Despite it still being summer outside, some of us are already thinking ahead to winter. Have you caulked windows and replaced weatherstripping on your doors? Good for you. But if you think you’ve sealed up all your air leaks, you’re in for a shock.

The biggest air leak in your home is right under your nose.

Or, underfoot, more accurately.

It’s the hole that a plumber cuts in the subfloor to make room for the drain assembly at the bottom of a bathtub. Because the drain assembly is big, plumbers make way for it by cutting a generous-size hole that gives them some “wiggle room” when connecting plumbing pipes. This big hole often is left open to the space below.

How You Know If You Have This Bathtub Hole

If you have a first-floor bathroom over a crawl space or unheated basement, you likely have one of these giant energy wasters in your home.

“Having that big hole for the bathtub drain can waste about as much energy as leaving one of your windows open a few inches, all day, every day,” says Allison Bailes III, president of energy consultant firm Energy Vanguard. “The main difference is that you can easily close the window, but most people don’t even know about this other open window.”

And important to note, that hole also is big enough for good-size critters to crawl inside your home!

Best Way to Plug the Leak

Plumbers may plug this hole with a wad of loose insulation, but that’s an imperfect solution — fiberglass insulation can sag over time, especially if it gets damp. The preferred method:

1. Crawl under your bathroom to look at the drain assembly from underneath.

2. Patch the hole with pieces of foam board that’s cut to fit around the pipes. Screw them in place.

3. Have one of the professionals at Advantage Insulation spray foam around to seal any gaps. Get an instant quote at our website here

Tags: spray foam New Brunswick rebate insulation insulators

Article source: houselogic.com