Air Sealing Attic Hatch

Then finish up by sealing the access hatch with self sticking foam weatherstrip photos 10 and 11.

Air sealing attic hatch.

If your hatch rests directly on the moldings add 2 1 2 inch wide stops around the opening. Sealing attic hatch attic door. Insulate and air seal your attic hatch to save money and improve your house s comfort. Finish up by sealing the access hatch with self sticking weather stripping.

The stops provide a wider surface for attaching the weatherstrip and a space to mount hook and eye fasteners. Once you have finished sealing all of the leaks in your attic the next step is to weatherstrip your attic hatch or door. To properly seal your attic hatch also known as an attic door or scuttle hole at a minimum. The attic is usually where you can find some of the largest opportunities to save energy in your home.

Sealing the attic hatch or door. Sometimes referred to as a scuttle hole cover attic access covers are products specifically designed to solve the insulation and sealing problems associated with attic hatches. If you don t already have wooden boards surrounding the perimeter of the opening you can cut some 1 3 boards and nail them into place with 6d nails. Attic hatches are the purloined letter of house efficiency problems.

The finished box is then fitted over the hatch opening on the attic side. Attics are often under insulated and under sealed leading to wasted energy and wasted spend by the homeowners. By air sealing in your attic you can stop many major air leaks and help to maintain the desired temperature throughout your home. Attic hatch covers are easy to install and help keep the air in the attic separate from the air throughout the rest of the home.

In our ongoing series on air sealing we are going to focus on the dreaded attic hatch or as allison baile s of energy vanguard so eloquently calls it a mind blowing hole in your building envelope instead of crunching the numbers as he did one just needs to walk by one in a hallway during the middle of summer to know it isn t insulated. They re in plain sight but rarely addressed adequately. Attic air sealing is the priority. When you re done sealing your attic bypasses push the insulation back into place with an old broom handle or stick as you back out of the attic.

Erik north the owner of free energy maine is an energy auditor and home performance specialist in westbrook maine. Combined with attic insulation air sealing can help to alleviate the formation of dangerous ice dams in the winter. It s easily removed and set aside whenever you need to access your attic. Finally seal the hatch door with adhesive foam weatherstripping.