Air sealing services in Baldwin Park CA - fewer drafts and the hidden attic leaks closed
Drafty rooms, a hot upstairs or a power bill that keeps climbing? We find where the air gets in and close it.
Do I need air sealing, or just more insulation?
Our air sealing services in Baldwin Park, CA close the gaps that let outside air move in and out of your house, and a lot of those gaps hide under the attic insulation where you'd never spot them. Baldwin Park Insulation and Spray Foam finds those leaks and seals them, so your rooms feel less drafty, your heating and cooling don't work as hard, and less moist air gets into the wood, where it can lead to mold.
Most houses in California have vented attics, and on a hot day that space runs hotter than your yard, so every gap in the ceiling lets that heat drift into the rooms below. We see it all the time in Baldwin Park and the cities around it. What moves the price is how many leaks we find, how much room there is to move around up there, how much old insulation we have to pull back to reach them, and whether there are flues or a chimney to seal around. The schedule mostly turns on whether you're adding attic insulation at the same time and whether the job needs a permit. The estimate walks you through what I found and what I'd do first. We're licensed and fully insured, and since the state's C-2 license covers contractors who install insulation, it's a fair thing to ask any crew you're comparing whether they hold it.
What happens after you call us about air sealing?
Call or send us a message
Call (626) 869-2237 or use the form, and tell us what you're noticing, like a drafty room, a hot upstairs or a bill that won't come down. We get back to you to set a time for me to come out.
I come out and look
I go up in the attic and check around the hatch, pipes, wiring, lights and any flues, and I look at how many inches of insulation are already up there and what shape it's in. Then I walk you through what I found and what I'd do first, and you get an estimate for that work.
Our crew does the sealing
If you go ahead, we handle any permit the job needs and our own crew does the work. Homes with gas appliances get the fresh air check before we close anything up.
I check it before we're done
Before we call it finished, I go up and look over the sealing myself. Then I show you what we closed and where, so you're not taking our word for it.
How we handle air sealing in your attic
The drafts you can feel around a door are only part of it, so we go looking for the leaks hiding under the attic insulation. If your house has a gas furnace, water heater or stove, we check how much fresh air it needs before we tighten anything, because a fuel-burning appliance that's short on air can run poorly and put carbon monoxide into the house. Then our crew pulls the old insulation back to reach the attic floor, seals the small gaps around pipes, wires, lights and the hatch with caulk or foam, and covers the big openings at soffits and dropped ceilings with an air barrier sealed all the way around its edges. Gaps around flues and chimneys get lightweight aluminum flashing and heat-resistant caulk, because a hot pipe is no place for ordinary foam. If the old insulation is soaked or full of droppings, I'll tell you before anything goes back over it, since covering it just hides the problem for somebody to pay for later.
Sealing usually comes right before more insulation goes in, and that's where the trade-off shows up. Closed-cell foam insulation, a dense foam that also blocks moisture, seals the air while it insulates, but it costs more, so I usually point people to sealing the gaps and topping up the loose fill unless the ductwork runs through the attic. If the cold or damp you're noticing comes from below, basement insulation takes care of the walls down there once the leaks are closed.
Get your attic checked for hidden air leaks
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time for me to come out and look. The estimate is free, done at your house, and there's no obligation to go ahead.
Air sealing questions from Baldwin Park homeowners
How much does air sealing cost in Baldwin Park?
I can give you a real figure once I've been up in your attic, because the price follows what's actually up there. Using caulk and foam on the gaps costs less than spraying foam across the whole attic, and doing the sealing in the same visit as new insulation saves paying to move the old material twice. Call (626) 869-2237 and we'll set up a time.
Can I seal air leaks myself?
You can handle the obvious ones yourself, like gaps around door frames and where pipes, vents and wires come through the walls. The small leaks buried under attic insulation are hard to find and hard to reach, and that's the part worth handing to a crew.
How do I find air leaks I can't see?
Home energy assessors find hidden leaks with a blower door test, which uses a fan set in a doorway to pull air out of the house so the leaks show up, along with a thermal camera that shows where air is coming in. One certification group's rules call for testing before and after sealing, so it's fair to ask any contractor whether they test both times.
Should I seal the attic before adding insulation?
Yes, seal first. Once insulation goes over the ceiling, the only way to get at the gaps between the attic and the rooms below is to pull it back out again.
How long does air sealing an attic take?
That turns on the size of the attic, how much insulation has to be moved to reach the floor and how many leaks are under it. I'll tell you how long our crew will be up there once I've seen it, which beats guessing over the phone.
Who issues building permits in Baldwin Park?
The city's Building and Safety Division issues building permits in Baldwin Park, reviews plans and inspects the work. If your job needs a permit, we pull it and set up the inspections, but first we check which office covers your address, because around here it isn't the city every time.
Other work that often goes with air sealing
Closed-cell foam insulation
Worth a look when your ducts run through the attic and you want that space sealed and insulated in one go.
Basement insulation
If a room below grade never warms up, insulating its walls is usually the next fix after the air leaks.
Call to have your attic leaks found
Call (626) 869-2237 or use the form, and mention the age of the house, where the attic hatch is and whether you have gas appliances, so I know what I'm walking into.