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Took me 3 weeks to find one weird leak in my home air sealing project
I was weatherizing my attic last month to cut my energy use and finally do something for the climate, and I found a mystery draft near the chimney. I spent 3 weekends crawling around with a smoke pencil and a $40 infrared thermometer from Harbor Freight, checking every joint twice, before I realized the leak was coming from a gap behind the electrical box I had sealed over with foam. The fix took 10 minutes once I found it, but I had already pulled up half the insulation and re-taped ducts I did not need to touch. Has anyone else had a tiny air leak hide from them for weeks like that, and what tools do you use to track them down faster?
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emma_young18h ago
Ugh yes this is so real. Spent 4 weekends last winter chasing a cold spot in my bedroom and it turned out to be a gap behind the baseboard where the drywall didn't meet the floor. I had already added weatherstripping to two windows and insulated the whole rim joist area for nothing. A smoke pencil works but the cheap ones are kinda weak, and the IR thermometer only helps if there's a big temp difference. What finally saved me was turning on a box fan in the doorway and feeling around with a wet hand, the cold air hits your skin way faster than smoke moves. Still felt pretty dumb when I found it though.
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