<h2><p>Air-Sealing Priorities</p></h2>		
		<a href="http://Sealing Air Leaks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Air-Sealing Priorities</a>
Attic Air-Sealing
Basement/Crawlspace Air-Sealing
Sidewall Air-Sealing
Weatherstripping Doors and Hatches		
			<h1>Air-Sealing Priorities</h1>		
		Almost every house has a large number of hidden air leaks that rob it of heating and cooling energy. Although sealing these leaks is not the easiest job, it is one of the most cost-effective things you can do to increase your home’s energy efficiency. You’ll want to do this before adding any insulation, as fixing the leaks is much more difficult once extra insulation is installed. In addition to saving energy and making your home more comfortable, sealing air leaks also reduces ice dams and freezing pipes, and helps control moisture movement that can contribute to mold and structural damage. People often think that windows and doors are the source of most air leakage in a house, but the largest leaks are almost always hidden in attics, basements, crawlspaces, and other unexpected places.		
			<p>Air-Sealing Priorities</p>		
		<p>Identify the most important leaks first; sealing them makes the biggest difference in comfort and energy. The priorities are big leaks, and leaks at higher pressures. Air movement and leakage areas are not always intuitively clear, but remember that air does not move through most solid objects (concrete block and masonry in general are notable exceptions). Air leaks mostly through connections and spaces between building materials.</p>		
										<img src="/wp-content/uploads/elementor/thumbs/air-sealing_Air-Sealing-Priorities-ns2bd5bbnjqsuflckv6psa9s5ybrx2wiwjvx5h3jpe.png" title="air-sealing_Air-Sealing-Priorities" alt="air-sealing_Air-Sealing-Priorities" />											
		<p style="font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400;">Seal the high and low leaks</p><p style="font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400;">The greatest pressure differences are those at the highest and lowest points in your house, and your top priority should always be the attic. Doing a complete job of sealing leaks between the house and the attic will help stop cold winter air from seeping in at the bottom of the house.</p><p style="font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400;">Sealing the attic also helps keep out moisture, reduce ice dams, and prevent hot air from leaking in from the attic or roof in the summer.</p><p style="font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400;">Once you have sealed the attic, the next priority is the basement, crawlspace, or slab—the home’s foundation. Sealing leaks there will help prevent cold air from coming in during the winter and cool air from escaping during the summer. Then you can look for significant leaks in other parts of the house.</p><p><b>Attic Air-Sealing</b></p><p>When walking around your house, you’re likely to see only the plaster or drywall. What you don’t see are all the connections where building materials meet (or don’t meet). The biggest leaks are hidden behind the walls, where you can’t see them. The key to air-sealing an attic is to block off the large openings and seal the smaller ones as completely as possible—from one end of the attic to the other. (Note: You might skip the air-sealing if there are lots of complicated leaks as well as leaky ductwork in the attic, or if the attic is a space you plan to convert to finished space in the future. If that’s the case, consider sealing and insulating the roof instead with sprayed urethane foam.)</p>		
										<img src="/wp-content/uploads/elementor/thumbs/air-sealing_attic-details-ns2biqgsa3e5uzh5ya4vlvifaesbob3307htuotaws.png" title="air-sealing_attic-details" alt="air-sealing_attic-details" />											
		<p><b>Attic Bypasses</b></p><p>Although there are many variations, here are some common attic bypass situations:</p><ol><li>Dropped, or soffited, ceilings are common in kitchens above cabinets, in bathrooms over showers or vanities, and sometimes over stairways (see photo B).</li><li>Plumbing chases (see photo B) can be much larger than the pipes that run through them.</li><li>Chimney chases often run all the way to the basement of a house (see photo A).</li><li>Tri-level homes often have open cavities that extend from the lower level into the attic, along the wall between the levels. These stud spaces are bypasses, as are the large openings that may occur near the stairs (see photo C).</li><li>Older homes and rowhouses with brick exteriors may have wood furring strips that extend from the attic to the basement. Walls above pocket doors may also have gaps, which open into the channel in which the door slides.</li></ol>		
			<h1>Air-Sealing Priorities</h1>		
		<p>Identify the most important leaks first; sealing them makes the biggest difference in comfort and energy. The priorities are big leaks, and leaks at higher pressures. Air movement and leakage areas are not always intuitively clear, but remember that air does not move through most solid objects (concrete block and masonry in general are notable exceptions). Air leaks mostly through connections and spaces between building materials.</p><p>Seal the high and low leaks</p><p>The greatest pressure differences are those at the highest and lowest points in your house, and your top priority should always be the attic. Doing a complete job of sealing leaks between the house and the attic will help stop cold winter air from seeping in at the bottom of the house.</p><p>Sealing the attic also helps keep out moisture, reduce ice dams, and prevent hot air from leaking in from the attic or roof in the summer.</p><p>Once you have sealed the attic, the next priority is the basement, crawlspace, or slab—the home’s foundation. Sealing leaks there will help prevent cold air from coming in during the winter and cool air from escaping during the summer. Then you can look for significant leaks in other parts of the house.</p>		
