begin with big holes and gaps. Larger leaks typically occur in ceilings below the attic, unconditioned basements and crawl spaces, bathtub drain holes, and attic kneewalls that feature no sheathing on either side.

• Medium-sized leaks: Next you’ll want to focus on all medium-sized gaps and cracks. Examples include metal flues, such as a furnace flue that runs from the basement to the attic via the first floor of the house. Use a non-flammable material to seal the gap, and finish with fire-rated caulk. Never use flammable materials to seal such leaks.

• Small leaks: Finish by sealing small holes around your home. Examples include cracks and gaps around doors and windows, which you can fill in with caulk and weatherstripping materials. Older homes frequently feature small holes where wires run through crawlspaces, attics and basements into framing. You’ll usually want to use caulk for sealing air leaks like these.

• Service professional: Consider hiring an HVAC professional to seal air leaks around your home, as they can find leaks you might have missed, test for combustion safety, and find hidden connections to unconditioned areas in the basement or garage. A service professional will also re-test for air leakage after finishing the job.

For more expert advice on sealing air leaks and other issues relating to home comfort, please contact us at Powers Heating & Air. We have proudly served Peachtree City and the surrounding area since 2001.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Peachtree City, Georgia and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).

Image courtesy of Shutterstock