Insulating And Weather Stripping The Attic Hatch

First install foam weather stripping on the inside of the trim or directly onto the hatch.

Insulating and weather stripping the attic hatch.

Install the weather stripping onto the hatch or on the inside of the trim. To insulate an attic hatch you need weather stripping rigid foam board and fiberglass batt insulation. The stops provide a wider surface for attaching the weatherstrip and a space to mount hook and eye fasteners. Once you have the appropriate materials you can start the process of sealing and insulating the attic hatch.

To guarantee a good seal i paired sash locks with a gasket of foam weather stripping around the frame of the attic hatch. Attach the pieces of foam board to themselves and then attach them to the hatch. If your hatch rests directly on the moldings add 2 1 2 inch wide stops around the opening. Wash rinse and repeat until you have added at least 4 of foam board but preferably 8 of foam.

Access doors from conditioned spaces to unconditioned spaces e g attics and crawl spaces shall be weather stripped and insulated to a level equivalent to the insulation on the surrounding surfaces. Foil faced polyiso is the greenest and best performing of the foam options. Cut four pieces of polystyrene rigid insulation about 1 2 inch smaller than the dimensions of the hatch. The insulation will both slow heat loss and add ballast to the hatch to improve the seal at the weatherstripping.

Cut two pieces of foam board that are about 1 4 smaller than the hatch. Insulate the hatch remove your existing attic hatch and measure its size. Cut out two pieces of rigid foam board that are 1 4 inch smaller than the hatch so homeowners can slide the attic access panel open easily. Pray that the installer used finish nails and not say ring shank nails.

Insulating the hatch cut foam board to 1 2 less than the size of the hatch on each side. Apply a bead of glue to it and attach it to the plywood hatch. How to insulate and air seal an attic access hatch. Sealing the attic hatch or door finish up by sealing the access hatch with self sticking weather stripping.

Access shall be provided to all equipment which prevents damaging or compressing the insulation. My apologies for the lack of photos but you can surely imagine how it works glue layers of insulation to hatch.