The most expensive insulation mistake you can make (even most insulation contractors get this wrong everyday).
Why is it so important to air seal?
According to the US Dept of Energy, the average house air leakage equals to a 2ft x 2ft window being open 24/7. If you are trying to cool your house, don’t you think it would be smart to close the window and stop all the air from leaking out?
Where and how much air sealing is required?
Comfort Results
Your home will STAY COOL LONGER when Stellrr air seals your attic because…
- Like a YETI cooler, the cold air is stopped from escaping
- The 130 degree attic air is blocked from entering your home
- Allergens are blocked from entering the home
- Humidity can now be effectively managed, which will halts the growth of; mold, dust mites, viruses, and more.
How does Stellrr Air Seal?
To properly air seal an attic, we must first remove all of the existing insulation and debris so that we:
- Have a clean surface for the foam to stick to,
- Can see everything that needs to be sealed.
If we are bringing out the High Pressure Foam Rig to for A8-1 Duct Encapsulation or A1-2 Multi Level Attic Insulation, then we can use it to air seal. Using the high pressure foam rig is overkill, but it gets the job done quickly and effectively.
However, we are often using the ZipFoam (photo below) to crawl around and precision seal all of the top plates & penetrations. It is a very tedious process and a true art. After everything is sealed and we are ready to blow in the All Boric Cellulose or Rockwool insulation.
Air Sealing Top Pates with ZipFoam
Financial Impact
Solving the Stack Effect problem saves you money because…
- Home holds the temperature like a YETI cooler holds ice
- HVAC works less, lowering utility bills all year
- Unit can be replaced with smaller HVAC
- Increase home resale value, best cost to value improvement
- Enjoy the improvement while you are living in the house
- Avoid inspection report problems when selling
What if I wait & air seal later?
It is a huge mistake to add more insulation now without air sealing. Insulating without first air sealing is like putting a bandaid on the problem. It doesn’t fix it.
Plus, when you decide to fix the problem by air sealing it will be more expensive. Why? If you add more insulation now…
- you pay more to have all the insulation in your attic removed
- the money you spent to have the ineffective insulation installed is sucked out and thrown away.
What is included in A1-1A Air Sealing?
Stellrr helps you stop losing air you paid to condition by sealing With ZypFoam:
- drywall on entire perimeter of the house on both sides of the top plates
- drywall on all interior wall top plates on both sides
- light switch electrical penetrations in top plates
- electric outlet wire penetration in top plates
- each bathroom hot & cold water pipe penetrations
- kitchen and laundry hot & cold water pipe penetrations
- each sink, toilet, tub, shower 2” drain pipe
- each room’s electric box for fan/light (not recessed lights)
- all audio, cable, etc electric penetrations in top plates
Air sealing allows us to manage the moisture, and kill off dust mites, fungal, mold, and viruses that grow in high humidity.
Insulating without air sealing is mal-practice.
What air sealing is a separate line item?
The following items are beyond the scope of ZypFoam only. They require different materials and equipment for the solution.
- A7-1 – TiteShell Recessed Light Covers
- A8-1 – Air Duct Encapsulation
- A9-1 & A9-2 – Attic Access Stairs or Scuttle
- A10-3 – Inaccessible Attic
- A1-7B – Mechanical Chases
- A1-9 Chimney Flue Gaps
- A6-3 Bath Fan Ducting Out
- A1-7 Structural Opening Sealing (sloped stairwell ceiling)
- A1-4 or A1-10 Dropped Soffit Open to the Attic (kitchen or bath common)
- A1-2 Multi Level Attic Wall
- A1-3 Whole House Fan
