Finally seal the hatch door with adhesive foam weatherstripping.
Air seal attic hatch.
Just put it back into place.
Carefully pull down the finish trim.
Sealing the attic hatch or door finish up by sealing the access hatch with self sticking weather stripping.
Once installed the attic access cover creates a tight seal around the hatch.
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.
How to insulate and air seal an attic access hatch.
To guarantee a good seal i paired sash locks with a gasket of foam weather stripping around the frame of the attic hatch.
If you re lucky this only causes heat loss in the winter and brings attic heat into the home in the summer.
Pray that the installer used finish nails and not say ring shank nails.
The finished box is then fitted over the hatch opening on the attic side.
If your hatch rests directly on the moldings add 2 1 2 inch wide stops around the opening.
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.
The stops provide a wider surface for attaching the weatherstrip and a space to mount hook and eye fasteners.
Then finish up by sealing the access hatch with self sticking foam weatherstrip photos 10 and 11.
Air seal the trim the first step is air sealing the finish trim and enclosure around the attic hatch.
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.
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.
If your hatch rests directly on the moldings like ours did add 2 1 2 in wide stops around the opening.
Once you seal the air leak with caulk or expandable foam it s not necessary to replace the insulation.
A home loses about 25 of its heat through the top floor ceiling due to the effect of hot air rising.
My apologies for the lack of photos but you can surely imagine how it works glue layers of insulation to hatch.
The insulating material helps reduce heat transfer between the floor below and the attic.
The attic hatch is a very large opening in that ceiling which accelerates this effect by allowing that rising air to escape the home.
It s easily removed and set aside whenever you need to access your attic.
Attic hatch covers are easy to install and help keep the air in the attic separate from the air throughout the rest of the home.
Insulating and air sealing a leaky attic hatch will help stop drafts and it will make your home more comfortable and efficient.
Better yet there are high quality products such as the attic gator designed to both seal and insulate attic access doors and scuttle holes.
