Jovag Home Inspection, LLC ​License #1820
  • Home
  • Services
  • Blog and DIY
  • Contact
  • Home
  • Services
  • Blog and DIY
  • Contact

Cold Leaking In - Drafty Attic Hatch

12/15/2017

 
One of the most common sources of drafts and cold air in a home is a leaking attic entry hatch. They are often out of sight and out of mind but can lead to a lot of chilly nights and increased heating costs. 
Thermal image of attic hatch
Thermal image of air leakage around the perimeter of the attic hatch. The darker colors are cooler and show where cold air is entering the house.
As with any drafty situation, the first thing to look for is a source of air leakage. When air can move from one area to another it takes heat with it. This is a good thing for hot air blowing out of a heating duct register but not ideal when that same heated air is moving in to the attic or outdoors.

From the thermal images and with visual inspection of this attic hatch it appears that the weatherstripping is inadequate. There is pretty good insulation over the center of the hatch but there is obvious air movement around the perimeter. Warm air from the house is leaking in to the attic which increases heating costs and decreases comfort in the home.
Weather stripping
There is some old and thin weather stripping around the attic hatch. It is pretty compressed and not doing a good job of stopping air movement. This needs to be replaced.
Attic hatch insulation
Good amount of insulation batting attached to the attic hatch. This by itself won't stop a draft. The edges need to be better sealed with weather stripping.

Thermal Imaging

12/8/2017

0 Comments

 
Thermal image of sleeping dog
Sleeping dog - blended thermal image on the left, digital camera image on the right.
One of the cool tools that I use during inspections is a FLIR Thermal Imaging camera. This allows me to take measurements of temperature differentials of various surfaces and objects during an inspection. Useful for finding areas of air leakage and hidden insulation problems.

I took a picture of my sleeping dog Magoo this morning to show what the camera is capable of doing. The image on the left is the regular digital camera image while the picture on the left is a blended thermal image. Relative cool areas are darker, warmer areas are brighter. Magoo is working hard at sleeping and is significantly warmer than the floor he is laying on.
Thermal image of a front door from the inside on a cold day outside.
Front door from the inside on a cold day outside.
Thermal image of air leaking past damaged weather stripping.
Close up of the bottom of the door. The purple color means cold air is getting past the weather stripping on the bottom of the door.
Thermal imaging works best when there is a large temperature differential between the inside and outside of the house. The images above show a front door from the inside on a cold morning. You can see a big temperature drop at the bottom of the sidelight window on the left and the bottom of the door. Looks like there is some air leakage on the bottom of the door - the weather stripping likely needs to be replaced.
0 Comments

    Author

    Brian Jovag, owner of Jovag Home Inspection.

    Archives

    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017

    Categories

    All
    Attic
    Brick
    Chimney
    Construction
    Corrosion
    Crawl Space
    Deck
    DIY
    Electrical
    Furnace
    Gutters
    Heating
    How To
    Information
    Insulation
    Jovag Home Inspection
    Maintenance
    Moss
    Needs To Be Fixed
    Plumbing
    Roof
    Rust
    Safety
    Smoke Alarms
    Tools
    Video
    Wall
    Water Damage
    Water Heater
    What Could Go Wrong?
    Yard

    RSS Feed

    Helpful Info

    Infographics
    CPSC Water Heater Temperature
    File Size: 49 kb
    File Type: pdf
    Download File

    CPSC Garage Door Safety
    File Size: 129 kb
    File Type: pdf
    Download File

    CPSC GFCI Info and Facts
    File Size: 263 kb
    File Type: pdf
    Download File

    FEMA Smoke Alarm Recommendations
    File Size: 1942 kb
    File Type: pdf
    Download File

Site powered by Weebly. Managed by MacHighway