After the blower door test, however, I knew exactly where the big leaks were, inside and out. My painter, Scott Schmitt of Greenbrush Painters, is not only a great painter but also a green one. He and his crew reviewed the results from the blower door tests and went to work.
They started on the outside, and spent the better part of a day sealing. When I arrived to review the results, I literally couldn’t see where they had sealed until they walked around and pointed out their work. That was the aha! moment. The vast majority of the leaks were coming in from very small gaps around windows, under the eaves, where siding butted up against bandboards and so on.
Building pros probably know all this, but it was a revelation to me. A little sealant in the right place goes a long way. And Scott used a clear sealant that can be painted, so next spring when the outside gets painted, it will be invisible.
The next day was spent sealing indoors. It went a bit faster, about fours hours with two people. Once again, it was amazing where the air was getting into the home. When they finished, you couldn’t see the sealant, and I sensed that the home felt less drafty when the weather turned cold. But now it’s time to tackle the big energy issue: insulation.
Posted: 2/15/2010 2:39:31 PM by
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