Air Seal Top Plates In Attic

Stick the spray foam nozzle in the hole with it and give it a quick squirt.

Air seal top plates in attic.

Install continuous top plates or blocking at the tops of walls adjacent to unconditioned space to minimize air leakage. Design walls with top plates. But sealing indirect air leaks is always a lot more difficult because there are multiple routes the air can take to reach each leak point in the attic. Top plates are a focal point in almost every energy audit and air sealing job we perform.

Think about the rooms right below the attic. Air sealing the wall plate around the perimeter of your attic blocks air from escaping around the outer edges of your home. If your home has this kind of air leakage it s easy to find. Top plates are where a variety of building materials come together.

Find the lighting electrical box for each room and cover it with a dose of spray foam. Before installing drywall install caulk or other sealant or a foam gasket to the face of the top plate then install the drywall. Install drywall then seal the seam from the attic side with caulk foam or drywall adhesive but not other construction adhesives. Find electrical wires that are penetrating the ceiling.

What does air sealing top plates in an attic mean. Top plates are very leaky. The photo at left shows a typical one flush drywall on one side and a big gap on the other. It s usually the hardest place to air seal because the cramped space underneath the eaves where the roof rafters rest on the outer wall makes it hard to move your hands and head.

These are often found in the top plate drop soffits and chases and the volume of conditioned air that escapes through them is equivalent to leaving a window wide open the year round. For instance a leak along the top plate of a wall or through holes in the plate may originate at many spots far away at gaps in electric outlets gaps between the drywall and bottom plate of the wall and through the gap at the baseboard wire and pipe holes through bottom plates into the floor cavity between first and second floor and so on. Air sealing the attic perimeter. Just go up in the attic pull back the insulation and find the top plates.

You are not trying to shove foam down the wall but rather make an air tight cap on top. The room most likely has drywall walls and ceiling that meet flush together. Check out this short energy saving tip with stuart keith from today s home remodeler and brian auman from. Scope install continuous top plates or blocking at the tops of walls adjacent to conditioned space to minimize air leakage.