products & services

Weatherization

Our weatherization services include sealing air leaks around A/C ducts, doors, windows, ducts, outlets, electrical boxes, chimney flues, and attic chases. Contractor selection is key when weatherizing your home because professionals like Garland Insulating understand that the house is a system and that performing air sealing can sometimes have dynamic results. Garland Insulating is the right choice for your home weatherization because we have been a trusted name in the industry for decades and we warranty our workmanship.

Why Air Seal?

Air sealing is important, not only because drafts are uncomfortable, but also because air leaks carry both moisture and energy, usually in the direction you don't want. For example, air leaks can carry hot humid outdoor air into your house in the summer, or can carry warm moist air from a bathroom into the attic in the winter. In addition, if your home is leaky you are paying to recondition outside air on a constant basis. Reducing air leakage can reduce heating and cooling costs up to 50% and contribute to better comfort and improve occupant health and safety. Air sealing also comes with the tertiary benefit of extending air conditioning equipment life.  

Where Is Your House Leaking?

Most homeowners are aware that air leaks into and out of their houses through small openings around doors and window frames and through fireplaces and chimneys. Air also enters the living space from other unheated parts of the house, such as attics, basements, or crawlspaces. The air travels through:

• Any openings or cracks where two walls meet, where the wall meets the ceiling, or near interior door frames
• Gaps around electrical outlets, switch boxes, and recessed fixtures
• Gaps behind recessed cabinets, and furred or false ceilings such as kitchen or bathroom soffits
• Gaps around attic access hatches and pull-down stairs
• Behind bath tubs and shower stall units
• Through floor cavities of finished attics adjacent to unconditioned attic spaces
• Utility chaseways for ducts
• Plumbing and electrical wiring penetrations.

These leaks between the living space and other parts of the house are often much greater than the obvious leaks around windows and doors. Since many of these leakage paths are driven by the tendency for warm air to rise and cool air to fall, the attic is often the best place to stop them. It's important to stop these leaks before installing attic insulation because the insulation may hide them and make them less accessible. Usually, the attic insulation itself will not stop these leaks and you won't save as much as you expect because of the air flowing through or around the insulation.

Note: If any combustion appliances exist in the air conditioned space, backdraft/spillage and draft testing will be performed after any major air sealing is undertaken to protect your safety.

DUCTWORK

Air ducts leakage is one of the largest contributors to high heating and cooling bills and poor indoor air quality. If your ducts are leaking, sealing them can make a remarkable difference in your comfort, energy bills, air quality, and safety. Duct leakage contributes to inefficiency in two ways: first, air you have paid to condition is dumped in your attic and second, the pressure imbalances resulting from these leaks accelerate air exchange rates in your home. Pressure imbalances can double or triple air infiltration and not only cost you money but may lead to safety hazards, including carbon monoxide poisoning, and often will result in significant increases in the amount of moisture brought into the building. As a result, homes with extensive duct leakage problems often have difficulty maintaining reasonable relative humidity levels making them uncomfortable even when the thermostat shows a desirable temperture has been reached.

Duct Chases / Chimney Flu Chases / Furr Downs

Uncapped chases are usually the largest contributors to home air infiltration because they are the largest holes in the attic. Sealing these holes reduces random, uncontrollable air leakage and improves the effectiveness of your insulation.

Windows and Doors

Small cracks around doors and windows can contribute to a significant amount of air infiltration. Sealing around doors with weatherstripping and caulking windows where the frame meets the sheetrock is prudent and will cut down on random, uncontrollable leakage.

Outlets

Each outlet and light switch at an interior wall is a likely area of air leakage/infiltration if top plates are not correctly sealed from the attic (which was not required by code until recently). Outlet gaskets are designed just for this prevalent problem and can make a big difference at little cost.

Recessed Lighting

Recessed lights can be a very large contributor to air infiltration. The lights are often not sealed around the sheetrock but these problems are covered by the outside plate. In addition, if your can lights are not IC rated they have multiple holes in the top of each. If you have many recessed lights, caulking them can produce measurable results in air leakage.