			<h1>Air-Sealing Priorities</h1>		
			<h1>Air-Sealing Priorities</h1>		
			<h1>Air-Sealing Priorities</h1>		
			<h1>Air-Sealing Priorities</h1>		
		<p>Identify the most important leaks first; sealing them makes the biggest difference in comfort and energy. The priorities are big leaks, and leaks at higher pressures. Air movement and leakage areas are not always intuitively clear, but remember that air does not move through most solid objects (concrete block and masonry in general are notable exceptions). Air leaks mostly through connections and spaces between building materials.</p><p>Identify the most important leaks first; sealing them makes the biggest difference in comfort and energy. The priorities are big leaks, and leaks at higher pressures. Air movement and leakage areas are not always intuitively clear, but remember that air does not move through most solid objects (concrete block and masonry in general are notable exceptions). Air leaks mostly through connections and spaces between building materials.</p><p>Identify the most important leaks first; sealing them makes the biggest difference in comfort and energy. The priorities are big leaks, and leaks at higher pressures. Air movement and leakage areas are not always intuitively clear, but remember that air does not move through most solid objects (concrete block and masonry in general are notable exceptions). Air leaks mostly through connections and spaces between building materials.</p><p>Identify the most important leaks first; sealing them makes the biggest difference in comfort and energy. The priorities are big leaks, and leaks at higher pressures. Air movement and leakage areas are not always intuitively clear, but remember that air does not move through most solid objects (concrete block and masonry in general are notable exceptions). Air leaks mostly through connections and spaces between building materials.</p><p>Identify the most important leaks first; sealing them makes the biggest difference in comfort and energy. The priorities are big leaks, and leaks at higher pressures. Air movement and leakage areas are not always intuitively clear, but remember that air does not move through most solid objects (concrete block and masonry in general are notable exceptions). Air leaks mostly through connections and spaces between building materials.</p><p>Seal the high and low leaks</p><p>The greatest pressure differences are those at the highest and lowest points in your house, and your top priority should always be the attic. Doing a complete job of sealing leaks between the house and the attic will help stop cold winter air from seeping in at the bottom of the house.</p><p>Sealing the attic also helps keep out moisture, reduce ice dams, and prevent hot air from leaking in from the attic or roof in the summer.</p><p>Once you have sealed the attic, the next priority is the basement, crawlspace, or slab—the home’s foundation. Sealing leaks there will help prevent cold air from coming in during the winter and cool air from escaping during the summer. Then you can look for significant leaks in other parts of the house.</p>		
			<h1>Air-Sealing Priorities</h1>		
			<h1>Air-Sealing Priorities</h1>		
			<h1>Air-Sealing Priorities</h1>		
			<h1>Air-Sealing Priorities</h1>		
		<p>Identify the most important leaks first; sealing them makes the biggest difference in comfort and energy. The priorities are big leaks, and leaks at higher pressures. Air movement and leakage areas are not always intuitively clear, but remember that air does not move through most solid objects (concrete block and masonry in general are notable exceptions). Air leaks mostly through connections and spaces between building materials.</p><p>Identify the most important leaks first; sealing them makes the biggest difference in comfort and energy. The priorities are big leaks, and leaks at higher pressures. Air movement and leakage areas are not always intuitively clear, but remember that air does not move through most solid objects (concrete block and masonry in general are notable exceptions). Air leaks mostly through connections and spaces between building materials.</p><p>Identify the most important leaks first; sealing them makes the biggest difference in comfort and energy. The priorities are big leaks, and leaks at higher pressures. Air movement and leakage areas are not always intuitively clear, but remember that air does not move through most solid objects (concrete block and masonry in general are notable exceptions). Air leaks mostly through connections and spaces between building materials.</p><p>Identify the most important leaks first; sealing them makes the biggest difference in comfort and energy. The priorities are big leaks, and leaks at higher pressures. Air movement and leakage areas are not always intuitively clear, but remember that air does not move through most solid objects (concrete block and masonry in general are notable exceptions). Air leaks mostly through connections and spaces between building materials.</p>