Air Seal Attic Top Plate

Install spray foam insulation on the attic side over the entire ceiling deck.

Air seal attic top plate.

Air seal an attic series. These are often found in the top plate drop soffits and chases and the volume of conditioned air that escapes through them is equivalent to leaving a window wide open the year round. Conditioned air moving through light switches and other wall penetrations can find its way into the attic too. Figure 2 top plates may be missing where a lower ceiling meets the wall of a room with a higher ceiling.

Top plates are very leaky. A big culprit for air leakage in a home is through holes in the floor of the attic. Top plates are where a variety of building materials come together. When they push the drywall toward the plates they leave a gap to prevent damage from thermal expansion and contraction.

Air seal the top plate to drywall seams to reduce air leakage in an existing home using one of the following or another method. Think about the rooms right below the attic. The open wall cavities should be closed off with an air blocking material like rigid foam plywood or dimensional lumber that is cut to fit the stud cavity and sealed in place with caulk or spray foam or fiberglass batt insulation that is rolled and friction fit into place and air sealed. Throughout the attic of our 1960s ranch before adding add l insulation.

Sealing wall intersections get your finger ready and some caulk spray foam or acoustical sealant. Exterior top plates are inaccessible tyler tervooren posted in general questions on april 12 2019 07 40pm i am diligently spray foaming every top plate chase gap dropped soffit penetration etc. In most houses that gap doesn t get any kind of air sealing so attic air can leak into the house or conditioned air can be pulled into the attic depending on the pressure differences. The room most likely has drywall walls and ceiling that meet flush together.

It s usually the hardest place to air seal because the cramped space underneath the eaves where the roof rafters rest on the outer wall makes it hard to move your hands and head. Install spray foam insulation on the attic side of the ceiling at the eaves.