Attic air sealing in Alhambra CA - fewer drafts and cooler rooms upstairs
If the upstairs runs hot or the house feels drafty, we seal the gaps in your attic floor so your cooled air stays below.
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Will sealing my attic help a hot upstairs?
Attic air sealing in Alhambra closes the gaps between your attic and the rooms below, around the pipes, wires, lights and hatch that pass through the attic floor, so the air you've paid to heat or cool stops leaking up and out. Done well, it saves energy, lowers the bill and helps keep moisture problems out of the attic.
Most people call us because the upstairs or the room over the garage stays hot, the power bill keeps climbing, or they're planning attic insulation and want it done in the right order. A&S Alhambra Spray Foam Insulation is based in Alhambra and works in many cities around it. The price mostly turns on the size of the attic, how much old insulation has to be pulled back to reach the gaps, and how many openings, can lights and flues there are. The schedule turns on whether anything has to be fixed or tested before we start, such as a roof leak or a gas water heater, and the on-site estimate gives you the figure for your own house.
How we do attic air sealing
I go through the attic myself first, then our crew pulls back the old insulation wherever it covers a spot that needs sealing and cleans the attic floor so the sealant actually sticks. We seal where pipes, wires and ducts come through, along the tops of the walls and around the hatch, and we put solid blocking over large holes and open soffits and fit metal blocking and collars around hot flues, because a flue runs too hot for caulk or foam to touch. We leave the soffit, ridge and gable vents and any combustion air ducts open, since they're meant to move air, and burying them is how an attic stops breathing and moisture starts showing in the framing. Older recessed lights get a careful look before we seal anything near them, because not all of them are made to sit against insulation.
Sealing is usually the first half of a bigger job. Once the floor is closed up, retrofit insulation adds to what's already up there or replaces it, so the new layer isn't fighting a draft. Spray foam insulation seals air while it insulates, but it costs more, so I usually recommend sealing the gaps and topping up loose fill unless your ductwork lives in the attic.
Attic air sealing in Alhambra and the city's permit rules
The Alhambra Building Division requires permits for most residential construction work, and its list names roofing, electrical wiring and duct work but doesn't name attic air sealing, so the list alone doesn't settle whether your job needs one. That's why we check with the city's building office before work begins, and when a permit is needed we pull it and keep you informed through the inspections. The city only lets properly licensed people, or those exempt from the state's contractor license law, pull a permit for work the code covers.
Many of the houses we open up here are older, with early can lights, a gas water heater or furnace on the property and years of insulation packed down over the gaps. We see the same mix on jobs in San Gabriel and South Pasadena, so the safety checks come first wherever we work.
What attic sealing looks like
Have your attic checked before it's sealed
We reply to every request within one business day to set a time, and I usually come out myself to look over your attic and give you a free estimate on site. There's no obligation, and you'll know what has to happen first before anything is booked.
(626) 525-0036Attic air sealing questions from Alhambra homeowners
How much does attic air sealing cost around Los Angeles?
Attic air sealing in the Los Angeles area usually costs about $350 to $2,300 per job. A small, open attic tends to land near the low end, while a large older attic with deep old insulation, many can lights and flues lands higher. I give you the figure for your own house after I've been up there.
How do I know if my attic is ready for air sealing?
Your attic is ready when the roof doesn't leak and there's no active knob and tube wiring, the old cloth-covered wiring on porcelain knobs, no vermiculite insulation, a pebbly gray-brown loose fill, and no bathroom fans blowing into the attic. One air sealing guide says to stop if any of those are present, so we look for them first and tell you what has to be handled before we seal.
Do I need a backdraft test if I have a gas water heater or furnace?
Yes, if your gas or oil furnace, water heater or boiler vents through a natural draft chimney, the same guide calls for combustion air from outside and a test for backdrafting, which is exhaust spilling back into the house instead of going up the flue. Sealing makes the house tighter, so we plan for that air supply and the test as part of the job.
Should I seal my attic before adding insulation?
Yes, when an existing vented attic is getting new insulation, the guidance is to air seal all the openings in the attic floor first. Once fresh insulation covers the gaps they're much harder to reach, so we book the sealing as the first step of the project.
What is the best way to seal around old recessed lights?
Older can lights that aren't rated to touch insulation can get a fire-rated cover with its joints sealed by fire-rated caulk, though one guide calls replacing them with new fixtures rated for insulation contact and air tightness the better option. I'll tell you which kind you have before anything is sealed around them.
Can we stay home while the attic is being sealed?
Usually, yes, because most attic sealing is caulk, canned foam and blocking done from the attic side. If the job includes spray foam, there's a re-entry time, the wait before you, the kids and the pets can come back in, and the foam maker sets it, so we tell you before the day.
Book an attic sealing estimate in Alhambra
Call (626) 525-0036, and if your household takes part in Los Angeles County's EBD program, ask the county about your attic, since the program covers insulation and air sealing for its participants.