Cold Air Coming From Walls

The warm air then rises into the attic a process called the stack effect.

Cold air coming from walls.

With cold air inside the wall and warm air on each side in the house heat moves through the drywall which has a low r value and warms up the air in the cavity. Gap around just six ceiling boxes is the equivalent of cutting a 4 in. And on walls where there is no insulation or insufficient insulation cold air circulating inside the wall finds a perfect pathway into living. Even if a wall or ceiling is sufficiently insulated the insulation may have been cut away to make room for the electrical boxes which means these spots become conduits for cold air to pass through from the outside.

Department of energy s doe oak ridge national laboratory. The small air gaps around electrical boxes on exterior walls and ceilings leak more air than you might imagine. Most people notice this in the winter when cold air blows through a wall outlet on an exterior wall. Hole in your ceiling.

Cover your windows with thermal draperies. It s winter and your home is closed up tight to keep out the cold air but you still feel a draft. Air infiltration occurs when outside air finds its way inside your house. Where could it be coming from.

Or in the summer when the hot 100 f air finds its way into your cool inside living space. As that warmed air leaves the interior wall cold attic air moves into the cavity to take its place. Sometimes especially in older homes and on exterior walls light switch boxes and electrical outlets can let in outside air if they are not insulated properly according to the u s. In fact a mere 1 8 in.

The reason for this is simple. Think of the amount of heat you d lose.