Attic Air Leaks Into House

Hidden air leaks cause some of the largest heat losses in older homes.

Attic air leaks into house.

Hole in your ceiling and add a 100 watt bulb enough heat to bake cookies and you have a recipe for huge heat loss as well as a major contributor to ice dams. See image 2 below which shows an unsealed return plenum in an attic. If you find an air conditioning leak address the issue immediately before you have a real problem on your hand. From below your attic check the ceilings and note the locations of all light fixtures ceiling fans and electrical outlets.

Then tackle the basement to prevent cold air that enters there from being sucked into upstairs rooms. Leaking air conditioners can destroy ceilings walls and anything else around it. It also allows the hot air in the attic to be pushed into the bathroom through the vent tube when not in use. Attic condensation is due to humid air leaking or vented into the attic.

They must be vented to the outside and not just dump into the attic. Your home s central air conditioning than soffit. Here are eight places to start. Finally seal air leaks in the rest of the house.

This causes moisture issues when they run. Air leaking into your attic could be costing you money up to 30 of a home s heating and cooling energy is lost due to air leaks. If you pressurize the house with a window fan you may be able to feel the leaks with your hand as the air finds its way into the attic. Find and seal air leaks.

In the average home small openings in the outer shell of a house account for almost 30 of total heat lost. Anything that causes unbalanced room air pressures can cause bad air from the attic to mix with good air in the house. If there are ducts in the attic and the return ducts have holes in them attic air can also be sucked into the house through those duct leaks. While these powered vents do effectively draw out the heat they will pull more cool air from any air leaks in the ceiling of the house read.

Recessed can lights no easy solution cut a 6 in. Vent humid air from kitchens and bathrooms to the outside instead of the attic to avoid this problem. Depending on the way your house was framed a lot of warm air can escape into the attic through the partition. Here s how to find and seal those leaks.

With these systems condensate leaks can lead to a big mess but it s nothing compared to a condensate leak that occurs at an air conditioner in an attic or really any place that has finished. Most are installed incorrectly don t work properly leak air and let hot air into your house. How to find air leaks. Most recessed lights have vents that open into the attic a direct route for heated or cooled air to escape.