I recently visited the home of a friend, and when we showed up he was cleaning up from what I thought was a "window-caulking" project. It turned out that he was not caulking windows, but that he had been experiencing severe drafts in the home since he bought it (9 months old) and had never been able to figure out where they were coming from. Then, while fixing a volume control, he began to realize that the drafts were coming in through the light switches, outlets, phone jacks, volume controls, and cable hookups. What has happened is not an uncommon experience; these drafts are typically caused one of three ways.
- Insulation Pull-Back: During the construction process, some builders will insulate prior to placing the outlet boxes in the wall. Not only is this a pain, but the electrical contractors can rip or pull the insulation out from behind the outlets opening up a "wind path." This is especially true on outside walls of a home. It is also possible for this to be done accidentally during modification, or movement of an outlet box.
- Improper Seal: Usually when a home is built local codes require "fire caulking." This is a process of sealing all holes between floors of a home. This is done to prevent fire from rapidly spreading from floor to floor, but by it's very nature it also works to keep air from passing from floor to floor. In my friend's case, it turned out that there was air coming in from the "inside" walls. Chances are that the fire caulk was not complete, or missed in that part of the home.
- Poor Insulation: Poor insulation will allow air to travel through your home through every possible route. Most times this is caused by a lack of "blown-in" insulation in the attic.
These issues should be caught by a building inspector, however, they are busy people, and on top of that they are only people--mistakes happen. There are a few things you will want to do during the construction process leading up to drywall.
Check with your local building commission to verify the proper levels of insulation that should be in your home. Most will have a minimum and maximum, you want to verify your builder provides more that the least allowable to pass inspection. If they won't and you are stuck in the contract, it might be wise to do it yourself.
Verify that the outlets have insulation behind them. Some builders will use "small amounts" of "expanding foam" to fill in the holes where the wires run through the outlet boxes--some will use fire caulk. If your builder has not sealed the outlet boxes, don't fire them, just grab a can of foam, and do it yourself--or ask them to.
Fire caulk is a nasty pink caulk that seems to never dry. You should have this in every hole going from floor to floor. The more of this you use, the better. This is one area you should not ignore if it is not done, you have problem. Talk to your builder about filling any open holes.
If you want a sure-fire way to prevent air flowing through your outlets, you might want to checkout: http://www.energyblock.com
About The Author: Ted Joffs is the General Operations Manager of http://www.BeyondBuilding.com and has a vast array of experience in construction. He can be contacted at: jws@beyondbuilding.com
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