Air Seal Attic Hatch

Sealing the attic hatch or door.

Air seal attic hatch.

Finish up by sealing the access hatch with self sticking weather stripping. Then finish up by sealing the access hatch with self sticking foam weatherstrip photos 10 and 11. Ever wonder how much your attic entrance costs you each month in your cooling and heating bills. If your hatch rests directly on the moldings like ours did add 2 1 2 in wide stops around the.

The stops provide a wider surface for attaching the weatherstrip and a space to mount hook and eye fasteners. 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. Erik north the owner of free energy maine is an energy auditor and home performance specialist in westbrook maine. Insulate and air seal your attic hatch to save money and improve your house s comfort.

The insulating material helps reduce heat transfer between the floor below and the attic. 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 you should apply weather stripping and ensure the attic side of the attic door is insulated. It s easily removed and set aside whenever you need to access your attic.

Finally seal the hatch door with adhesive foam weatherstripping. We are going to show you step by step in less than 2 and 1. The finished box is then fitted over the hatch opening on the attic side. 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.

Insulating and air sealing a leaky attic hatch will help stop drafts and it will make your home more comfortable and efficient. 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. Once installed the attic access cover creates a tight seal around the hatch. If your hatch rests directly on the moldings add 2 1 2 inch wide stops around the opening.