Home Improvement Stack Exchange
Home Improvement Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [air-sealing]

33 questions
8
votes
6 answers

How do I soundproof the gap under an interior door over a hardwood floor?

I have an interior door over a hardwood floor. The door lets in a lot of sound through the gap between the door and the floor. How do I soundproof the gap between the door and the floor? I tried adding a "draft stopper" strip like this last year.…
mkasberg
  • 181
  • 1
  • 1
  • 3
7
votes
4 answers

How can I plug screw holes in an insulated supply duct?

My contractor left two screw holes in one of my insulated supply duct lines (because they had added a strap to hang new ductwork on, but they changed their mind and moved it). What's the best/easiest way to plug it up? It's in a hard-to-reach spot…
MonkeyBonkey
  • 1,219
  • 3
  • 25
  • 47
5
votes
1 answer

Caulk as weatherstripping?

Before I begin, yes, I know that generally caulking does not serve the same purpose as weatherstripping, and the usual recommendation for windows or doors is to use weatherstripping. The problem is I've got several old windows which it is impossible…
Catherine
  • 199
  • 2
  • 2
  • 9
3
votes
1 answer

What is the advantage of applying Tyvek HomeWrap or Huber Zip System on only one wall?

Unfortunately a window of my 1920ies California lath&plaster/stucco home was leaking, causing dry rot in the framing and requires to demo the stucco, redoing sheathing, tar paper, stucco and painting of one exterior wall. My contractor will replace…
divB
  • 1,780
  • 1
  • 16
  • 26
2
votes
4 answers

Repairing Plumbing Hole Drywall Behind Cabinet

I'm a new homeowner and went to repair an existing hole in the drywall below our sink (round punched hole in the pictures) and discovered that there's a much larger square hole that was covered by a board (see picture). I only have about 2.5"…
tifkin
  • 117
  • 3
2
votes
1 answer

Proper way to seal bottom plate to slab?

I noticed that the caulk has failed where the bottom plate meets our concrete slab foundation along an exterior wall. I’ve removed the old caulk and vacuumed the area. The bottom plate is sitting on a foam gasket, but I’d like to fix it to help with…
Josh Bush
  • 657
  • 3
  • 7
  • 18
2
votes
0 answers

How do I seal my furnace exhaust penetration?

Problem My oil burning furnace exhaust/intake manifold does not appear to be sealed properly (daylight and draft visible) from the inside and I wish to seal it. I also believe mice are getting into my basement through it, as I have recently caught…
Chris
  • 21
  • 2
2
votes
2 answers

Adding house wrap behind existing board and batten siding

I live in south-central Illinois, and the house is on top of a hill, so we get a lot of wind. The house is cold in the winter - partly because it is on slab and partly because it is pretty drafty. Most of the windows are in decent shape (Anderson…
Eric Nord
  • 21
  • 2
1
vote
0 answers

How can I fix numerous gaps in doors and windows in my apartment?

In my apartment, almost all of the doors are not sealed properly. These large gaps exist which allow in bugs. Also occasionally if this front patio door is closed but not locked, the force of the air suction when closing the back door will actually…
Ebony
  • 11
  • 1
1
vote
1 answer

Sealing knockouts of receptacles/switches and sealing low voltage boxes

I am working to tighten my 1920s house. With respect to junction boxes (receptacles and switches) the common approach seems to be sealing the gap between the box and the wall with spray foam and/or caulking and optionally adding a gasket. However,…
divB
  • 1,780
  • 1
  • 16
  • 26
1
vote
2 answers

What do I need to seal interior door?

This sounds trivial but doesn’t seem to. In Europe, even interior doors are properly sealed but not so in the US. This is problematic for my rooms that go to unconditioned rooms (like basement or garage). The gap between the door and the frame is…
divB
  • 1,780
  • 1
  • 16
  • 26
1
vote
2 answers

What exactly am I looking for to replace worn out bottom door seals?

I've got a sunroom of sorts that we use most of the year except winter, though it does have electric baseboard. It was built in the 80s I'm guessing and it looks like the door seals on the bottom of each door are probably original. Looking on the…
cwi
  • 11
  • 3
1
vote
2 answers

Easiest way to Airseal an attic space

House got gutted by a fire and now all of it has been demo'd down to the framing and the exterior sheathing. Location is Albuquerque. We are looking at the easiest way to air seal the attic space. Attic is typical height truss space. I think about…
Ya Guy Godzilla
  • 85
  • 6
1
vote
0 answers

Sealing exterior vent

What is the correct way to seal an unused exterior vent without replacing siding etc? This is an old, 4'' dryer vent. My current plan would be to first caulk around the flap to close any air gaps and then maybe use some spray foam and insulation?
user2503795
  • 831
  • 3
  • 8
  • 20
1
vote
1 answer

Air-sealing basement slab weeping tile access for radon

I have a pretty high levels of radon in the basement (~400 Bq/m3 when windows are not open), so I want to seal obvious entry points, one of which is what looks like a 10 inch weeping tile cleanout access point (see photo). At the moment it is…
Eugene
  • 215
  • 2
  • 8
1
2 3