AIR SEALING IN GLENDALE, CA

Glendale homes leak air in predictable places. Can lights recessed into the ceiling below the attic are among the worst offenders, functioning as essentially open holes between the living space and the attic. Attic hatch covers are rarely insulated or sealed properly. The gap between drywall and top plates allows air to move freely from the wall cavity into the attic. Plumbing, electrical, and HVAC penetrations through the ceiling plane are typically unsealed on the attic side.

In a city that regularly exceeds 95 degrees in summer, every gap that allows hot attic air into the living space or pushes cooled air out costs money. But Glendale homeowners face an additional consideration that has become increasingly relevant: wildfire smoke. Glendale sits directly adjacent to the Verdugo Mountains, and during fire events in those hills or across broader Southern California, smoke infiltrates through every unsealed gap in the building envelope. Glendale experienced significant smoke exposure during multiple fire events in recent years, and a well-sealed home provides meaningfully better protection than a leaky one during those periods.

The older houses near Adams Hill and the Glendale historic district add a specific air sealing concern. Homes with balloon-frame wall construction, common in pre-1940 Glendale properties, have continuous air channels running from the crawl space through the wall cavity into the attic. This creates an air-leakage path that spans the full height of the building, and sealing the top plate connection in these homes requires care and access from the attic side.