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That neighbor in Spokane who told me to stop insulating my attic until I sealed all the air leaks first
I was up there in June stuffing fiberglass between the joists when this older guy, Bob, stuck his head through the hatch and said 'you're wasting your time if you don't seal the top plates first.' He showed me how cold air was whistling through gaps I didn't even notice around light fixtures and pipes. Has anyone else had a random passerby or neighbor save them from a huge DIY mistake like that?
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emmaking17d ago
Bob's car analogy hits way too close to home. I once spent a whole weekend detailing my engine bay to a mirror shine, only to discover later my timing belt was cracked and about to snap. My dad still brings that up at holidays. As for the attic thing, I was so proud of myself for lugging all those rolls of insulation up the ladder, only for Bob to point out I might as well have been stuffing cotton balls in a strainer. Now I walk around my house with a stick of incense looking for drafts like some kind of sad, amateur ghost hunter. The best part is Bob probably saved me a few hundred dollars in wasted heat, and all I gave him in return was a dirty look and some mumbled excuse about "doing it later.
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charles_baker2817d ago
Bob's advice reminds me of something I've noticed working on cars over the years. People will spend hours polishing the outside of an engine but skip checking the spark plug wires or the timing. Seems like there's a pattern where we focus on the big, visible job and ignore the small hidden stuff that actually makes things work right. I've seen it with gutters too folks clean out the leaves but never check downspouts or the slope of the ground around the foundation. Bob was right about those air leaks they can make your attic insulation almost useless.
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matthew37117d ago
I read somewhere that the average house has enough gaps and cracks to equal leaving a window open all winter. The Department of Energy says air sealing can cut heating and cooling costs by up to 20 percent. I tested my own place with a cheap incense stick from the grocery store and found leaks I never would have spotted. Bob did you a solid.
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