Air Leaks - Wall Plate to Slab - Any solution without pulling carpet?

[goodysgotacuda]

This isn't garage-specific, but I hope the group can lend some advice here in the name of stopping air leaks.

We've recently had a big drop in temperature and wind direction, this has brought some attention to cold spots within the house. Two of the lower-level North facing rooms get quite a chill in them, specifically felt from the carpet where it meets the exterior wall.

I am assuming this is due to some separation of the wall plate and slab, are there any solutions I can try without removing the <1yr old carpet near the area? I've thought about using some low-expanding foam, stick it under the baseboard, to the wall and lightly apply a bead [sight-unseen].

Any ideas out there for me?

 

[sands35]

Something needs to come up or be removed to find the air leak. Carpet or sideing. I'd start with carpet and run a bead of caulk along the bottom of the wall bottom lumber. Check the rim joist from the basement as well.

Do you feel air blowing through outlets? Caulk those up too.

Re-doing carpet isn't hard. May need to rent a stretcher and kicker though. $50 a day?

 

[zmaxmotorsports]

Id be looking around the outside,if air is getting in so can water/bugs....

 

[sands35]

It is important to stop air leaks. A LOT more moisture can come in that way.

 

[DC73]

I'd pull the baseboards and run a bead of caulk where the slab meets the bottom plate.

DC

 

[Highbeam]

Yes, the carpet guys can't get right up to the sheetrock. When you remove the baseboard you will have access to the wall bottom. If your sheetrockers were good, they left a half inch gap between the bottom of rock and subfloor for you to fill with caulk or foam.

 

[rsanter]

Pull the carpet and roll it back just a bit
Restretching and laying carpet is easy and even cheap if you have someone else do it.
Much easier that pulling the trim

Bob

 

[sands35]

Yes, carpet is easier than baseboard.

 

[nadogail]

Been there, done that.
The builder of my home neglected to seal the wall plates. We discovered this after we discovered the reason for the dust build up as the incoming air filtered through the carpet fiber pile.

We had our carpet layer (I have rentals and have developed a cadre of specialists I call on) and he pulled back the edges of the carpet and applied a case of caulk through the house.

We could have used foam, but that is messy stuff unless you have special equipment and are highly skilled.

 

[zmaxmotorsports]

So nobody else has a problem with the fact that if air is reaching the inside of wall it has to be originating at the exterior of the wall?
It reminds me of the drain trim solution that a local big waterproofing co around here uses to solve leaking basement walls.
They drill weep holes in the bottom of blocks on the interior side and use this cheesey looking plastic/vinyl channel glued to the wall to run the water to a sump pit.
Instead of fixing the grading issues that normally cause the issues they just let the block get filled with water and drain it off,Anybody want to guess what all that water is doing to the wall and foundation?
Anyway Id be worried about where the air/water and whatever else is entering the walls from the exterior causing unseen damage inside the walls.

 

[James-W]

So nobody else has a problem with the fact that if air is reaching the inside of wall it has to be originating at the exterior of the wall?
It reminds me of the drain trim solution that a local big waterproofing co around here uses to solve leaking basement walls.
They drill weep holes in the bottom of blocks on the interior side and use this cheesey looking plastic/vinyl channel glued to the wall to run the water to a sump pit.
Instead of fixing the grading issues that normally cause the issues they just let the block get filled with water and drain it off,Anybody want to guess what all that water is doing to the wall and foundation?
Anyway Id be worried about where the air/water and whatever else is entering the walls from the exterior causing unseen damage inside the walls.

I agree, problems of this nature need to be dealt with on the outside rather than on the inside.

 

[sands35]

To stop an air leak, you can either stop it from going in or coming out. Either way will work.

The problem with stopping the air leak on the outside is that it means the siding likely needs to come off and butyl tape and /or lots of caulk need to be applied to every gap in the siding boards and between the sill/ top plates and interior sheeting. Yes, it should have been on when the house was build, but it wasn't. Maybe only the bottom course of siding needs to come off, but still it's a PITA job. There will be house-wrap and likely termite plates to deal with.

The most expedient solution is to caulk the base of the wall framing on the floor sheeting.

OP is in Texas, so it's not like he has to worry about cold temps, but still, that job will be a pain in the ****.

Pulling up carpet is an order of magnitude simpler job.

 

[James-W]

If air is infiltrating the house, then water and bugs, etc, can also infiltrate the house. Don't you think it would be a wise thing to stop ANY infiltration on the outside before it gets a chance to enter the house at any point?

Doing something the right way at the start may cost more and it may take a lot more time. But the time/money spent now may very well save a whole lot more time/money later on. My opinion is not to try and come up with a quick easy way, why not fix it the right way and get it over with.

