Insulating This Fall? Pay Attention To These Three Key Areas

Insulating This Fall? Pay Attention To These Three Key Areas

Fall is a good time to replace or upgrade your household insulation, while temperatures are still moderate and HVAC companies are well-supplied and geared up to do insulation jobs. To get the most out of your insulation work, pay particular attention to the following three key areas. 

Attic 
Attics, especially unfinished ones, can be responsible for huge energy losses in your home.

Loose-fill fiberglass pellets, blown into place, or blanket (batt) insulation, installed from rolls, are good choices for use in attics.

Before putting in attic insulation, make sure exhaust fans have ducts installed leading outside. Seal openings around the chimney and framing with caulking or furnace cement. Seal holes or gaps at the top of interior walls and around doors, windows, knee walls and access panels.

Ductwork 
Uninsulated ductwork can account for a lot of energy loss, as heated air travels from the furnace to your vents. Heat energy can be lost at duct joints and elbows, at loose connections or simply through the thin metal of the duct itself.

Make sure connections between duct segments are tight. Seal cracks or holes in the ducts with metal tape. Use mastic or other type of sealant on elbow joints and other connections.

Contact an HVAC professional to insulate the length of the ductwork with rigid fiber board insulation. Pay particular attention to ducts in unconditioned spaces such as crawl spaces, garages, walls, attics or unfinished basements.

Foundation

Much energy can be lost through holes or openings between the foundation and the walls of the house. Use caulking to seal openings or holes at the point where the foundation meets the frame of the house.

Insulate basement walls and crawl spaces with rigid foam or batt insulation. If you have slab floors, insulate them with foam board.

Air-Tro Inc. is trusted source of heating, ventilation and air conditioning services. Since 1969, we’ve provided design, installation, repair and maintenance to customers in the greater Los Angeles area. Contact us todayfor estimates or to schedule a service call.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about insulation and other HVAC topics, visit our website.

Air-Tro Inc. services the greater Los Angeles area as well as the metro areas of Riverside and San Bernardino County.

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