Photo Album: Fixing air leaks in an attic in Kirkland, Qc

The problem Ms. Doucet contacted Système Econergie, because she had problems with ice dams on her roof in winter. This is due to poor insulation of the attic and to unclogged air leaks. The solution - Remove the existing insulation to seal any air leaks and blow off the cellulose fiber insulation. We first removed the old insulation that was in the attic to plug any air leaks (sealing joints, holes and so alike) with our expanded foam. We then insulated the access hatch with our SilverGlo insulation board. Finally, we blew just over 16 ”of cellulose fiber insulation all over the attic floor.

Ice dam

Ice dam forms when hot air rises, escapes through air leaks in the attic and melts snow on the roof. When the snow melts and sinks towards the end of the roof, the water freezes and forms ice.

Preview of the attic before the work

The client complained about the ice dams that formed on her roof in winter. This is one of the very common clues that one can notice with the naked eye when the attic is poorly insulated.

Air leaks

All joints and holes represent air leaks. The air you heat in your house escapes faster because of these. So, you have to heat a lot more to keep the heat in and be comfortable. It is therefore important to seal them.

Seal air leaks

Once the old insulation was removed, we sealed all the joints and holes that were on the attic floor with our expanded foam.

Isolate the access hatch

The access hatch represents a large air leak, as is often a simple gypsum board or very thin wooden board. So we insulate it with our SilverGlo insulation.