 

[sands35]

Most internet arguments start from a lack of reading comprehension. I'll just leave that there.

 

[DC73]

If air is infiltrating the house, then water and bugs, etc, can also infiltrate the house. Don't you think it would be a wise thing to stop ANY infiltration on the outside before it gets a chance to enter the house at any point?

Doing something the right way at the start may cost more and it may take a lot more time. But the time/money spent now may very well save a whole lot more time/money later on. My opinion is not to try and come up with a quick easy way, why not fix it the right way and get it over with.

What if the house is bricked? Very likely given the OP's location of Dallas/Ft. Worth.

The only issue here is that the builder did not caulk or otherwise seal the bottom plate to the slab. Par for the course in older construction (ie most slab built homes in this country before the codes changed in recent years. Proper siding, rainscreen etc will keep moisture out of the home. The best bang for the buck for the OP is to air seal from the inside by removing the baseboard or carpet. There's no need to spend thousands of dollars when a few tubes of caulk will do the trick. If this had been done when built, the builder would have either put a bead of caulk down the middle of the bottom plate or would have used a foam gasket to air seal. It doesn't really matter where the air seal is located. It doesn't even have to be there but will improve the home's energy efficiency.

DC

 

[goodysgotacuda]

I will look at removing the siding to get to it. Thanks all!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[zmaxmotorsports]

What if the house is bricked? Very likely given the OP's location of Dallas/Ft. Worth.

The only issue here is that the builder did not caulk or otherwise seal the bottom plate to the slab. Par for the course in older construction (ie most slab built homes in this country before the codes changed in recent years. Proper siding, rainscreen etc will keep moisture out of the home. The best bang for the buck for the OP is to air seal from the inside by removing the baseboard or carpet. There's no need to spend thousands of dollars when a few tubes of caulk will do the trick. If this had been done when built, the builder would have either put a bead of caulk down the middle of the bottom plate or would have used a foam gasket to air seal. It doesn't really matter where the air seal is located. It doesn't even have to be there but will improve the home's energy efficiency.

DC

Im not worried so much about energy efficiency as I am about rotting wood and the little critters that can enter the walls a reek havick on the structure of the house.
Ive bought/rebuilt/sold enough houses over the years to know better than trying to put a band aid on something like that.
Would you pay a contractor to fix something that way,and if you did would you be pissed later on to find out that you ended up with a house full of carpenter ants or something else eating up that wall?

 

[zmaxmotorsports]

What if the house is bricked? Very likely given the OP's location of Dallas/Ft. Worth.

The only issue here is that the builder did not caulk or otherwise seal the bottom plate to the slab. Par for the course in older construction (ie most slab built homes in this country before the codes changed in recent years. Proper siding, rainscreen etc will keep moisture out of the home. The best bang for the buck for the OP is to air seal from the inside by removing the baseboard or carpet. There's no need to spend thousands of dollars when a few tubes of caulk will do the trick. If this had been done when built, the builder would have either put a bead of caulk down the middle of the bottom plate or would have used a foam gasket to air seal. It doesn't really matter where the air seal is located. It doesn't even have to be there but will improve the home's energy efficiency.

DC

If the house is brick you call a mason/tuck pointer to look for cracks/gaps in the brick work.
As far as not being code to seal the slab Sil Seal has been around for 40 plus years that Im aware of.

 

[DC73]

Im not worried so much about energy efficiency as I am about rotting wood and the little critters that can enter the walls a reek havick on the structure of the house.
Ive bought/rebuilt/sold enough houses over the years to know better than trying to put a band aid on something like that.
Would you pay a contractor to fix something that way,and if you did would you be pissed later on to find out that you ended up with a house full of carpenter ants or something else eating up that wall?

It's not a bandaid. The point is that this is not likely a construction defect. It's the way houses were built for years. It's only since we've become more aware of energy efficiency that it became code to seal the bottom plate. Caulking from the inside is simply the most practical and cost effective way to make the house more energy efficient and more comfortable. The bottom plate is a known air infiltration point for those in the energy efficiency business.

Hell, let's just tear the house down and start over. That'll fix the problem.

DC

 

[Dirtydan69]

True about the sill seal. I have been doing it for at least 30 years but I would imagine it's been around longer than that. You can try spray foam in a can and shoot it into the gap between the plate and the concrete. But be careful as it can be quite a mess. Most caulks will dry out and shrink over time which will only cause your problem to return at a later date. You may be able to remove or pry back the bottom row of siding or frieze board from the outside. May be easier and less messy than doing it from the inside. This would also give you the opportunity to add house wrap or 15lb felt to aid in stopping your air infiltration problem.