Where the Cold Gets In

We finally had our first frost on October 28th. The end of October is very late for first frost, but we got more tomatoes from the garden because of it. And we are warming up for an Indian Summer the next few days. But winter is right around the corner. So I woke up early when the outside temps were the coldest and took some Flir One photos to find our cold spots.

Front Door at Floor

Front Door at Floor

Upper Window and wiring space to garage

Upper Window and wiring space to garage

Utility room back wall

Utility room back wall–this wall gets no sunlight

Ceiling and side wall--no leaks!

Ceiling and side wall–no leaks!

Stove pipe

Stove pipe

Master Bedroom Corner

Master Bedroom Corner

Master Bedroom Wall

Master Bedroom Wall missing some insulation

Crawl Space Vent Area

Crawl Space Vent Area

Existing Bedroom Corner

Existing Bedroom Corner–not much can be done here

Upper window missing insulation

Upper window missing insulation

Attic Wall Leak

Attic Wall Leak

Back Door

Back Door

I’m not sure what to do about some of the leaks. But in the attic I can replace the fiberglass in the wall with rock wool and that should eliminate the cold spots. I’m guessing the fiberglass has come away from the studs there.

We can finish the insulation in the upper bedroom window. And try to figure out where that leak is happening in the master bedroom.

The opening to the crawlspace will always be cooler as it is drawing in warm air from the house, now that it is enclosed and “conditioned”. Seems to be a contradiction in outcomes to have the radon fan continuously drawing air through the crawlspace from the house and also having the house as air tight as possible. I suppose the ventilation system will even out this contradiction.

What about under the doors? Maybe some of this will be eliminated with the application of the air barrier on the walls. Overall though it seems we are looking at rather minor leakage at this point. So far even with nights in the 30’s we have not had to turn on the heat. My goal is to not have to turn on heat until the daytime temps are in the 30’s.

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