Duct Sealing and Insulation in Claymont, DE

Challenge

Like most, this homeowner did not know exactly why the upstairs of his home was so difficult to keep comfortable. He and his family had lived in this Claymont, DE house for 10 years and had no plans to move at the present time. He knew making the house more energy efficient would save him money in the long run.

The main problem for most homeowners is that Home comfort problems are rarely intuitive because they are hidden within wall cavities, laying beneath attic insulation, and scattered throughout the insides of pressurized HVAC duct systems where human eyes rarely, if ever, go. And if the exact cause of problems are unknown then the best solutions are at best a guess. 

So perhaps you may find it helpful to explore the comfort/energy efficiency problems we uncovered and the solutions we determined for this quintessential 1960s Garrison Colonial style home.

When this home was built in 1964, home builders were not particularly concerned with energy efficiency since energy was cheap and abundant. Here are a few of the most common issues a home built in 1964 like this one, will have: 

• Mid-Century Colonial style homes typically have a second story overhang that create hidden pathways, allowing hot or cold air from the outside to travel through the hollow space between the first story ceilings and second story floors. This can make the second stories of these homes difficult and expensive to heat and cool effectively. 
• An "attached" garage typically exists in the Colonial design, creating a second attic space adjacent to some of the second story rooms. Construction methods here resulted in complicated junctions that are not adequately insulated nor air-sealed effectively.      
• Attics back then were not insulated any better than walls. Typically 3 ½" fiberglass batts were used in the attic to insulate the ceilings of the rooms below, providing a mere R11 insulation value - and thats assuming the insulation was installed perfectly, which often was not the case.
• Wall and ceiling construction create pathways that act like chimneys, sucking in air though and around electrical and lighting fixtures and around plumbing penetrations and pulling it up into the attic. This conditioned air, which the homeowner has paid to heat, cool, and dehumidify, is then swept away to the outside through the attic vents. You may as well light dollar bills on fires in your backyard fire pit. The result will be identical: the loss of your money without receiving any home comfort value in return.
• Ducted HVAC systems were not yet the norm for American households in the early 1960s. Ductwork was often constructed somewhat crudely and were very leaky. Much of the air, which the homeowner has paid to heat or cool, is lost through the leaks before it can be delivered to the rooms where it is needed.

Compare all of this with an energy efficient home built in 2023, with R19 insulation in the walls, R60 in the ceilings, air sealed attic floors, and tight ductwork.  It's no wonder these mid-century homes, still in their original condition, are so expensive to heat and cool. Energy bills for these modern homes are often less than half those of a similar sized home built back in the 1960s or before. 

Solution

Here is a partial list of the work Lawson Home Services performed and the measures that were installed:

• Remove the nasty old R11 fiberglass insulation in the attics above the garage and main sections of the home
• Air-seal the floors of the cleaned attics; and replace fiberglass insulation with a cozy 17" of TruSoft™ cellulose insulation R60.
• Insulate and air seal between the attic over the attached garage and the second story rooms of the main house with SilverGlo rigid foam insulation. The reflective surface of the SilverGlo™ also serves as a radiant energy barrier, reflecting heat away from the wall surface, much like the shiny surfaces used to protect satellites and the International Space Station from the suns' radiant energy.
• Air seal the HVAC ductwork with the revolutionary Aeroseal™ process. Lawson's hard-working crew protects the home from the airborne Aeroseal glue. They pressurize the home with a very powerful blower door fan and pulling any excess Aeroseal glue outside the house through large plastic tubes - a process uniquely designed and implemented by Lawson Home Services to guarantee the highest quality work in the industry.
• Insulate and air seal unique areas such as this sloping attic floor above the stairwell. 
• Construct and install a special air-sealed and insulated attic scuttle access. 

Lawson Home Services has the expertise to find the exact cause of the comfort issue unique to your home, and to design scientifically sound and cost effective solutions that actually work. Call us today to schedule an appointment for our home comfort expert to conduct an energy auditor for your home.